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 13 February 2009

Willow lays an egg!

This is Willow. She is a very sweet, rather shy, very small Silver Dorking pullet. This was Willow yesterday, she kept on fussing around, repeatedly going in and out of the Eglu, not settling down to eat or dust bathe...she seemed agitated, so I watched her carefully for a bit to see if she was OK. Willow is very scared of "the big hens" and never goes near Cluckingham Palace, where they all live, so imagine my surprise when I opened up the nest box and saw...this! I had noticed her comb was looking more red in the last few days and she had started to squat when I went near her, so I had a good idea what might be going on.... and later on I found ....this! A tiny egg! it weighed about 40 g, as compared to the Henny one next to it which was 85 g. Willow came strutting out of Cluckingham Palace, SO pleased with herself! She proclaimed to the WHOLE WORLD very loudly that she HAD LAID AN EGG!!!! Long John Silver was very agitated all the time she was sitting inside the nest box, he kept on running back and forth... and finally settled on standing next to it...he was VERY pleased when she finally emerged!

13 comments:

  1. How exciting!
    Two of ours have just started laying this week. They do look so proud of themselves too!

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  2. YAY for Willow. She should be very proud!

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  3. How cute!! and you just reminded me about chickens cackling when they lay eggs.. I need to tell my daughter about that because some of her chickens have been hiding their nest in the fields and she's not sure where or which ones.. maybe if she listens for them cackling she can spot where the nest is.

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  4. I've laid an egg?? ... Blimey - I thought my eyes were watering a bit!!

    Great news for lovely Willow ... she's so beautiful! ... and obviously so very proud of herself!

    Willow xx

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  5. Well done Willow (the hen!!). I am waiting for Molly and Mrs Badger, our two new girls, to lay - and trying to work out who else is laying in the barn. I'd rather she'd not as it's a race to get there before the thieving dog eats the egg.

    Rosie x

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  6. She laid another one today :-)

    Just as small....and oh so sweet, she came and found me in the garden and led me back to the broody Ark, where she had laid it...

    Clever Willow!

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  7. How wonderful! Congrats to Willow!!

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  8. so funny how they like to tell the whole world about their egg :)

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  9. Well done Willow! She's got lovely colouring.

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  10. Willow is gorgeous. What a clever hen to tell you that she had laid again :)

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  11. She laid another, yesterday and today!

    and she has taken to following me around, purring at me....and jumping up on my lap ( ah bless...)

    She is the friendliest little thing, and sooooo pretty!

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  12. That is so cool! I grew up with chickens and hope to have some of my own before long. It's so amazing to have yummy, nutritious eggs from your own hens, isn't it?

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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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