A garden without lifestock is a dull and dreary place argues Francine Raymond
Poultry passion: Francine Raymond and Buff Orpingtons at her former home Photo: FRANCINE RAYMOND; MARTIN POPE
Much as I love the excitement of my new garden, there is one thing I really miss: the drama, colour and movement of a flock of hens.
A garden without some kind of livestock is a dull and dreary place, so come September I hope to buy three new Buff Orpington pullets. Although I’m not a beginner in the true sense of the word, having kept hens for more than 15 years and become a bit of a bore on the subject, the process of choosing new birds and preparing for their arrival is one I’d like to share with you, hopefully passing on my passion for poultry.
The Hen House
Looking out on my garden, I have decided to site their run so that the birds will enjoy the afternoon sun, the shelter of an ancient birch with a solid fence behind them and access to my new orchard.
Hens need shade and shelter from the elements, and safety from predators. I intend to fence the run with chestnut posts and bird-proof wire, bringing the wire out into an apron, and pegging it down to prevent digging intruders. I’m not sure whether I’ll need a roof (I have heard tales of foxes, but not their shrieks), so I will make the posts tall enough to take one if needs be, with room for me to stand up straight.
I’m hoping my son Jacques will build me the ultimate palais de poulets. My design brief would include instructions that the henhouse be made of marine ply – lapped wood houses mean too many hidey holes for nasty parasitic mites; an Onduline roof – roofing felt offers similar insect accommodation; that the house should sit on legs with ramp access for its occupants – offering a purpose-built hen dust bath underneath, limited shelter to rats, and easier on my back when mucking out.
It would be fun to paint it in similar colours to my house, even to a similar design. Generally, I don’t recommend those with recently planted gardens embark on keeping free-range birds, but I’m hoping to outwit mine with years of experience gardening with hens.
Firstly I shall contain them in my wild garden and orchard – ideal territory because chickens descend from junglefowl and like a bosky spot, and everything I plant will have its roots protected from scratching feet by pebbles or its delicate shoots from pecking beaks by cloches and nets.
My vegetable beds and seating/eating area will be out of bounds so I can grow salads un-nibbled, and we can relax in a chicken poo-free environment.
Breeds
Take care buying your first birds: they are the basis of your future flock. Read a book, go on a course, consult the poultry press, then visit breeders and shows to help decide which breed you like.
If eggs are your priority, then go for commercial hybrids or top-laying pure breeds like Welsummers, Marans or Light Sussex, but remember, hens that lay for Britain eat for Britain, and if what’s on offer is your garden… So plenty of space away from precious plants is a prerequisite.
If you’re more interested in fowl aesthetics or the pleasure of their company, then Orpingtons, Brahmas, Silkies and Pekins make good family companions and disinterested gardeners. Start small with two or three hens; you can always get others as your ladies produce fewer eggs, or even with time hatch out a few yourself from bought-in eggs. Stunning as they are, I never recommend cockerels to beginners.
Choose a local breeder who has been recommended and visit before buying. Leave auctions and the internet to seasoned buyers, and don’t be bullied into accepting cockerels or second best.
Look for healthy birds with perky heads and tails, shiny eyes and pinkish combs, smooth legs and shiny feathers. Spring-hatched chicks are best as they’ll have the summer to grow outdoors, so get ready to welcome your new pullets at point of lay – POL (24 weeks of age) – towards the beginning of autumn. That will give you time to site your run and build or buy your house.
Keeping hens is great fun for the whole family. They’ll have a good life strutting around your garden, the soil will benefit from their manure, pests and weeds will be kept to a minimum and wildlife will increase. Children learn a lot from their flock – and believe me, there is nothing quite like a really fresh, home-laid egg.
Read the top 10 questions about keeping hens here
Look at a slideshow of the top 10 pure breed hens here
Francine is giving a hen keeping course especially for Sunday Telegraph readers on Wednesday, April 20 at Blackthorpe House & Design in Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. To book call 01359 270 996 or email susie@blackthorpedesign.com (b&b is available)
For more information, books (such as 'Keeping a Few hens in your Garden’ by Francine Raymond) and poultry products, see www.kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk and join the Henkeepers’ Association, a source of online information for people who keep poultry for pleasure.
