Jeremy Hobson talks to smallholder, chicken keeper and thriller writer Shaun Baines
What first got you interested in chickens – and did it coincide with your move to rural Scotland?
Country living and chickens go hand in hand. We actually started with keeping bees, which we still do, but they are considerably less cuddly than chickens.
What breeds of chickens do you have?
We began with Welsummers, which are beautiful, if flighty birds. We then bought Barnevelders, who are calmer and more self-assured. Each gang have their own cockerel named after characters in Blackadder: ‘Speckled Jim’ runs the Welsummers, ‘Lord Flashheart’ heads the Barnevelders. We keep them separate, otherwise it’s like watching the Jets and the Sharks in a feathery dance-off.
Your soon-to-be published book is a ‘crime thriller’… what is it about the genre that excites you?
Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Your Chickens.
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Denne historien er fra March 2018-utgaven av Your Chickens.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Egg Man's got it cracked
David Herbert, nicknamed The Egg Man, tells you all you need to know about showing eggs
Slasher Battles On
Slasher the ancient Araucana is looking good, but looks can be deceptive
Flock Dynamics: A Guide To Social Hierarchy
Julie Moore takes a look at how the pecking order is established
In Harmony With Nature
Susie Kearley talks to Anya Lautenbach whose home shows her love of gardening and chickens
Then There Were None...
The Mystery of the Phantom Egg Eater
Off To Market
The French love buying chickens at local markets.
Early Learning
How chickens adapt, despite lessons from early llife
Poultry Providers
Kim Stoddart explains the benefits of buying in stock from one of the bigger, national suppliers…
Drop In Egg Production
Drop In Egg Production
Ideal Broody Time
Ideal Broody Time
