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!


Wednesday 18 February 2009

First Willow, now Ruby and Violet!

Willow was the first of the Silver Dorking Fab four to lay an egg but her siblings were not far behind... first Ruby yesterday and then Violet, today... They both laid lovely little eggs of 35 g and were VERY proud of themselves! Willow has laid several more eggs since the first one but got a fright yesterday...she was sitting in the nest box of the Broody Ark and the door blew shut and she was trapped in the run. When she realised, she made SUCH a fuss and both the cockerels joined in....you can hear them all creating on this bit of video I took...




I eventually realised what had happened and let her out whereupon she legged it for the safety of Capt Flint.... but she eventually ventured back to lay her egg in peace.

9 comments:

  1. What clever girls, must be eggs galore at Compost Mansions! They are stunning looking girls.

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Arrgghhh!

    Blogger hasn't uploaded the video!

    I hav spent a lot of time trying....but have failed today..Blogger is obviously on a go slow.....

    ReplyDelete
  3. What great girls they are... and I loved the video, what a commotion!! They soon let you know when somethings wrong!
    Love Jane xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hurrah for the lovely ladies!
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  5. They are lovely looking girls.

    Quick question, I remember you saying you give them Apple Cider Vinegar, just wondering do you put it in their water all the time? Read a few things that say 1 week in 4, or every three days. As always the more I read the more confused I get. Also how much do you put in a glug?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah! Hurrah for the first eggs! We had our first of 2009 a little while ago from Gladys, she was the first last year too.
    Thank you for the music, have not heard Pink Floyd for ages, will be sitting here for the full 7:26 minutes enjoying Comfortably Numb!
    Take care, I'll pop back to see you soon
    Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  7. And Buffy made it four, today :-)

    They are such little sweeties! Now they have started laying they have become more tame and follow me around a lot...

    landcuckoo, these are their VERY first eggs! not just the first of this year...which is why I am so eggcited about it..these are chicks Sweetiepie hatched out for us when she went broody last august and we have been watching them grow throughout the winter ( stupid time to try to raise chicks, but there you go.....)

    and in the last week they have all started laying, with comical results...



    wpt..I use a 4 l bottle to measure the water and put in a scant capful of ACV (I use Aspalls Organic, as I have lots...) and a couple of drops of grapefruit seed extract per litre, and give it to them all the time....I have read various mixed reports on whether GFS works or not, but I have some so I am adding it....

    but ACV I DO believe works, as I take it for my various ailments and have found it helpful....

    and I just use this water to fill up the glugs etc about 2/3 full...as that lasts for a couple of days and then I throw whats left and refill it...BUT my lot have access to 4 different glugs/drinkers and all find "the other pen's" drinker oh so much more attracive........

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thankyou. I put a capful in earlier when I refilled their glug, they still happily drank from it so it couldn't have tasted too strong. Can too much cause them any harm? Is grapefruit seed extract the same as Citricidal?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes I use Citricidal and I wouldn't give them more of either Citricidal OR ACV , just in case of harmful effects...( I don't know of any but best not to....)

    I haven't seen any problems with the dose i give mine..but that IS just what I have seen.....

    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.

UA-40361266-1