Great Loss

This is to let you know Dennis passed away peacefully on 21st June 2009, this site is a dedication to his memory, he loved his birds and was passionate about his hobby. Rest in peace my love - Pauline (Dennis's wife)

Broody at last

Bantams

Hen House for sale

Many Thanks

I would like to thank Mr Neil Everley of Cologne Kennells ( Melton Mowbray) for his and his young dogs ( Oatus & Fern ) help in dealing with this problem, cheers Neil

for more info about Mr Everley and his Terriers see link at bottom of this page

Mr Fox has moved

Mr Fox and I had a little face to face chat this morning, after a winter of killing and me buying new bird we decided it was time for him to move on, no if's but's or maybe's he's gone, and wont be back HOOOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

Tally to date..
FOX 63 CHICKENS
DENNIS 1 FOX

And before any of you jump on me NO !!!!! I didnt kill the fox, he has gone to a newer home for re-habilitation !!!!

Mex hat pig feeders for sale

I got a couple of heavy duty fibre glass mexican hat pig feeders for sale, £ 15 each, buyer collects, email me at
oldangrey1@yahoo.co.uk

BROODY'S NOT

She has changed her mind and is not broody, after 2 days sat tight on the eggs i put under her, arh well fingers crossed one of the other will go broody soon

Hens at Home again

I have decided to take some hens home and keep them there, i am trying to get some broody's, and as if by magic the Black hen has gone broody over night, she is now sat on 10 mixed eggs, yipppeee, here is a short video clip...

Battery Hens

Broody Hen ???

Ok its that time of year when some hens should by rights be going broody, well mine aint !!! I am going to box one up to try and send her broody but i dont like doing it, the method is a bit old fashioned and in some ways a touch cruel.
I have just lost my last Pencil Hamberg hens, she died yesterday, now I am left with just the cockerel, he is a lovely bird, ( if any one wants him he is free on collection) ..

Ok its been a while, work has not stopped its just been quiet, chickenopolus now has a 5 foot high fence all round, also chicken wire dug in the ground all round, there are just a few bits and bobs to be done and its finished, then it on to the next bit, I want to build a second pen, so I can rotate them and not let one go sour, have a look at the video and have a laugh ;);)

Here in the UK have had a bit of snow overnight, about 4 to 6 inches, the whole country is closing down !!! WTF !!! We have snow, we have had snow for ever, but as soon as it lands and stays for more than ten minutes its CHAOS, I have just been to let the chickens out and feed/water them, its a journy of about 1 1/2 miles, out of that only about 800 yards of road has been gritted, the rest is snow and slush, I even got overtaken by some idiot, everyone is driving bumper to bumper, some car drivers haven't even bothered to clear the snow off thier vehicle, all of the schools in our town have closed till ferther notice, I spoke to a bus driver while waiting in the traffic queue, he told me all his companies busses are restricted to local runs only, there a lorry in a ditch on our main road into town..............
Before i left this morning my car was totaly cleared of snow and ice, i had a flask of tea, a sleeping bag, some food, all in the car, and i was only going a mile and a half LOL i even put a towel an blanket in for Dj, the snow shovel was already in the boot along with my usual kits ( rope, jump leads, jack, spider spanner, tyre pump, water, floro jacket )..
The council have kindly put GRIT bin along some roads, so in bad weather people can us it to clear the ice off the roads etc, I just went to the one closet to me and its EMPTY !!!!! we have known this snow was coming a week ago !!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There thats my rant and rave over with, now i am going out into the garden to build a snow man

The BIG REBUILD

As you will know Chickenopolus has been plagued with foxes, most of my original birds have now been gobbled up by Mr Fox and his family, it got to the stage where i very nearly closed the whole thing down, but I enjoy it so much, SO I have made my mind up to keep going !!!

Today we start building the new fence, and in the coming weeks new houses and individual pens for breeding birds too, the old shed/house will be going to a friends ( his dad wants them ) ..
I am going to build using straw bales, the reason is they are environmentaly friendly and i got a great price on 50 bales hehehe, they will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer, so keep watching this space for the developments, I hope to get some photos on here in the next few days..

BATTERY HENS

I have just collected 20 battery hens, they are great and in very gopod condition, the lot I got last year were very poor, this lot look fine, and are eating and drinking as soon as i put the troughs down, I will add some photos asap

Fox AGAIN

This is getting beyond a joke, i have caught 3 fox's in the past 4 weeks, but still more come and kill birds, The only thing i can do to protect my birds is to pen them up in secure units, this go's against all i want, my idea is to run them free range, more to follow

Starting over

Well no one replied so I am asuming no one is reading this....

I have bought all new birds, some 20 layer, 6 ducks and 4 geese, all young and fresh, within 6 hours of them arriving I had my first dozen eggs, the old birds I am fattenng up for the pot, I had planned on selling them off as pets, but the market for pet chicken is not strong round this way.....

Sad News

Friends of mine have a small holding just out of town, they have the usual, chickens, geese, ducks, pigs, sheep, a pony and an alpaca (? Sp), well He phoned me last night to let me know they were packing up and selling ever thing, I am really gutted for them, they have worked so hard to get it up and running, the main trouble they have had is from the local council, only a month ago we put the plastic on their poly tunnel, they have built fences, planted trees both fruit and others natives.

All that work has now been for nothing, it make my moaning about a fox seem such a little thing.

WELL i have to decide what I am going to do, I have 2 opptions:

1 is to pack up, this will mean selling or giving away the birds and houses I have, and then being bored silly with nothing to do....

or 2, carry on, buy more birds and build stronger fox proof ( ish ) fencing, I have all the materials, its just the labour, at the moment I can do about an hours work before my legs gives me trouble, but I am working so slow nodays, it takes so long to do jobs that i used to in a flash, I do get help from David my brother, but I hate asking, sometimes when i have a little spare money I get Tom ( a friend ) to come and help and pay him for his time, this dont sound much but 1 day of Tom = 1 weeks feed for the chickens...

Any one advise???

The FOX has been again !!!

Mr Fox has apid another visit, this time killing 21 birds, OK i can hear some of you saying why haven't you made your pen " fox proof " well in some ways i would say the same, and yes i can wire in a small enclosure to keep my birds safe, But then they would be back where they came from, BATTERY CAGES !! I want them to be free range and have loads of room to roam around in.. Mr Fox is only doing what his instinct is telling him, in the wild he would come on a flock of birds and kill as many as he can as fast as possible before they flew off, then he would take them away one at a time and hide the carcases for later consumption, the reason i have found so many dead left laid where they were killed is Mr Fox was disturbed, and took fright..I have bought some new birds to replace the resent lost ones, but as some are young and not in lay yet I am feeding them for nothing, it is draining my pockets dry, I had got to the stage where the birds were self sustaining, ie the sale of the eggs paid for their food and the rent of Chickenopolus and some weeks paid for my petrol too, all this expense is coming from my disapearing wallet :(

Video Clips

The clips are in reverse order, and numbered so the one with just the name is first then the one numbered 1 then 2 etc after that in that order