These are a few photos taken of Stacey’s garden, taken at the end of September. I’ve been thinking I should probably drop by again soon and take some photos of what everything looks like in Autumn/Winter.
Ripening Tomatoes
The first of the peppers.
Bird Feeder
With all the apples falling from the trees and going to waste I thought I would put some to use and try make apple and blackcurrant jam. All you need are apples, blackcurrents and alot of sugar.
Peel and core the applesPlace peeled and cored apples in a pot & add water but enough to just varely cover the apples
stew the apples gently – dont let boil or they spit and scald you! Speaking from experience here!
They soften up completely and begin to stew..
Add in some blackies
I actually could not think of a better name!
And there you have it, jam setting in your own home. I tasted a little the other day and it tastes great. If anyone wants some – tough! Tis all mine!
There have been severel changes since the last post. Meredith had to be put to sleep and I ended up getting two more hens. I called the two newbies Meredith the 2nd and Jo-Jo. Meredith & Jo-Jo ended up battering my other five hens, they took over the roost, would not allow anyone to eat, drink or sleep but after two weeks they settled down and all are living in harmony. The new girls are beautiful, they have fiery red feathers but milky white, very whispy colours in their crown and throughout their plummage.
The two new girls have laid over 30 eggs since we bought them in late September. They would religiously go into the nesting box to lay at 10.30am each morning, screech away and then come out proudly to have some food and a drink. The eggs these two produce are fanastic. Very healthy shells and the inside tastes divine. Supermarket eggs (eggs from the battery hens) are tasteless. Its like eating an egg from the future, manufacturted to look like an egg but it tastes like cardboard. The laying has almost stopped now, these past few October days have been windy, dark and much cooler. They havn’t been getting enough sunlight in order to lay so they are on their ‘holidays’. Chickens can normally lay around 250 eggs a year so when the winter months come in they take that much needed rest.
In Spring, Hannah, Stripe and Bailey should all be laying, and I cant wait to see Bailey’s ( a Welsummer) eggs.
Okay so I made a call by chance as I wasn’t able to get any pullets in my search for laying hens, and I got through to a guy actually selling year old pullets. All looked well, so I ventured down and came home with three big momma’s. Stripe is no longer the leader and when these guys got inside Stripe made a peck at Izzie and Izzie let her know who was boss (By the way, this is called the ‘pecking order’ in chickenland). So the three teenagers were a little off put but there was not fighting. The teenagers went to bed and I was surpised to find Bailey in bed with them, all snuggled up. Even though Tatiana and Izzie are bigger than her, she is the most attentive and friendly of them all. She has established herself as “the big momma” and all seem to know it! So, I found Bailey in the nesting area with the three teens snUggled up to her, I was amazed, I think she has ‘taken them under her wing’!!!! Haha…. So heres a picture of Bailey herself, my favourite so far…
She loves any attention
And here is a picture of the other fine beasts we acquired – Tatiana and Izzie. They are timid, and not at all hostile to the teenagers, but tonight will be another story when they’re all the one bed together! Fingers crossed they will start laying soon. I found out another interesting fact about chickens today, the man I bought these three off told me that when the comb on top of their hed goes really red, that means they are laying. At the moment, Tatiana and Izzie have two majorly red combs on their heads and have had an excellent relaxing first day, so am hoping they will lay within the next week. Bailey’s head is turning red but still a little pinkish. The teenagers all have little pink stumps, it could be November before they start becoming hens yet.
Tatiana & Izzie
I also threw in some grass clippings today and they went mad! They were scratching it and throwing it up in the air. Eric threw in some bread and they loved that even more. Hours of entertainment! So we are delighted with them all. Meredith, Hannah, Bailey, Izzie, Tatiana & Stripe (Eric named her Stripe – not me!!!)
Finally, they are all here. We started off with Meredith ( Rhode Island Red) and Hannah and Stripe (Light Sussex). They’re only teenagers, and were very frightened of any human contact. Their first day in the coop was good, except they did not venture up the stairs to the nesting area and had to be shown for two nights. On the third night.. horray! I went out to put them in and they were inside the nesting area buried in the straw nesting. I am delighted they settled well.
Meredith is on the far right, the brown one. Hannah is the smallest of them all in the middle and Stripe is on the far left, and Stripe is the boss (at the moment).
Here comes the Girls!Pecking away at lunch
Our tomatoes
We’ve been busy growing all sorts, peppers, chilli’s, aubergine, tomatoes, strawberries… and heres some pics to prove it!!!!
Heres our little pepper tree
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