Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!

I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.

We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.


To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!


Friday 5 September 2008

Good news/ Sad news...

Well, as I promised earlier at 6 pm we went out to look at the new chicks and feed them and Sweetiepie..and the egg was still there, but she and the chicks were out in the run.




Compostgirl stroked one of the chicks ...she was amazed at how soft and tiny it was!




I think I have 4 pullets and 2 cocks (hurrah!).. ..so fingers crossed! I am working on Compostman so I can keep one of the males and the other(S) ( if a good specimen) will be sold at Hereford Market as Silver Dorkings are apparently quite desirable.







So........... the unhatched egg. I had to make a decision..do I leave it ( it might have hatched BUT if it was a dud it could have exploded showering the chicks with rotten, bacteria laden stuff..NOT GOOD!)

So I tapped it, cheeped at it and got no reply, nor had it got any sign of cracking or pipping. At that point I made a decision and removed the egg,

I thought I had seen pipping on all of them , but I mistook a lump on this egg for a pip. :-(


So.....Compostman took it off and gently cracked it open...( just in case it WAS viable) and inside was a fully formed, but sadly dead, chick. :-( Ah well, there must have been a good reason for it not to even start to break out of the egg..so we will just sigh sadly and move on...





Sorry little chick that you didn't make it. :-((




But we *DO* have six chicks and I am SO happy!
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3 comments:

  1. A Green and Rosie Life6 September 2008 at 13:23

    So sorry No7 didn't make it but I am sure there would have been a good reason - and the 6 gorgeous healthy chicks are wonderful. Well done Sweetiepie.

    Rosie x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sol6 September 2008 at 16:44

    Awwww poor little chick. Glad the others made it though!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Compostwoman6 September 2008 at 23:39

    Thank you!

    And Sweetiepie is apparently SUCH a good mum to them! I was watching her today and she found a tasy morsel, ate a small bit the bit it into tiny pieces and clucked to the chicks to come and eat the bits from her beak...

    I am continually impressed at hens ..not bird brains, they are actually CLEVER ...

    ReplyDelete

Hello! Thank you for reading my blog and for commenting. I try to reply as quickly as I can and I really appreciate your interest in my life and doings here in The Compost Bin.

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