May 10, 2022 by gfreedman2013 - 0 comments

Two days old

Mother hen sat in two of our duck eggs but only one hatched

It takes 21 days for a chicken egg to hatch and 28 for a duck egg. The duck who laid those eggs was herself taken, we think, by a stoat. She had laid 6 eggs in the duck enclosure and was sitting on them day and night. Perhaps we should have moved her into one of the houses but we thought she was well hidden in the tall grass and nettles. We couldn’t find her for several days. We were mistaken. She and her eggs were all taken. The two eggs that the hen kindly incubated were earlier eggs that she laid and that we had saved to put under a broody hen. So this little duckling won’t have much company (if it survives) just three drakes and a disabled goose. Click below

May 9, 2022 by gfreedman2013 - 1 Comment

Four legs good, two legs better

May 9, 2022 by gfreedman2013 - 0 comments

My Monday morning – I like it!

Yesterday J picked a kilo of strawbs from the polytunnel

Last night I prepared the fruit and covered it in sugar. This morning it was ready to jam

Last night a tiny, wet duckling hatched under one of the Maran hens. This morning it is beginning to look fluffy

There is also another egg under the hen but it might not hatch

I drove into Bedford for a dental appointment. I’m one of the lucky ones who can afford private dental care and am actually registered with a practice. I can’t imagine the misery of living with toothache and pain and being unable to find a dentist in Britain 2022.

On the way home I stopped at the wonderful Pells farm shop snd plant nursery. I saw bundles of English asparagus for sale, about six sticks per bundle priced at £2.75. By that reckoning we are “asparagus millionaires” at The Gables for about 6 weeks a year