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 7 August 2013

I finally cracked...
















ha ha 

and tonight , despite a very aching bad back. went out and drove around a fair bit of my local patch in order to get four fertile eggs for Nutmeg my broody, 5 year old, virtually stopped laying eggs, ginger hybrid, (never had one gone broody before). She is now settled on them and gave an aprreciative purr after I put them under her

Watching her tuck the eggs under her, croon a bit and "nestle down" on them made my back ache from driving to get the eggs ( thank you Jo at Hansnett farm ) worth while

The things I do for my hens.


 She was SO pleased and  I feel very happy that I could make her so content

*If* ( big ask I know) she manages to hatch them I will have a very interesting mix of chicks - but am not counting my chicks before they have hatched,...! Just happy to let her try to do what Nature is asking of her





5 comments:

  1. I ALWAYS let my broody hens sit on eggs. I am not sure why people are so focused on disrupting them...they are pets and not commercial layers and we have had a few chicks to add to the flock. And, yes, I DO keep a rooster, ALWAYS! This one is a lovely one who has never been aggressive ...
    So, well done and good luck!

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    Replies
    1. lynda I usually let mine sit on eggs as well ( if you read the blog you will see the lovely chicks we have had) and I am certainly not focussed on disrupting a broody out of it.

      But Nutmeg is a ex commercial flock hen AND is quite old,and never gone broody before, so I was reluctant to risk it until I was sure.

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  2. Replies
    1. She is doing her stuff magnificently at the moment :)

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  3. Our pet hens are allowed to sit. That's the reason we have so many of them. Good luck to Nutmeg!

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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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