a tonne of crabapples and no recipes...

What with starting uni (again) next week and signing over my life and mental health to the teaching profession- I have decided that now is the time to get all my fruit and veggies in storing mode. I am yet to master the art of chutney ( I think I just don’t really like it and I still have jars of the bloody stuff from last years’ marrows going ignored at the back of the cupboards) , jam I am very good at (if you ignore the ill fated rose petal jam which ended up going mouldy and was rejected by most of the family at first sniff). I’ve had a go at drying, I have loaded the cupboards with little jars of herbs from the garden which look very pretty but again will probably be ignored in favour of ketchup (don’t blame me!). Freezing is where I really shine. I have commandeered a drawer in my mother’s precious freezer and explained how the new system will work, she seems ok with this now but my beautiful courgette patties will probably be moved out in favour of oven chips by my brother some time soon. I’ve filled the drawer up with raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, peas, courgettes, a tonne of marrows and whatever else has come back from the lottie to be received with groans of “oh god not again”. My family may not share my enthusiasm but when I’m eating lovely organic veg right into the winter they’ll be singing a different tune I’m sure!

I was lucky enough to come across some gorgeous crabapple trees outside The Boyfs mum’s flat (apparently 1960’s council blocks were always planted with fruit tress- result!) Anyway, as I tend to do I got a bit over excited and ended up dragging a few massive carrier bags full of the little fellas home with me- never having tried them before. The helpful Boyf bought home a huge bag of cooking apples from one of his gardening clients as well so the house is a little over run. I have made (and frozen, naturally) the standard apple pie/ crumble filling to be used at a later date. The little crabapples are actually quite sweet so I’m pretty happy with the result- their pink skin turns the whole mix a lovely girly colour too- I am definitely looking forward to a pink pie to cheer my autumn evenings! Do any of you have any recipes that could use up my glut? I mainly like puddings...

I also thought you might like to see my little kitchen helper. Maude and Mildred my chicken children have taken to coming into the the house to demand food and attention now rather than just screeching in the garden. In truely unhygenic and nosey moment, Maude has discovered this is the best place to scrounge....

My mother would be horrified to know this is going on in the house, let being posted on the internet! Obviously I do not cook when she is on the oven mum, it would be VERY unhygenic and well...a bit dangerous for little Maude.

A Recommendation...

If like me you are a blog whore and are always looking for more to read can I recommend a new blog to you...

I found Jo through twitter and he chicken chat never fails to make me giggle. She is a big fan of chooks especially ex batts and I know a lot of you are too. She has a lot of interesting things to say and lots of sweet chicken photos for those like me who love to oggle a hen. And don't miss out on Chicken Cuddling Wednesday!

She's at
www.lifewiththeexbatts.wordpress.com

Free Rangin'

So we’ve had Maude and Mildred for a month now and I have finally plucked up the courage to let them free range around the garden. Despite my best attempts at fencing the boyf has  persuaded me that with a bit of supervision the girls would be fine wandering around- unfenced.

The girls with their security guard... in his PJ's...

We had a bit of a shaky start, which mainly involved me near tears shrieking at the boyf that they were going to run away or get stolen by a fox despite the fact that I was a mere foot away... I’m such an over protective chook mama, I think he has definitely been put off the idea of ever having human babies with me. But with a lot of persuasion, I have begun to feel more comfortable about loosening the apron strings. The girls know exactly where to go when the door of the run is open and leg it straight into my pa’s “woodland flowerbed” which unfortunately for him contains some expensive plants but also a rockery and lots of bark chippings which the girls adore.

It’s funny how their personalities change when they’re out scratching about, Mildred who was our first Houdini and I always thought, the naughty one, won’t go far from me and the snack box and comes straight to me when she’s called. Maude on the other hand is a bit of a nightmare! I thought she was the quiet, less dominant one but once she gets a sniff off a worm she’s gone! The boyf had to retrieve her from underneath next doors hedge- luckily some ancient chicken wire prevented her from getting too far!

One last glimpse of Maude's bottom as she disapears off into the bushes...

I’m so glad I have relaxed enough to let them out, it’s no good being over protective if they don’t get to have a little fun. They absolutely love digging and scratching and running about (who knew they could run so fast!?) and the little noises of content when they find a beetle or a caterpillar are so sweet! I just wish I had more time to play with them instead of this work lark...

Mildred, my blonde bombshell and total mamas girl...



Chicken Enrichment Activities...

As I prepare myself mentally and my garden physically for such a time as the chickens can free range I have begun a regime of chicken enrichment and training. It sounds a bit Rocky…and it is.

