With prime hatching season just round the corner, now is the time to focus on preparing your hens and laying the foundations to give their chicks the best start in life.
You may be looking to replenish or grow your flock this spring and if you have a reliably broody hen and a cockerel, then the natural hatching route is the cheapest and most accessible way to achieve this. Five hens to one cockerel is about the right ratio to ensure optimum fertility. More than one cockerel means they will fight for the females and cause disturbance and often injury.
CARING FOR BROODY HENS
It is important to separate the broody hen to her own little coop (with nest box and run) in a quiet spot away from the rest of the flock. Ensure the coop is predator-proof, that their broody box is at least 40cm sq. and the floor is lined with short straw or wood shavings.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-Ausgabe von The Country Smallholder.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-Ausgabe von The Country Smallholder.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
How to Buy a Smallholding in France- Long-time smallholder Lorraine Turnbull looks at the practicalities of moving to rural France
Aspiring smallholders are continually thwarted by the prices of smallholdings and property with land located within the UK. Even the humblest croft in Scotland comes with a substantial price tag and conditions which would make even an adventurous wannabee consider carefully. But all is not lost. For those willing to take the adventure of a lifetime, there is always Europe, and one of the most popular places is France.
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Henrietta Balcon uses fresh figs to create an unusual dish at Harvest time
Goodbye to the birds of spring and summer
If you look and listen you might be able to see them preparing to leave says The RSPB
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Claire Waring advises on doing the best to make sure your colonies survive until next spring
Preparing the Veg Patch for Winter
Lee Senior says, a well-run plot can excitingly continue to produce good quality, tasty, fresh food for much of winter
Time to prepare to plant your orchard
Wade Muggleton, smallholder and author of The Orchard Book, shares his practical experience so you can create your own fruit collection
Choosing feed for the autumn
As autumn approaches, Joanna Palmer, nutritionist at the Smallholder Range, offers advice on choosing the right feed to support your adult birds through their annual moult and ensure your young birds grow and finish well at this time of the year.
Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
Reflecting on how much the humble hen has helped people world wide plus advice on stopping the scourge of red mite
Give your hens some support
Paul Donovan looks at the right and wrong ways of handling birds
