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Idiosyncratic Poultry
With two broody hens sitting and another three dozen grey partridge eggs in the incubator, I’ve hit a bit of a problem. So far, I’ve been using the GWCT’s “Complete book of game management” as my bible, and while not everything has been plain sailing, the advice written down in the 1970s is serving me… Continue reading
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…And Not So Good
Having expected the partridges to hatch on Friday night, I was getting worried by Sunday morning. The shells had started to chip on Thursday, but no further activity whatsoever was cause for concern. When one partridge hatched at lunchtime, I was sure all the others would be close behind, but there was no sign of… Continue reading
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Good Chicks…
June is a great month for spotting young birds, and living where I do now, I’ve had some great chances to see chicks of all different species. The most conspicuous have been a pair of seapies (oystercatchers) who seem to have managed to bring off three chicks in the hayfield between the house and the… Continue reading
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A Silkie Cockerel
It would be easy to have a blog devoted entirely to poultry keeping. In fact, there are many already online, and just a quick flick through some of them reveals the obvious fact that, like children, people find their own hens much more interesting than anyone else does. As a hobby and pastime, keeping hens… Continue reading
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Game On
Just worth posting that I set the my first ever batch of eggs beneath my silkie x sussex bantam this morning. Having acquired 13 pheasant eggs from the game farmer down the road, I turned them yesterday while the final preparations were being sorted out, then set them this morning when she was out for… Continue reading
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Seedling I.D.
When I sowed the game cover, the thought occurred to me that I might not be able to identify the plants which grew. This first game cover project will hopefully serve to show me what will do on the Chayne and what won’t, so if I can’t even identify what (if anything) takes to the… Continue reading
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Action Stations
I am in no way a republican, but there is a small part of me which grudges the Queen holding her birthday celebrations on such an awkward date. I now have two full broodies ready to receive clutches of partridge eggs, but the post hasn’t been operating and it’s going to be a struggle to… Continue reading
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Aerial Combat
It’s getting late in the season for larsen traps, but as long as mine keep working, I’ll happily keep on emptying them. I was coming off the hill this morning with a corbie in the bag just as the first magical drops of rain started to turn the beige soil of the cover crop into… Continue reading
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Incubating Incubators
It says a great deal about the time of year that most of this blog is currently dedicated to eggs and seeds – I suppose that in winter it’s devoted to ferrets and wildfowl, so there’s probably some sort a balance between the two. Just wanted to document the fact that my girlfriend has embarked… Continue reading
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Mr. Lightbody
With the rain on Wednesday and the mild weather ever since, the game cover is really coming to life. Little seedlings are emerging all over the field, and some of the triticale which I sowed last week is already three or four inches high. Unfortunately, there is a fly in the ointment. The few rooks… Continue reading
About
“Shout on, Morgan. You’ll be nothing tomorrow”
Swn y galon fach yn torri, 1952
Also at: https://andtheyellowale.substack.com
Bog Myrtle & Peat 