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!
Tuesday 8 September 2009
Busy with new chickens...
Sorry for not blogging lately, its a very busy time of year!
But...I really wanted to post up some photos of the new chickens! Well new-ish, as I have now had some of them for 3 weeks.
Bluebelle ( a Bluebelle),
Bunty (Rhode Rock)
and Mac (Sussex Star)
are (now) 18 weeks old and still just babies. They run around and flap their wings in a comical fashion when I let them out into the Orchard in the morning.
Ginger and Nutmeg (formerly Bunty) are now thinks 22 weeks old.
They are ISA Browns and very tame and friendly! Ginger has started laying but Nutmeg has not, yet.
Pearl the Leghorn is 26 weeks old. Pearl lays white eggs and is a bit skittish.
I went on a "Kill, pluck and gut" course last weekend at Cotswold Chickens, where I met up with a number of friends from the Omlet forum, and as well as bringing home a dressed chicken and a plucked chicken and a kilo of sausages I made, I also came away with 3 more pullets (I have no idea how the carrier got into my car ;-) )
Cinnamon is a Goldline
and together with Ginger and Nutmeg makes up The Spice Girls. The three have become friends and roam around getting up to all sorts of mischief!
The other two pullets, Cocoa
and Treacle,
are Black Stars, very pretty and gentle.
Broody Ruby Dorking is still sitting away, but I may well have breaking news about her soon.....
Oh how exciting & how lovely your new girls look! The Black Stars in particular look very pretty:-D
ReplyDeleteLove chickens - loved finding your blog!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely lot of chickens. We saw some pretty ones on holiday in Guernsey. I think they were Black Rocks or similar. Would your Rhode Rock be the same breed by a different name? They also seem to be called Black Rhodes by some.
ReplyDeleteThen again the Black Stars look very much like a Black Rock, too.
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely new girls to get to know. Looking forward to hearing all about their individual antics as they grow....Now tell me again how did that carrier get into your car!!???
ReplyDeleteJust waiting with baited breath for that breaking news....
With Love, Jane xxx
I've never seen a chicken with coloring like Bluebelle's. It almost looks like she's wearing a pharoah's headpiece. Striking.
ReplyDeleteGiven the course you went on, are Ginger and Nutmeg feeling nervous?
ReplyDeleteSee next post for eggciting news!
ReplyDeleteI recognise those chickens ;)
ReplyDeleteVery pretty - all of them!
Ha ha Lewis! hello ! (Lewis caught my Black Stars for me at Cotswold Chickens)
ReplyDeleteKarin Black Stars are the same as Black Rocks, Rhode Rocks are Black Rocks crossed with a RIR cockerel....so a bit more RIR like...Black Rocks lay Maran coloured brown eggs, Rhode Rocks are lighter but still brown...
and Blubelles ( RIR x Maran) lay plum coloured eggs....