Having once again put out twitter pleas and returned to my favourite poultry forums (don’t laugh- it’s not as nerdy as it sounds…ok it is) and decided to sacrifice one of my dad’s wild bird feeders for the sake of the chooks. Following instructions I stuffed the suet holder with lettuce and my girls favourites- jersey royal potatoes and asparagus (they have expensive taste) and strung it up in their eglu run…

Mildred demonstrating her new toy...

It was very successful and they climbed all over each other tot get the best bits. Feeling particularly smug about my little chook toy I also shoved in a branch for them to perch on…they haven’t worked that out yet but I have faith, they really are very bright.

No girls not under it, sit on it!

Also, they’re getting much better at being picked up. They still don’t love it, squawking indignantly for a while at first but they now eat out of my spare (non chicken restraining) hand and they sit down when I go to pick them up which I think is not only a sign of my brilliant training but also the fact that they might be getting ready to lay?

Maud is ready for her close up...

Any tips for letting my chooks free range without legging it into next doors garden?

In which I become a Chicken mama...

 It has been three days. Three long, glorious, sun soaked summer days since my girls arrived. I have emerged from my love haze only out of necessity, the necessity for me to go to the “office job” and move paper. I took a day off to help them settle in but I can see that it’s me who has to settle. I’ve been a wreck. Every snuffle, every squeak and I’m there, laptop to hand googling symptoms and clogging up poultry forums. I’ve been waking up at the crack of dawn, ears alert waiting to see if they’re going to be early risers, noisy morning birds or sleep right through. Do they like broccoli? Bread? Grapes? Why won’t they eat their worming medicine? Do they need grit yet? Are they allergic to hay? But it has been lovely...

Alf with his new girls...

On Saturday my pa and I drove to Southmead Poultry in Leatherhead- with firm assertions that we were “only looking- not buying”. Of course we left an hour later with a green Eglu Go and two beautiful hens, both hybrid ginger girls but one blonde and one a red head,(plus all their accessories, layers pellets, corn snacks, oyster shell, worming liquid, flea powder, dust free hay...these girls are high maintenance!)  

Normally the Eglu would be no problem. The boyf loves a flat pack, he can knock up an ikea shelving unit in under half an hour- forget the instructions. Unfortunately he was at work so the job fell to me and my ma. Sitting on the lawn, hundreds of pieces of green plastic Eglu around us and two clearly bored hens in a cardboard box we feared the worst, the hens would have to live in their box forever, but we persevered and after an hour, two broken nails, a fair amount of swearing and a lot of girl power, we were done.

The mum builds...

We released the hens into their run, much to the delight of Alf the dog. They celebrated by pooping, a lot.  All seemed to have gone to plan, the chickens were happy, the eglu was a trifle, the dog perplexed, I congratulated myself on being a fine poultry keeper.

Alf the dog on patrol....

Feeling confident I left the girls alone to settle in for an hour, on my return I foolishly thought they might like to have a cuddle. I opened the hatch, put my arm in and in slow motion, the blonde escaped. It was my fault, I frightened her with my elbow but she was out. Looking at me. With comedy style I lunged, she leapt and she was out of sight. Under the hedge and into next doors garden. My mother, at 49 years old was over the wall before I could say “fox food” herding blondie back.

Once she was back in the garden my troubles were far from over, as she led me, Benny Hill style round and round the Eglu, the mother shouting over the hedge and the red head sitting in the water bowl watching (clearly laughing at me!). I just couldn’t catch her. Eventually I threw my cardigan over her and with a swift and stealthy movement grabbed her. Cardigan removed she cuddled up to me quite happily murmuring away like butter wouldn’t melt.

Characters now firmly established we could name them. The escape artist, also the noisiest and peckiest of the pair is Mildred and her sidekick- who is a little chubby and much more reserved- is Maude. (Think back to The Worst Witch books and you’ll get it.)

Once order was restored I set out on a vigorous few days a chicken training. Mildred and Maude now know the sound of my voice and more importantly the sound of the treat box and will run to the hatch in the run  to greedily nibble it out of my hand, they’ll even stick their necks out to try and reach the pot! I am hoping this will bode well when they are allowed out (after the boyf has chicken proofed the hedges!) and they will come charging back from whatever bit of the garden they are currently destroying.

In the 3 days I’ve had them, I’ve learnt a lot. Here’s a run down-

·         Chickens poo. A lot. Like tonnes. This is good for my compost but not so good for the lawn.

·         They make funny little noises all the time. Well naughty blonde Mildred does anyway.

·         They’re not scared of the dog. He is obsessed with them. They charge at him periodically.

·         They know when it’s bed time. This made me a very proud chicken mama on their first night....

Please feel free to leave comments admiring the beauty of my new girls...

Maude (the red head) and Mildred (the blonde)