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The Lost Birds

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I was looking through some photos from the last few years the other night. Mostly family trips here and there. Hilarious photos of the boys and swoon-triggering photos of Karen. And some photos of miscellaneous farmyard foul.

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25 May 2012 in Chickens, Nothing Special | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #30: The Return

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I think it was my finest hour. Well, my finest 850(ish) days. Veteran readers may remember the beginning. So much drama. The thrills! The excitement! Chicken Watch charted the rise and, eventually, the tragic fall of our three feathery providers. After the death of the last foul standing, Virgil? Penelope? Scott? (to be honest, I lost track after a while) the coop has remained barren. Bereft of birds.

But, with spring all around, lambs frolicking in the meadows, the thought of a new set of layers has been aroused. Stimulated somewhat by an Easter strip to a nearby open farm. A potential supplier, it has a whole heap of varieties on show and, we hope in July, on offer.

Personally, I fancy a Dark Brahma.

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21 April 2012 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Show Birds

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The few that follow my Instagrams will know that we were at The Balmoral Show on Friday. For over 140 years Northern Ireland's farmers have been shipping their livestock into the city for what I'd imagine is the Province's biggest agricultural event. I've not been before but it's great. Probably a bit more commercialised than it used to be; all the major supermarkets have stands to show how much they're supporting local producers. They're pretty slick; cookery demos and lots of stuff to taste. Then there's a load of smaller, genuinely local producers with stalls, many of which are fab. Quite a number of them were clients in my last position at hamillBosket.

The Show sees the country in the town and I guess it's a good chance for the agricultured to check out the latest kit. But the best bit for us was the bit with all the legs; the livestock. And yes, for me (predictably) it was the birds that caught my eye. And my lens.

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15 May 2011 in Chickens, Events | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #29: Survivor

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Day 823: Only one survives. But flourishes in her monopoulic dominion.

07 March 2011 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #28: Nogg

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You want one, don't you? Via Daniel, via Ian.

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01 October 2010 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (7)

Chicken Watch #27: Blur

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Day 662: Balmoral Show last week and Karen plus boys sought out some others, with macro switched on. Seth (4) says it's better that way. He's right.

Postscript: I'm sorry to report Lady Penelope snuffed it yesterday. She had been ill for a little while and, we felt, was suffering too much. She was a good layer and a close personal friend. She'll be sadly missed. Lady P: we salute you. [Fade to reverie].

17 May 2010 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (3)

Chicken Watch #26: Chicken in a basket

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Day 587: Well, a box actually. For the second time in as many months there's a chicken down. Different birds, different afflictions; the first was fixed with every parent's essential survival kit component Calpol; the current patient is recovering in the house, feasting on porridge.

26 February 2010 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #25: Dazzled and Confused

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Day 544: Blinded by the light, the girls dash about like headless...
er...oh...well, (they dash about).

12 January 2010 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chicken Watch #24: Micro

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Day 439: ...and the soldiers were like matchsticks.

28 September 2009 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #23: Fine

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Day 431: They're fine.

15 September 2009 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #22: They think they're so smart

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Day 222: Believing the grass greener elsewhere they dig for freedom, unaware of the lip licking dog just a fence post away.

16 February 2009 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chicken Watch #21: Frozen Chicken

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Day 215: Fearful of the chilly white stuff, they made a dash for the safety of foliage.

08 February 2009 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #20: Meet the neighbours

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Day 181:
The mysterious and exotic beauties on the adjacent patch were less than friendly.
Plot Watch begins early 2009!

24 November 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chicken Watch #19: Foul

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Day 138: What do chickens and our weather have in common?

06 October 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (5)

Chicken Watch #18: Monster Chuck Fest

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Day 103: It should have been just an average weekend...but everywhere we went, there they were too...

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01 September 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #17: Fancy

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Day 93: The Hood distracts with some fancy footwork while to others make a run for it.

19 August 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (3)

Chicken Watch #16: Not for sale

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Day 90: Our attempt to add to their numbers was unsuccessful.

11 August 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #15: Got Shorty

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Day 85: Someone isn't pulling their weight.

06 August 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chicken Watch #14: Clipping Path

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Day 78: To avoid further wandering we have dislodged their cosmic equilibrium.

29 July 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chicken Watch #13: The Great Escape

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Day 70: Over the fence and through the hedge forwards, Penelope and Scott made a break for it. Distracted by bountiful pickings next door, their delay soon lead to recapture.

21 July 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #12: Compound Path

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Day 63: In order to re-establish the correct balance of power, we have decided to limit their domain.

14 July 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (4)

Chicken Watch #11: Others

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Day 56: When we are not tending our own we seek others of their kind.

07 July 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #10: Up close and personal

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Day 50: As we have learnt, Penelope is not camera shy.

30 June 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chicken Watch #09: Coop Innovation 02

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Day 43: Hot on the heels of a new removable, therefore easier to clean, perch for the nest box I've built and installed a covered food trough. Now fully road-tested, I got a thumb's up from The Hood and feel now we have a mutual respect previously missing from our relationship.

23 June 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #08: Hot pursuit

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Day 36: Even by chicken standards, it seemed a little over the top; it was only a twig in Penelope's mouth but the two lower pecking order fowl's interest was, to say the least, ferocious. Then we realised, the twig had four webbed feet and bulbous eyes, and required human intervention.

16 June 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (3)

Chicken Watch #07: A-ttaaaaaack!

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Day 31: While The Hood remained detached, Scott gave me "the evils" and surprise, surprise, Penelope went on the attack. Thankfully, I'd attached my anti-peck...attachment.

09 June 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (2)

Chicken Watch #06: Undercover Chickens

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Day 26: Originally (5000BC) jungle fowl, there's still nothing a chicken likes more than a bit of scratching about in the undergrowth. Keen to understand their mysterious ways, I got in there with'em. Once discovered they wasted no time in letting me know their feelings on the intrusion.

05 June 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (1)

Chicken Watch #05: Wash and brush up

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Day 20: It might look like Mr Fox has been a-calling but those ruffled feathers are actually the result of a vigourous dust bath. Pass the luffa.

29 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #04: An Egg Cometh!

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Day 17: From arse to egg cup in just 2 hours*. Celebrations heard streets away. 

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We boiled, we dipped, we compared. And it was good, better. 

Think it was Scott; much patting of feathered back. Well done.


* Conservative estimate


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UPDATE: Egg Count as of 16.30: 3

28 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (7)

Chicken Watch #03: Special Branch

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Day 14: Excellent perching technique. Well done girls.

25 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #02: Pecking Order

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Day 10: Penelope's top dog and wants in (to the house). Well it's not bloody Animal Farm...get out and get laying!

22 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicken Watch #01: Free

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Day 5: And we decided to try a little free ranging. They didn't fly away.

16 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (7)

Three French Hens

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An uncharacteristic, niche-interest and personal entry perhaps but it's a sufficiently significant development in our home life to report that we now have a trifold of chickens. That "secret design project" I've alluded to recently being the two-week's-to-build bespoke chicken coop; I like to think, designed in the Shaker style (although I fear I'm horribly deluded in this).

I was all for naming them after type designers but my children pulled rank and have named them after (appropriately) Thunderbirds characters: Scott Tracey, Lady Penelope (a perfect chickeny name if I ever heard one) and The Hood.

For anyone interested (is anyone interested?) they're ISA Browns, the Ford Escort of the chicken world and their gentle clucking is now the soundtrack to our little corner of suburbia. Estimates suggest we could be harvesting up to 300 eggs for breakfast, per be-colmed head, per annum.

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12 May 2008 in Chickens | Permalink | Comments (12)