Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Lesley]

I feel very strange just writing about it after being veggie for so long and still being 'veggie' when away from home - I'm stuck for a description really!

 

I still cart corn cobs around to any BBQ we're invited to!

 

The chickens we get this time will be four weeks old because we are not set up to care for fluffy chicks at this time of year and we can only control what they eat from the point we acquire them but if it goes well we will have day-olds next spring.

 

Of course - if one of ours goes broody.............

 

Thank you all for your thoughts

[kazaddress]

Hi. not sure if you may be intereted.. but the farm which i get my organic veg delivery from www.riverford.co.uk (costs £10 a week).. also do a organic meat box too (around £40 a fortnight for a large mixed box).

 

I can posts links if your interested!

[Popcorn]

I'd be interested Kaz...

 

We've been looking at Sheepdrove in Bristol t odeliver, so it would be good to compare.

 

There's a sticky in the Nesting Box (Suppliers of Organic Food) you can add your supplier to. I'll keep an eye out for it, thanks

[Mel (& Paul)]

Hi Lesley

Just wondering how this is all going for you?

[Lesley]

We are all ready for them - they should be available to pick up around the 1st October. We've revamped the run - I will post photos at the weekend.

[Steph]

well good luck

and im sure you will enjoy them, although i would'nt fancy doing it myself

i think i'll just stick to getting ours from the shop

[Lesley]

Thanks Steph and Mel

[Sophieam101]

I would like to do that in a way, but then again I wouldnt, although its alot better then just buying the meat from the shops where you dont know if they've had happy life

[Guest]

Hope it all goes ok. Wish you lived closer, I'd have a regular order in for a bird. Sad, I know but I'm not in the least bit squeamish. I used to work for a gun company in London and would regularly be seen on the train with a large dark green carrier bag with feathers sticking out! They have an estate in Devon and any of the bag not taken by the guns would come back to the offices and the staff could have them. Best pheasant I ever had!

 

Keep us posted, Lesley!

 

Helen.

[Hellcat]

Don't know what happened there, came up as a guest. Doh!!

 

Helen.

[soufflé]

Yes, good luck with this. I'd quite like to have a go at rearing chickens for

meat but I'm not sure I could manage the despatching, but I suppose once you've been shown and done it once it won't be too bad.

[Lesley]

I think I've said somewhere near the beginning - after being Veggie for 25 years, this is all very strange to me but at the same time it feels right.

 

sorry if I'm repeating myself - Age

[Mrs Frugal]

Bad sign, Lesley !

[Lesley]

You'll be there soon enough Kate Superknickers!

[Mrs Frugal]

True !!

[The Dogmother]

I think I'm there already; the cheeky 23 yr old who works for me keeps muttering about senior moments when i do something silly and reminds me that I am the same age as her mum - talk about slappable!

 

Lesley - I'd really love to have one of your chooks. My mother remembers keeping rabbits and chooks for food in the war and still waxes on about he flavour and traceability of the meat. My Grandpa was Italian and very matter of fact about despatching the animals and preparing them. I'm not sure that I could be the same.

 

I must PM you when I get home and look at my calendar and we must meet up for that cuppa at the Herb centre (I think that Buffster wanted to come too). Then we can hear all about it and I will be sure to place an order for any surplus birds you have.

 

Good on yer

[Lesley]

Unfortunately Clare, I don't think there are going to be any surplus We're going to find it so hard to actually do that we will only be doing a few. They will all be in the freezer and we will have to make them last

 

Meeting at the Herb Centre is still on.

[Lesley]

We collected new little babies this morning - 6 girls and 6 boys. The girls are better feathered than the boys at the moment. They look like refugees from a battery farm at the moment but only until their feathers have grown.

 

It is a bit daunting

[Lesley]

Our new home

 

[Mrs Frugal]

Oh Lesley they're cute!! Hope they behave! At least the little boys won't get chance to test out their voices, will they !

[Lesley]

I hope not

 

Our girls were a bit unsettled when they could hear cheeping from the boxes but have settled down now after being given mash to eat - they could see the new babaies rations

[Cate in NZ]

Lesley, they do look sweet

I'm really interested in this thread, it sounds like a great wat of ensuring that the chickens have a wonderful life and that you produce fantastic meat for yourselves, I love the idea Not sure that I could do it myself though. Huge respect to you for going for it.

[Lesley]

Two of them ventured out and found the food. We were worried that they would just stay inside.

 

[Nicola H]

Lesley the new plastic ark looks good and those little cute chicks are so sweet.........How long before they get eaten....

[The Dogmother]

Just seen this, they look lovely - I take my hat off to you, I'm not sure that I could do it without getting attached!