When ranging about a garden, they will view certain areas as places of sanctuary, most notably hedge bottoms and the shelter of large shrubs such as bays and boxes in particular.
My farmyard heroine, Debo, during her reign as the 11th Duchess of Devonshire, allowed Buff Cochins to range freely at Chatsworth in Derbyshire, but almost all her other breeds were cooped around the cottage garden or in the farmyard, where the current incumbents still breed a number of hens. The matronfaced, huge, pillow-like tangerine Cochins had feathered trousers that deterred them from vigorous scratching. With their calm and gentle demeanor, the Cochins bustled around under the gaze of Elisabeth Frink’s Walking Madonna on the lawn charming the visitors.
At Rousham in Oxfordshire, the flock of aptly named Mille Fleur Barbu d’Uccle bantams cackle their welcome as they range about like a moving flowerbed, usually close to the dense yew hedges. Here, they perform the poultry spacetime ritual that is the dust bath. This requires a hollow of dry soil that is then pecked until its tilth is as fine as a bag of sand, creating a dusty powder room. The earth trickles down into their feathers, helping to deter any mites.
Not all hens are suited to gardens, however, and many people demonise them. I often wonder if kind-hearted gardeners, new to hen-keeping, have any idea of the soil-flinging potential of ex-battery hens.
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2021-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
