Farming Friends

Part of my daily routine through the egg laying season is the afternoon hunt for eggs. My guinea fowl think it’s great to lay their eggs in the undergrowth. They particularly like a good patch of nettles. I’m sure they watch from a distance as I rummage in the undergrowth trying not to get stung. I’ve often thought that the call that all these birds make, sounds alot like a high pitched ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. I bet they’ve been laughing at my egg hunt attempts and think it’s fun to move their nest when they think I’m not looking!

Last year I only had three female guinea fowl hens (Camilla, Diana and Harriet) to keep an eye on, so egg hunting was ok because they all laid in the same nest (well, most of the time!).

This year is going to be a little trickier with me having about eight guinea hens. I’m certainly going to be kept busy when they all start to lay. Camilla and Diana have already started to lay this year so let the egg hunt commence!

I did think I’d ‘cracked it’ (not the egg itself but the egg hunting situation!) last week, when I spotted Diana coming out from under an old machine that was lying about in the yard. To my delight I found an egg their on my first hunt.

With luck on my side I thought that I’d place a pot egg under the machine so that Camilla and Diana wouldn’t think I, or even a rat, magpie or crow, had stolen their egg. The only problem I could see with this was the size of the pot egg. It was very large in comparison to the guinea fowl egg. Could I fool the fowl? Yes of course I could, I thought positively! So I gave it a go and under the machine it went.

The next afternoon, I couldn’t believe my eyes when my egg hunt revealed not one, but two guinea eggs. I’d fooled the guinea hens, hurrah! “It was two small eggs for the guineas and one giant pot egg for womankind!” How smug did I feel? Very smug indeed!

Victory for womankind was not to last long. My smugness was shattered the very next day when I returned to the nest to find not one egg, not even a pot egg! I figured that Camilla and Diana had decided to lay their eggs somewhere else but where on earth could the pot egg be? It hadn’t suddenly sprouted legs and moved. I thought maybe my husband or father-in-law had spotted the eggs and decided to bring them in, pot egg included. No, this was not the case. I then thought that maybe they had decided to move the eggs as a joke, but no that was not the case either. It could have been a rat, magpie or crow that took the eggs. I can’t image what they thought of the pot egg! However we’ll never know for certain what happened to the pot egg. It will stay a farm yard mystery, unless anyone spots the missing pot egg, last seen nesting comfortably under farm machinery!

The missing pot egg has now given me two jobs to do. Firstly I will have to go and buy a new pot egg and secondly I’ll have to go on another egg hunt today! Watch this space for more egg hunt news.

• Plants and crops are living organisms.
• Crops are specific plants that are grown in a vegetable patch, allotment or field.
• Plants and crops need certain conditions in order to grow.

What Do Plants And Crops Need To Grow?

• Sunlight
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• Water (H2O)
• Nutrients
• Correct Temperature

Plants and crops absorb water (H2O) through their roots.

This water (H2O) absorption is the means by which plants and crops gather nutrients from the soil.

Temperature can affect the levels of water (H2O) absorption and nutrient intake.

Photosynthesis it the process by which plants and crops make their food using sunlight, water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2).

Photosynthesis takes place in the leaf cells (chloroplasts).

The leaf cells (chloroplasts) contain a green pigment (chlorophyll) that absorbs energy from the sunlight.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air enters the leaves through the leaves (stomata).

This intake of carbon dioxide (CO2) is called respiration.

The absorbed energy (sunlight) is used to break up the carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) molecules to produce sugar glucose and oxygen (O2).

The sugar feeds the plants and crops and helps them to grow.

The system of veins in the leaves and stem allows the sugar glucose to travel to all parts of the plants and crops.

Oxygen (O2) is also produced during photosynthesis.

Oxygen (O2) is a waste product and is released into the air via the leaves (stomata).

This release of oxygen (O2) is known as respiration.

Photosynthesis Colouring Sheet

Different family members in farm animal groups have different names.

Cattle

Male = Bull

Female = Cow

Offspring Male = Bull Calf

Offspring Female = Heifer Calf

Chickens

Male = Cockerel / Rooster

Female = Hen

Young Chicken = Pullet

Offspring = Chick

Ducks

Male = Drake

Female = Duck

Offspring = Duckling

Geese

Male = Gander

Female = Goose

Offspring = Gosling

Goats

Male = Billy Goat

Female = Nanny Goat

Offspring = Kid

Guinea Fowl

Male = Cockbird

Female = Hen

Offspring = Keet

Horses

Male = Stallion

Young Male = Colt

Female = Mare

Offspring = Foal

Pigs

Male = Boar

Female = Sow

Offspring = Piglet

Sheep

Male = Ram

Female = Ewe

Offspring = Lamb

Turkeys

Male = Tom

Female = Hen

Offspring = Poults

Click on the image below to visit Amazon.co.uk to find out more about this book or visit one of the Farming Friends Bookshops. 

Where does your food come from?

Farm produce is made into food that we eat but sometimes we do not realise where the food originally came from. Meet Emily Egg, Percy Potato and Molly Milk to find out where eggs, potatoes and milk come from.

 Click on the image or link below to download the pdf file.

Farm Produce Colouring Sheet

Check out the photosynthesis colouring sheet aswell.

I ordered a new poultry house recently and it arrived on Thursday afternoon. Last night (Friday) was the first time that all my poultry have been in the same hut and they survived the night together!

The new hut is fabulous. It has a nest box and enclosed area for sleeping, a large covered run and a door that allows me full access to the run.

Front View Side View Enclosed Sleeping Area With Pop Hole

Open Pop Hole & Ladder Closed Pop Hole & Ladder

Nest Boxes Sleeping Area With Perches & Nest Boxes

My daily routine will be so much easier with this hut.

• I only have 1 feeder and drinker to change and refill instead of 6.
• I will only have 1 hut to clean out instead of 3.
• I only have one hut to let the poultry out of and get them back into, which is a great relief, since trying to distinguish one guinea fowl from another (so that they go into the correct hut) is not the easiest job in the world!
• I can actually stand inside the hut which will make cleaning out easier.
• The hut has an outside latch for egg collecting, if any hens decide to lay in the nest boxes that is!!

Let’s just hope that the poultry can all get along in their new home and that they enjoy it as much as I do!

Went to let the hens out this morning and found an egg in the hut where Camilla and Diana live. Don’t know which one laid the egg, but well done girls!

Here is the guinea fowl egg laid this morning.

As you can see guinea fowl eggs are brown.

They sometimes have brown speckles on the shell.

The shells are very hard.

Roughly 1 large chicken egg = 2 guinea fowl egg.

Guinea fowl eggs can be eaten, so I look forward to some ‘eggstremely’ tasty eggs!

• Cheese is made from milk.
• It takes about 1 litre of milk to make 100 grams of cheese.
• The nutritional value varies according to whether the cheese is made from whole milk or from skimmed milk.

The Nutritional Value Of Cheese Made From Whole Milk (Cheddar)

• Fat - high fat content.
• Protein - high quality and good source of protein (protein content = a quarter).
• Minerals - a rich source of calcium and a good source of sodium and phosphorus.
• Vitamins - a good source of vitamins A, B group and D.
• Water - about one third water content.
• Energy value - very high.

The Nutritional Value Of Cheese Made From Skimmed Milk (Cottage Cheese)

• Fat - very little.
• Protein - about one fifth high quality protein.
• Minerals - high in sodium but less calcium.
• Vitamins - some of the vitamin B group but very little vitamin A and D.
• Water - over two thirds water content.
• Energy value - low.