Each side of the hut has uneven edges as the wood is rotting in places. A few days ago I decided to put by carpentry skills to the test and saw off the uneven edges and make the base of the chicken hut level so that the hut sits on the ground with no gaps between the hut and the ground. I have managed to saw all the edges successfully and the hut now stands on the ground without any gaps.

I have painted the outside of the hut a medium oak wood preserver that is safe for animals and the hut is beginning to look like new!

I have also nailed parts of the sides together where they were coming apart.

The job is to replace the wire netting on the front of the door and then decide what to do with the floor. If I add wood to the floor then it might be heavy to move about and may rot over time but the wood would stop any predators from burrowing under the hut and attacking the poultry. A wire netting floor would not be so heavy and would allow the birds to peck at the grass under the hut but there is an increased risk of predators getting into the hut as the wire netting is not as secure as the wood. Decisions, decision!

If anyone has any advice they would like to give about the flooring of the poultry hut then I would like to hear it, so please leave a comment.

On Monday Lightening The II didn’t look very well. She was reluctant to come out of the poultry hut and spent the day sitting in the same place unless I got abit too close for her and she reluctantly moved to a safe distance. I noticed that her droppings were a little loose so I checked out my guinea fowl books and decided that she had every guinea fowl ailment in the books.

I made sure that she had access to water and I actually saw her drink which was a good sign, although the books did say that drinking too much was a syptom of various illnesses, so this was also a potential worry.

On Tuesday Lightening The II  looked a little better and although she wasn’t rushing out the door with some of the other guinea fowl she did make her way outside and ventured further than the previous day, although she did stay relatively close to the poultry hut.

On Wednesday she appeared more spritely and she wandered about alot. I saw her eating grass and she started to call out to the others which she hadn’t done for a few days.

She is still keeping to herself but she no longer looks poorly.

I am not sure if Lightening The II is poorly. Initially I thought that she might have coccidiosis, but now I am not sure if she is broody or being bullied by the other guinea fowl. I don’t know if it is true but sometimes poultry can pick on a bird if they are a different colour so this may be what is happening as she is my only white guinea fowl. I only question this as I have one pearl guinea fowl and she is certainly not bullied. 

I will let you know how Lightening The II gets on over the next few days.

“I took this photo while my mom, cousin, and mom’s friend took us on a walk around Lake Trévoix in Breuillet, France (a suburb of Paris).  There’s a lovely path all around the lake.  As we were leaving, we noticed a small enclosed yard where these two llamas were lounging.  There was also a busy ostrich who paid us no attention.  The light colored llama, however, followed us with his eyes.”

If you would like to enter the photograph of the month competition then the photographs need to have a farming theme and can include the farming landscape, farm animals, farm machinery, farming life or nature and wildlife on and around a farm. Send your photographs by email (request email address via the contact form if you don’t know email address and I will send it to you) keeping the photograph attachment to a size of about 600 x 400 pixels.

Please supply some details about the photograph - the name of the person who took the photograph, when and where it was taken and what is happening in the photograph. The winning ‘Foto’ will be posted at the beginning of the following month, so you have up to the end of the month to enter.

Farming Friends & TopVeg have now collaborated to create a How To Grow Runner Beans growing card.

Click on the image to enlarge and if you wish to print off this growing card, right click on the enlarged image and then click print picture to print out a copy. If you would like this document as a pdf, just contact farmingfriends and I will email you the document. 

I intend to print off copies and then laminate the sheet so that I can use the growing card in the future.

Teachers, children, vegetable growers and anyone interested in growing runner beans are welcome to print off this growing card for their own use.

Other growing cards we have already created;

• How To Grow Garlic.
• How To Grow Lettuce.
• How To Grow Summer Radish.
• How To Grow Beetroot.
• How To Grow Broad Beans.
• How To Grow Parsley.
• How To Grow Sage.
• How To Grow Tomatoes.
• How To Grow Onions.
• How To Grow Parsnips.
• How To Grow Courgettes.

If you have any other growing cards that you would like Farming Friends & TopVeg to create then please leave a comment and we will be happy to create it for you.

Gulliver Geese produce;

The website also provides excellent information about;

Gulliver Geese would certainly be my first choice for purchasing goose eggs, goslings and geese with their years of experience as testimony to their success. They also have an excellent website for information about starting out with geese so checkout their website for all your goose needs today.

The first asparagus spears have grown in the last week so we have been harvesting the asparagus and eating it fresh.

I decided to make asparagus soup and it was delicious and simple to prepare.

Asparagus Soup (Serves 2)

Ingredients

3 or 4 asparagus spears per person.
Butter for sweating the asparagus.
1 and a half pints of vegetable or chicken stock.
Teaspoon of flour for thickening soup.
Wensleydale Cheese to garnish.

Method

1) Melt the butter in a pan.
2) Wash the asparagus and chop in to small pieces.
3) Add the asparagus to the butter and sweat until the asparagus is a bright green colour but not browned.
4) Add the stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
5) Liquidise the soup so that there are no asparagus pieces left in the soup.
6) if required, mix the teaspoon of flour with a small amount of cold water and add to the soup to help it thicken.
7) Once thickened, serve in bowls with grated Wensleydale cheese as a garnish.

This soup requires the minimum of ingredients, is simple to prepare and is very tasty. Makes an excellent starter or a light lunch.

It is interesting to note that the bull is at the front end of the trough and this is where he always feeds when the silage is placed in the troughs. This indicates that the bull is the highest ranking Charolais in the fold yard.

I hope you have enjoyed watching my cattle eat their silage.

Hi Derek,

I have found out that a pointed stick for driving cattle is called a goad.

I found this definition from the dictionary reference site which is interesting:

“1. a stick with a pointed or electrically charged end, for driving cattle, oxen, etc.; prod.
2. anything that pricks or wounds like such a stick.
3. something that encourages, urges, or drives; a stimulus.
–verb (used with object)
4. to prick or drive with, or as if with, a goad; prod; incite.”
Dictionary.com

I find this interesting because this is where the term to goad someone into doing something must come from.

If there is a farming term that you want to know then contact me and I will try to find out the answer for you.

6 guinea fowl eggs suitable for hatching in an incubator or under a broody hen. Only £2 plus £4 postage and packaging.

Eggs will be collected and posted within 3 days of receipt of order. (Please note that guinea fowl eggs can be stored for up to 7 days.) The eggs will be fresh and no more than 2-4 days old.

The eggs will be sent first class within the UK in a polystyrene egg container specially made for sending eggs in the post. Please note that this product can only be sent to residents of the UK and not overseas.

Eggs from this flock have been successfully hatched under a broody hen and in an incubator, but there is no guarantee of fertility after postage. These eggs are for hatching and not for human consumption.

The eggs come from a flock of 29 mixed gender domesticated guinea fowl of which 27 are lavender or pied lavender coloured, 1 pearl coloured and 1 white. The guinea fowl free range during the day and roost in a poultry hut at night.

It is recommended that you let the eggs stand and settle for 24 hours at room temperature upon receipt before incubation.

6 Guinea Fowl Hatching Eggs £2 plus £4 postage and packaging.