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As with most years back in March I bought some eBay eggs to hatch alongside my own. All the chicks are now 10 weeks old. Lavender Araucanas look like what they are. The one Copper Black Maran that hatched is black and has feathered legs. But the Cream Lebars from three different suppliers are a...

Anyone been watching it? I learnt a lot from Chris Packham. Enjoyed it tonight where that woman introduced the public to skuas. Glossed over some of their worst traits like pecking the eyes and tongues out of newborn lambs. Particularly enjoyed the nightingales. Never heard one before.

Awoke this morning to wall to wall sunshine and not a breath of wind. And my first ewe had lambed, twin boys. Twenty three, three week old chicks happy in their shed. My co- owned Galloway cattle all healthy and contented. Alls well with the world. But I daren't leave the ewes because the birds...

Can you keep large fowl and bantams together or will the littl'uns be unmercifully bullied? Never kept bantams, hence the question

Ive used eBay over the years with varying degrees of success. No complaints though because I know that the vagaries of the postal system can have deleterious effects on hatchability. However it is quite common for vendors to say, for example, that they run two cocks with ten hens. It has been my...

March 21st brings warm spring rain. Incubators are full of eggs, lambing starts one month from today. Geese should depart for Iceland any day now. Starlings are noisy. Ravens should be well on with their breeding. All is well with the world.

Bought 36 eggs this week for hatching. Copper Black Marans - huge, dark brown eggs. Very impressed. Cream Legbars - good sized eggs. An advance on the size they were 15 years ago. Well done CLB breeders. Lavender Araucana - No advance with these. Still quite small eggs. But a small breed so...

Last year I bought a lot of posted eggs. Lavender Araucana - one hatched. Speckled Susex - none out of eighteen eggs. Tolbunt Polish - three hatched from twelve eggs but all three dead within 24 hours. At least got two Jersey Giants from twelve eggs. I know it's not me, the incubators or the...

I got mine as hatching eggs from eBay but Castle Farm have them (check out their website). I don't think mine could have laid any better!

Ive stuck a bit about Australorps in the Chicken Breeds section at the bottom of the main page. Read if it's of interest.

Over many years I've kept a lot of different breeds. Some have been excellent layers (eg RIR's) , others good and meaty (eg Indian Game) and others very beautiful (eg Chamois Campines). I cannot understand why the Black Australorp is not more popular. It lacks the exaggerated fluffiness of the...

Brother can you spare a Dime - George Michael Going to a Town - Rufus Wainwright Solid Air - erm, forgotten! oh yeh, John Martin Three desert islanders for me. So come on, let's here them. If there are any I don't know I'll be googling them!

Happy Valentines to all you old romantics out there. And to the not so old ones as well.

Its all gone a bit quiet so here's my bit of news. Any sheep that is imported here is tested on arrival and then again six months later in order to exclude a raft of sheep diseases that exist in mainland Britain. I imported a ram last Spring that tested clear on his first test. However on his...

It would be really handy to run on some birds until they are four years old (both hens and cock) before breeding from them because of other projects. But I don't want to lose the strain. Has anyone bred from birds of this age, are they viable etc etc? I've never tried to breed from birds over...

As a result of a head injury three years ago I contracted epilepsy. This has been largely controlled by drugs. However last Thursday I had a major fit which left me feeling dazed and confused for about a day but also due the contortions the body throws itself into I had torn muscles in my back...

For about a year now I've had large numbers of starlings going into my sheds when I open the pop holes. I have vermin proof feeders so I can only assume that they have learnt that if they sit on the grid in large numbers then their combined weight opens it. I don't begrudge them a bit of food...

Recently went into an old friends house. He has Alexa which is totally gob smacking. I want one! :D He also had the latest all singing all dancing TV. I can live without one of those but nevertheless I was impressed by what it can do. I might be turning into a Luddite. Hargreaves Spinning Food...

I had my house built in 2003. Today I had plumbers in deal with blocked drains. They lifted the manhole and found 9ins of water under the house. Nothing to do with the drains. Every thing to do with the fact that the house was not built on a concrete raft above the level of the surrounding...

So where is he? Has he gone on holiday/crashed his bus/died? Can't live without his laconic and witty comments!