Hen house makers: Domestic Fowl Trust, 01386 833083; www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk; Forsham Cottage Arks, 01233 820229; www.forshamcottagearks.com. Blown Goose Egg Supplier: www.eggstravaganza.co.uk; 01642 372 6000.
Hens need shade and shelter from the elements, and safety from predators. I intend to fence the run with chestnut posts and bird-proof wire, bringing the wire out into an apron, and pegging it down to prevent digging intruders. I’m not sure whether I’ll need a roof (I have heard tales of foxes, but not their shrieks), so I will make the posts tall enough to take one if needs be, with room for me to stand up straight.
I’m hoping my son Jacques will build me the ultimate palais de poulets. My design brief would include instructions that the henhouse be made of marine ply – lapped wood houses mean too many hidey holes for nasty parasitic mites; an Onduline roof – roofing felt offers similar insect accommodation; that the house should sit on legs with ramp access for its occupants – offering a purpose-built hen dust bath underneath, limited shelter to rats, and easier on my back when mucking out.
It would be fun to paint it in similar colours to my house, even to a similar design. Generally, I don’t recommend those with recently planted gardens embark on keeping free-range birds, but I’m hoping to outwit mine with years of experience gardening with hens.
Firstly I shall contain them in my wild garden and orchard – ideal territory because chickens descend from junglefowl and like a bosky spot, and everything I plant will have its roots protected from scratching feet by pebbles or its delicate shoots from pecking beaks by cloches and nets.
My vegetable beds and seating/eating area will be out of bounds so I can grow salads un-nibbled, and we can relax in a chicken poo-free environment.
Breeds
Take care buying your first birds: they are the basis of your future flock. Read a book, go on a course, consult the poultry press, then visit breeders and shows to help decide which breed you like.
If eggs are your priority, then go for commercial hybrids or top-laying pure breeds like Welsummers, Marans or Light Sussex, but remember, hens that lay for Britain eat for Britain, and if what’s on offer is your garden… So plenty of space away from precious plants is a prerequisite.
If you’re more interested in fowl aesthetics or the pleasure of their company, then Orpingtons, Brahmas, Silkies and Pekins make good family companions and disinterested gardeners. Start small with two or three hens; you can always get others as your ladies produce fewer eggs, or even with time hatch out a few yourself from bought-in eggs. Stunning as they are, I never recommend cockerels to beginners.
Choose a local breeder who has been recommended and visit before buying. Leave auctions and the internet to seasoned buyers, and don’t be bullied into accepting cockerels or second best.
Look for healthy birds with perky heads and tails, shiny eyes and pinkish combs, smooth legs and shiny feathers. Spring-hatched chicks are best as they’ll have the summer to grow outdoors, so get ready to welcome your new pullets at point of lay – POL (24 weeks of age) – towards the beginning of autumn. That will give you time to site your run and build or buy your house.
Keeping hens is great fun for the whole family. They’ll have a good life strutting around your garden, the soil will benefit from their manure, pests and weeds will be kept to a minimum and wildlife will increase. Children learn a lot from their flock – and believe me, there is nothing quite like a really fresh, home-laid egg.
Read the top 10 questions about keeping hens here
Look at a slideshow of the top 10 pure breed hens here
Francine is giving a hen keeping course especially for Sunday Telegraph readers on Wednesday, April 20 at Blackthorpe House & Design in Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. To book call 01359 270 996 or email susie@blackthorpedesign.com (b&b is available)
For more information, books (such as 'Keeping a Few hens in your Garden’ by Francine Raymond) and poultry products, see www.kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk and join the Henkeepers’ Association, a source of online information for people who keep poultry for pleasure.
Hen house makers: Domestic Fowl Trust, 01386 833083; www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk; Forsham Cottage Arks, 01233 820229; www.forshamcottagearks.com. Blown Goose Egg Supplier: www.eggstravaganza.co.uk; 01642 372 6000.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar