Thinking about keeping chickens?
Read our handy guide first that has been provided by Sarah from Sussex Garden Poultry…
What advice would you give for someone looking to keep chickens?
The most important thing is going to be the coop, choose something that will be safe for the hens, that will last, that’s easy to clean. Spend well, spend once. Buy your hens from a reputable source, it’s easy to be fobbed off with cockerels or older hens if you don’t know what to look for. Buying ‘point of lay’ means they may not be laying yet, but within a few weeks you’ll get eggs, there is no way of ageing a hen, you don’t want to buy something that’s 3 years old.
Which type of chickens would you suggest to get as a first time chicken owner?
If you’ve never kept hens before I always suggest you choose a fairly calm type of hybrid. The Red Rangers, Blacktails, Light Sussex & speckled hens. These girls will lay you lots of eggs with the minimum of fuss. Bantams are also a good choice if you have a small garden.
How many chickens would you suggest getting initially?
First think about your coop size, I always recommend starting with 3, the classic & the Go easily take 3 hens, should you have the misfortune to loose a bird you need to add a minimum of 2 hens, these coops have the space for 4 hens max. With the Cube you can take more hens, but remember when you want to add to your flock it’s best to double your numbers, so 4 or 5 in a cube allows you to add again in a couple of years time to keep a year round supply of eggs from new layers.
Should you always keep more than one chicken?
Chickens like to be in flocks, no one wants to be lonely, why would a chicken?
You can purchase chickens from Sussex Garden Poultry and then even offer a Hen Holidays service –
visit their website here
This entry was posted in Chickens
Have you ever wondered what’s going on in the minds of your chickens?
- Chickens have, just like us, full-colour vision. So the colourful Eglus from Omlet will also brighten up your chickens’ day!
- Chickens dream just like we do. During sleep they also experience REM (Rapid Egg Movement?). Maybe they dream about all the exciting things they did during the day…
- Chickens are omnivores, which means they eat both vegetables and meat. They love seeds and juicy worms, but will also appreciate a small mouse if they come across one.
- Chickens are related to the Tyrannosaurus rex. Maybe this is not that hard to believe when they stare at you with a penetrating gaze (trying to convince you to feed them…again!).
- There is a word for the extreme fear of chickens, namely alektorophobia.
People with alektorophobia can even develop a fear for eggs.
- Chickens have an excellent memory. They are able to recognise the faces of more than 100 members of their species, other animals and humans.
- Wild chickens just lay ten to fifteen eggs a year during the breeding season. Battery hens are bred to lay an egg almost every day. To make sure you’ll use the eggs of your hens in date order, Omlet provides the Egg Date Stamping Kit, the Egg Skelter and Egg Ramp
- The heaviest chicken egg ever weighed was 340g (as a comparison: an average chicken egg weighs between 55-75g). As chickens get older they will lay fewer but larger eggs.
- The colour of the egg does not alter its nutritional value or taste. The reasoning behind different shell colours is that different breeds lay eggs of different colours.
- It takes 21 days on average for a chicken egg to hatch once incubation begins, whether you incubate them with an incubator or set them under a hen.
- It is very unlikely that an egg with a double yolk will produce a chicken twin. There is too little space in the egg for two chicks to fully develop.
- Worldwide there are more than 25 billion chickens (as a comparison: there are less than 7.5 billion people). Chickens are therefore the most common birds on earth.
- The red junglefowl (gallus gallus) from Asia is the ancestor of the modern chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). Chickens were probably already domesticated in the sixth millenium B.C.
Sources: www.omlet.co.uk, www.backyardchickens.com, www.countrysidenetwork.com, www.smithsonianmag.com, www.thefactsite.com, www.thehappychickencoop.com.
This entry was posted in Chickens
Keep it fair and fun
Avoid arguments between children by color coding the hunt, give each child one color that they need to search for. Alternatively if you have a broad range of ages playing, why not color code the hunt based on ages, younger children can look for the large gold eggs whereas the older children need to look for the pink eggs which you will have made harder to find.
Provide alternatives to chocolate
Think ahead about who will be participating in your Easter Egg Hunt? Are any of the children diabetic? Are they allergic to dairy, gluten, cocoa or nuts? You could always use plastic decorative eggs for them to find then have prizes such as coloring books or toys instead of the sugary treats.
Remember the baskets!
The children will need something to carry their eggs in, lots of craft stores have cute baskets you can use or alternatively you make them as an activity before the hunt. See here for a guide on how to weave your own basket.
Think of fun clues
If you want to add another fun element to your hunt, you could think about providing the kids with clues as to where the eggs are hidden, such as “Somewhere that’s cold (fridge)” “What shall we have for breakfast? (cereal box)”, “It’s raining outside, what shall we take with us? (umbrella stand).
Keep track of your hiding places
It’s worth making a note of the hiding places and the number of eggs hidden for your own reference.
Check the weather forecast
Firstly so you’re not planning to commence the hunt when it’s due to rain, also if you are hiding chocolate, double check the temperature forecasted as you might need to make sure they’re all hidden in shaded areas, or you don’t put them out too early before it kicks off. Noone wants a melted Easter egg! If the weather is going to be stormy, plan a backup hunt for inside the house.
Set boundaries
Let the kids know where the searching area is, it’s important to make sure everyone has fun but in a safe environment. Show the children where the start and end of the hunting zone is.
This entry was posted in Chickens
We recently got the chance to speak with Frau Dr. Sewerin, a German Vet who specialises in poultry. We asked her what her top tips were for keeping your hens happy in colder conditions, here’s what she had to say:
“Make sure the water does not freeze. To do this, place a thick, well-insulated bowl of warm water in a sheltered place, change the water on regular basis or get a water heater.
You should also make sure that there is a dry, snow-free place in the run. You can regularly mix leaves with some wheat grains so that the animals have something to pick. A dry corner with sandbathing possibility must not be missing. Different perching options should always be available during the day anyway, but especially in winter: this helps keeping their feet warm!
Depending on the circumstances, a windcover should be installed at chicken height so that the animals are somewhat protected. You can easily turn the Eglu run into a sheltered, snow-free area. There is are a range of weather protection covers available at Omlet or you could use simple greenhouse film, combined with bubble wrap. This way the run will be a few degrees warmer and windproof on the inside.
In order to help the chickens saving energy and make it a little bit more comfortable for them, you can get an extreme weather jacket for Eglu coops or use tinfoil as it can be found in emergency blankets. The dropping tray can be additionally insulated with an extra thick layer of straw or newspaper. But after all the easiest way is to use the Omlet extreme weather jackets which makes sure that there’s still a good insulation on the inside of the coop.
Pay special attention to the inside of the coop, because the exhalations of the excretions will otherwise accumulate quickly in the interior and irritate the respiratory tract. Good ventilation is also important to remove the humidity, so that the animals do not catch a cold.
A few extra vitamins in the form of fruits, vegetables and herbs can help the immune system. Also onions, garlic and leeks shredded with vegetables or mixed with “flavor enhancers” such as oatmeal, grated carrots, yogurt and oil are very popular.
Once moulting has finished it is the ideal time to do a worming cure. If chickens are heavily infested with worms, it weakens them very much.”
If you’re thinking of upgrading your coop, now is the best time to do so. Here are some of the top benefits of having an Eglu plastic chicken coop vs a wooden one, particularly in winter:
- Eglu chicken coops and Eglu rabbit hutches do not absorb water, so they don’t get heavy and remain easy to move.
- They don’t rot and don’t require painting with varnish or wood stains (also means that you don’t have to move pets out whilst you are waiting for the fumes to go.)
- They have insulation built in so remain warm.
- They have draft free ventilation so your pets wont get a nasty chilly breeze coming in.
- The door locks are made from heavy duty steel and wont break even in the freezing weather.
- The door handles are all made from plastic so your fingers won’t freeze to them.
- The door handles are nice and big so you can use them with gloves on.
- The water container is really quick to lift out so you can take it in at night to prevent it from freezing.
Looking to upgrade your Chicken Coop? Click here to find out more about the different types of insulated Eglu coops!
This entry was posted in Chickens
Eglu Cube Mk1 (House Box A)
W1250mm x D250mm x H250mm 0.078m3 = 2.76 cubic feet
The box include: Base, Droppings Tray x2, Ladder, Partition, Eggboxes, Roosting Rack 25kg
Eglu Cube Mk1 (House Box B)
W1250mm x D700mm x H200mm 0.175m3 = 6.18 cubic feet
The box includes: Front Face, Rear Panel 14kg
Eglu Cube Mk1 (House Box C)
W1000mm x D850mm x H300mm 0.255m3 = 9.01 cubic feet
The box includes: Lid, Side Panel Left, Side Panel Right, Eggport 21kg
Eglu Cube Mk1 (House Box D)
W850mm x D850mm x H250mm 0.181m3 = 6.38 cubic feet
The box includes: Wheel Assy left and right, Super Glug, Grub, Shade, Fastener Pack. 16kg
Eglu Cube Mk1 (Run Box E)
W1200mm x D240mm x H1040mm 0.299 m3 = 10.55 cubic feet 20kg
The box includes: The run panels
This entry was posted in Chickens
The Eglu will keep your pets snug and warm in really cold weather. The Eglu has a special twin walled construction which provides an insulating layer in the chicken coop which keeps the interior warm in winter and cool in summer so that the hens are comfortable all year round. If you live in a particularly cold area with lots of days and nights below zero or in an very exposed area for example next to the coast or on top of a hill then it’s a good idea to provide your pets with extra insulation in the form of an Eglu Extreme Weather jacket or blanket available on the Omlet website.
Hens are remarkably hardy and their feathers keep them very well insulated in very cold weather. They don’t mind snow but don’t like being damp so try to provide somewhere dry for them to shelter during the rain if at all possible. The only recommendations for winter are to make sure that the water feeder doesn’t freeze by taking it into the house or garage overnight and to make sure that hens with large combs don’t get them frost-bitten by rubbing on some Vaseline to protect them.
Another way you can help the hens is to feed them things which release energy slowly and therefore keep their bodies warmer for longer. Foods like wheat and oats are wonderful slow energy releasers so sprinkling wheat as a scratch feed in the late afternoons or making wheatgerm or oats into a porridge with warm water for an afternoon feed will keep their little bodies warm overnight and will not put too much weight on as corn would.
This entry was posted in Chickens
Both the Eglu Go and Eglu Classic houses sleep up to 4 medium to large chickens, however the standard 2 metre run that come with them, are really only suitable for up to 2 chickens, as it is best to try and give each chicken about a metre of run each.
You can extend both the runs, 1 metre at a time, to make them longer which in turn allows you to keep up to 4 chickens… (If you want three chickens, purchase the standard Eglu with a 1 meter run extension, the chickens will be quite happy in a run this size)
The Eglu Go UP can sleep up to 4 medium to large chickens, but again the standard 2 metre run for the Eglu Go UP would only be suitable for 2 chickens. You can also extend the Eglu Go UP run by adding 1metre extensions.
With regards to the Eglu Cube, the house itself will sleep up to 10 small chickens, but with the standard 2 metre run, we would suggest between 4 and 6 chickens, 4 chickens if you were NOT going to let them free range and 6 chickens if you were. The Eglu Cube run extension can also be extended 1 metre at a time, and you can have as many 1 metre extensions as you require.
If you were to have an extension on the Eglu Cube run making it 3 metres long, we suggest the number of chickens be between 6 and 10 chickens, 6 chickens if you were NOT going to let them free range and 10 if you were.
This entry was posted in Chickens
Chickens love to hop onto a perch. This fondness for perches is instinctive. Chickens are descended from the Asian Jungle Fowl, which roosts on the branches of trees. Perching is as natural to hens as scratching and egg-laying. This might lead you to assume that the ideal perch is in a tree, or at least high off the ground. But while some of the lighter breeds such as Bantams or Leghorns might be able to flap their way to the topmost branches, the average domestic hen is way too big to try. A perch that a bird can hop onto from the ground is perfectly adequate.
During the day they’ll use the perch to relax, take a break and watch the world pass by. If you are keeping your chickens in a run then adding a perch is an excellent way to enrich their enclosure. Enrichment is one of those terms that does what it says on the tin. By adding accessories to the bird’s run you are enriching their lives by providing activities, variation and interest for them. Whilst it might not seem like an obvious activity, a static perch is actually one of the best additions you can make to your chickens environment, click here to see a video of how to attach a perch to your run. And if you have a big flock of chickens, you can add several perches in different locations, which will help to avoid any pecking order problems where the chickens lower down are not allowed to join in the perching fun! Top 4 tips when choosing a perch for your chickens
- Make sure that the perch is strong enough to take the weight of your chickens, an average egg laying chicken weighs about 2kg. A bantam would be about 800g-1kg and a large breed could be up to 5kg.
- Make sure that the perch is long enough, you should allow about 20cm per average sized chicken.
- Don’t place the perch too high. When you first introduce the perch, place it quite low, maybe 10cm off the ground. The chickens will quickly learn to trust it and then you can raise it so it’s just above their heads.
- When choosing a place to position your perch try to find a spot in the run that is covered so that the hens can still perch when it’s raining without getting wet.
Using a perch in the chicken house.
When chickens “come home to roost”, they usually head straight for their favourite spot on the perch. It may not look like the most comfortable way to spend the night, but that perch is every bit as snug and inviting to a hen as your warm, cosy bed is to you.
Hens will roost on pretty much anything, from an old ladder to a flat plank of wood. But it’s best to give them something custom made – wide enough with rounded corners, and easily adjustable. As their well-being is at stake – and that impacts your egg supply – it makes sense to buy the best. Omlet’s chicken perch is very easy to fit to every type of chicken run and wooden coops too, click here to find out more.
If a chicken doesn’t have a perch, they are more likely to attract mites and lice, or to pick up bacteria from the soiled ground. The stress of having no perch will also lower their immune systems, maximising their chances of disease.
Perches help hens feel safe and secure. At night a chicken is totally blind, and a perch gives them somewhere to “sit tight” if they are disturbed. As far as they’re concerned, if their feet are gripping that reassuring perch, they’re safe from predators. This reduces stress, which in turn promotes good egg-laying.
Perches even help with coop hygiene, as the entire night’s load of droppings will be dumped in one convenient spot for you to clean out.
This entry was posted in Chickens
We’ve been in touch with Sarah from Sussex Garden Poultry who has told us about a fantastic service that they offer to hens when their owners go on holiday…
How many Chicken Coops do you have?
I have at the moment 10 x mark 1 Eglu cubes & 8 x Eglu classic that I use for hen holidays. An Eglu Go & an old Eglu Classic with 1 mtr run I use as a broody coop
When did you get your first Coop?? Which type of Eglu was it?
The first Eglu I bought was a 2nd hand classic, I’d asked about & people said they’d owned them for 10 years with no problem & they look as good as new.
Why do you like Eglu Chicken Coops?
I like the Eglu for ease of cleaning, I love the varieties of colour, I try to have one of each, (I’m still hunting a pink cube), i also like the flexibility of being able to add to the runs length.
Please tell us more about the Chicken Holidays
I started the chicken holidays because I had potential customers who’d say ‘I’d love chickens, but what do I do when I go on holiday?’ So I said bring them back & i’ll board them for you. No one was offering this service locally so it made sense to offer hen holidays.
What is the most chickens you’ve looked after at any one time?
Difficult to say! We are usually fully booked over the summer holidays & Christmas to new year, but I have some birds of my own too, they take up 4/5 cubes, so I’ve the potential to accommodate over 100 holiday hens.
What is the longest time that a Chicken has stayed with you?
We had a trio of light Sussex that stayed about 3 months as their owner was sailing Around the Mediterranean & her progress was weather dependent!
I imagine the service is very popular…… Do you get fully booked up?
We like to take bookings a few months in advance especially for summer & Christmas, I don’t like to turn people away but each coop houses hens belonging to one family, we never mix flocks. If I’m out of space, then I’m out of space!
What is the furthest distance a customer has travelled to bring their chickens to you?
People do come a long way, but we are not that far from Gatwick airport so some drop off en route, its funny when the chickens take up more space in the car than the luggage.
What do prices start at?
Eglu classic & Go are £5 per night & take a max of 3 hens, Eglu cubes are £8 a night & take 4-8 hens. Feed included.
To find out more about Hen Holidays please view the Sussex Garden Poultry Website: https://www.sussexgardenpoultry.co.uk/home
This entry was posted in Chickens
Both the Eglu Go and Eglu Classic houses sleep up to 4 medium to large chickens, however the standard 2 metre run that come with them, are really only suitable for up to 2 chickens, as it is best to try and give each chicken about a metre of run each.
You can extend both the runs, 1 metre at a time, to make them longer which in turn allows you to keep up to 4 chickens… (If you want three chickens, purchase the standard Eglu with a 1 meter run extension, the chickens will be quite happy in a run this size)
The Eglu Go UP can sleep up to 4 medium to large chickens, but again the standard 2 metre run for the Eglu Go UP would only be suitable for 2 chickens. You can also extend the Eglu Go UP run by adding 1metre extensions.
With regards to the Eglu Cube, the house itself will sleep up to 10 small chickens, but with the standard 2 metre run, we would suggest between 4 and 6 chickens, 4 chickens if you were NOT going to let them free range and 6 chickens if you were. The Eglu Cube run extension can also be extended 1 metre at a time, and you can have as many 1 metre extensions as you require.
If you were to have an extension on the Eglu Cube run making it 3 metres long, we suggest the number of chickens be between 6 and 10 chickens, 6 chickens if you were NOT going to let them free range and 10 if you were.
This entry was posted in Chickens
The Run Door Self Fit Kit lets you add an extra access door to your Eglu run or Walk in Run. Simply cut out a section of your run mesh, cover the edges with the supplied edge protectors and clip the door in place. (You will need some good quality pliers to cut the hole in your run panel.) If your pets move their toys to awkward parts of the run or occasionally lay an egg just out of reach, the Self Fit Door Kit is just the thing for you! Note: The door opens inwards not outwards, so remember to take that into account when deciding on the location of your new door. If you are using it on an Eglu Go run or an Eglu Cube run, the angle of the Run panels will mean you need to mount it slightly higher to avoid it colliding with the ground when you open it.
This entry was posted in Chickens
Omlet are delighted to announce the global launch of the new Eglu Cube chicken coop.
The design of the new Eglu Cube was focused on just one thing, creating the ultimate chicken coop. Made with advanced manufacturing technology, this coop is extremely strong and durable yet surprisingly light, making it effortlessly manoeuverable. Aesthetically pleasing, the clean, functional lines not only look great but also make cleaning the coop a breeze.
The new Eglu Cube is also the safest chicken coop on the market. It has a patented locking mechanism that will outfox any predators and includes a steel weld mesh run, complete with Omlet’s unique anti-tunnel skirt, designed to keep any unwanted visitors at bay.
Comfier, more discreet and easier to clean – the Eglu Cube makes light work of a large flock. Inside the Eglu Cube, chickens will find a spacious roosting area with contoured bars to provide plenty of perching opportunities. The nest box, complete with sliding door, is discreetly positioned off to one side for privacy during the crucial egg laying moment.
With space for up to 10 hens you could be collecting a staggering 60 eggs a week. Your family will enjoy an abundance of cakes, quiches and dippy eggs galore!
Omlet’s Head of Product Design Simon Nicholls said “With the new Eglu Cube we really wanted to push the boundaries of what a chicken coop could be. This is definitely the most advanced chicken house we have ever designed, it’s safer for your hens, more comfortable and even easier to clean. It really is the ultimate hen house.”
Whether you live in a town or the countryside, are a first time chicken keeper or an experienced breeder the new Eglu Cube will delight owners and their hens alike.
This entry was posted in Chickens
She’s got the keys and it looks as though Mrs Barbara is ready to move in… 1 more sleep until we can reveal Mr and Mrs Barbara’s new home. Who’s eggcited?! #MovingDay
This entry was posted in Chickens
Mr Barbara has followed the chickies and has managed to send us a clearer image of where they’re headed, he sounds very excited about it and can’t wait for you to see it.
“I can see clearly now”…..well not quite but almost there! Hang on, only 3 more days until the big reveal….
This entry was posted in Chickens
It appears as though our little chickies have seen something intriguing….can you work out what it is? Their camera can’t quite pick out the details from this far away but we hope to bring you some clearer images as they get closer over the next few days.
#WatchThisSpace
This entry was posted in Chickens
Meet Guirec Soudee, a 24 year old man from Brittany, France and Monique, his pet hen. This unlikely pair are currently sailing around the world, they set out on their voyage 2 years ago and they haven’t looked back since.
Monique is the loyal pet hen of Guirec, who had originally planned on keeping a cat on the boat for company but changed his mind and opted for a feathered friend for companionship. Guirec said that he chose a chicken as they’re very easy to keep, plus he gets to have fresh eggs whilst at sea. Win win.
Others doubted whether this new found friendship would work but Guirec said that Monique took to sea life very quickly and was laying straight away.
The dynamic duo are currently in Greenland but are heading to Alaska soon, Monique continues to lay eggs even in the colder climates, according to Guirec she lays on average 6 eggs a week.
“She follows me everywhere, and doesn’t create any problems. All I need to do is shout ‘Monique!’ and she will come to me, sit on me, give me company. She is amazing.”
We wish Guirec and Monique good luck for their continued travels, we’ll be keeping a close eye on their Instagram and Facebook.
This entry was posted in Chickens
As the weather starts to heat up we have created a list of our top tips for keeping your chickens cool in the summer months. Chickens can suffer from heat stress and stop laying eggs therefore it’s incredibly important to take measures to ensure their temperature stays as cool as possible in the heat of summer.
When chickens become very hot, you will also see them holding their wings out away from their bodies and ruffling their feathers, this is to help the heat escape. Unlike humans, chickens don’t sweat to release the heat, they pant, similar to a dog. Please keep an eye on them so that they don’t suffer from heat stress.
Signs of heat stress include:
-panting with beak open
-laying around with wings outstretched
-loss of appetite
-slow to respond to stimuli, unresponsive
Top 11 tips to help avoid heat stress
- Make sure you provide plenty of shade for your hens to escape the sun. We have a variety of heavy duty and shade covers for all our Eglu runs.
- Keep your hens hydrated with plenty of fresh water, why not add a few ice cubes to their glugs to keep the water nice and cold for as long as possible
- Create a dust bath area for your chooks to nestle down and find a cool part in the ground.
- One key tip is to look out for the signs of heat stress and act fast, if you think one of your chickens is suffering, dunk them in a bucket of room temperature water keeping their neck and head above the water. Keep them inside in the air con and make sure they get plenty of water.
- Use a sprinkler/mister- the hens won’t like the water very much but it’s for their own good.
- Freeze fruit and veg in ice blocks so that your hens can peck at it. Or just freeze pieces of fruit, Watermelon is a popular favourite among chickens.
- Avoid foods such as corn and scratch as they require longer digestion processes, which creates more body heat.
- If your local climate stays warm at night simply place a large ice block in the coop, your hens will enjoy sleeping near it at night.
- Add vitamins to their water to make sure they are replacing the lost nutrients.
- Pay close attention to bigger/heavier hens
- Plan ahead for next year and plant a tree or bush to provide extra shade!
This entry was posted in Chickens
Truffle is a 5 month old Cockapoo. She lives with her owner Lynn and her family including 2 chickens called Octavia and Florence. Each morning Truffle races out to see the chooks although her devotion is not entirely reciprocated! Truffle enjoys a fresh raw egg twice a week thanks to her feathered friends.
Lynn said “Truffle’s delighted to be pet of the month! She was bought from an excellent breeder – Anzil Cockapoos in Knowsley near Liverpool. We got her in January and she now lives with us in Chester along with our four cats and two chickens who are lovely Pekin Bantams.”
“She has a wonderful personality and has almost got us trained to pander to her every whim. She is fun loving and very devoted to us.”
Apparently her
favourite toy varies but is currently a small teddy bear made for dogs. She also loves squeaky toys!
“Truffle has bags of character. When she is hungry she goes into the kitchen and looks pointedly at her bowl. As you can see she has very expressive eyes.”
According to Lynn she’s funniest when she has a mad half hour and races frantically around the garden. Much to the concern of the chickens watching from their
Eglu.Look at how photogenic this dog is, we <3 Truffle!
If you think your pet deserves to be ‘Pet of the Month’ please email sam@omlet.co.uk with a picture of your pet and a short description.
This entry was posted in Chickens
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Omlet Newsletter January 28th 2016
The BHWT has Rehomed Half a Million Hens!
Saturday was a day to remember for Omlet and the British Hen Welfare Trust. The hen charity celebrated a world first by rehoming its 500,000th chicken, and we were there to share the eggcitement.
The half millionth hen was named Dee, as ‘D’ is the roman numeral for 500,000. Following life as a commercial laying hen, she was lucky enough to be rescued from a sad ending by a new family that will love and look after her. Not only will she eggsperience a new life of freedom and happiness but she will do so in the luxury residence of an Eglu Cube, donated by Omlet.
BHWT local coordinator Laura McCulloch said: “To think the BHWT has given 500,000 commercial hens this opportunity is mind-blowing.” And we agree. It is fantastic to think that half a million hens have been rehomed and we were proud to be involved in the big event!
If you’re interested in rehoming a hen or two, please visit the BHWT website. See more photos of the day here!
Beatrix and Clan Star in Prize Painting!
In the last newsletter we revealed the winner of our ‘Win a Personalised Pet Painting’ competition and now we are eggcited to be able to share a sneak peek of the prize… Artist Nicola Metcalfe captured the characters of winner Wendy’s menagerie beautifully. (See photos of the gang here.)
The story goes that Wendy’s chickens terrorise her giant Maine Coone cat Beatrix. They go in the back door while she is out of the room and Dotty and Delilah distract Beatrix while Maggie steals her cat food. Apparantly even the runner ducks Jemima and Josephine ‘egg’ her on with a chorus of quacking.
What a cheeky bunch of so and so’s! Wendy loves her prize and we hope it makes you smile too.
Is your hutch looking worse for wear? It’s time for an upgrade!
Treat your Guinea Pigs to a New Hutch and Save over 10%!
Looking for a stylish new home for your guinea pigs, or thinking of keeping some for the first time? The Eglu Go Guinea Pig Hutch could be the answer! This is what Suzanne Locke had to say about her recent purchase:
“I bought two Eglu Go guinea pig hutches, one with a 1m run and one with a 2m run. I was lucky enough to live in the delivery and home setup zone, so no assembly difficulties for me, and my pets were enjoying their new homes in no time at all…. The hutches and runs are well-designed and a joy to clean. I’m so glad I made the investment.” by Suzanne Locke.
Good news! Order your Eglu Go Guinea Pig Hutch with 1m Run today for only £249 (usual price £299).
Use promo code: UKUPGRADEGH (valid until 29/02/15).
We also have great savings on our Eglu Go Chicken Coops and Rabbit Hutches – click here to find out more!
Eglu Protects Chickens from Catastrophe!
Eglus are built to survive all sorts of weather and last for years but we recently heard from one family whose coop withstood dramatic flooding! Paul told us:
“As you’ll have seen on the news, the flooding in Aberdeenshire since the turn of the year has been awful and when there’s heavy rain, the water runs down the sloping field behind our home and backs up against our boundary wall forming a little loch. After a week’s solid rain, that ‘little’ loch stood about four feet deep and held about 40 tons of water.
A 30ft section of the wall collapsed catastrophically last Thursday night in the middle of a snow storm, sending all that water flooding into the garden and the area at the back of the house, spilling masonry all over the place and creating a temporary new river down our driveway. Our Eglu classic sits about 15 feet in front of the fallen wall and must have taken the full force of the deluge as all the grass around is was flattened, and the chickens’ enclosure was filled with debris. But not only was the coop unmoved, it seems to have stayed completely intact so our girls saw the turbulent night out, dry if a little spooked by all the kerfuffle.
On reflection we thought that the Eglu’s aerodynamic shape and robust build must have been what allowed it to cope with our mini-flood, so with that in mind, we feel you can safely add ‘flood resistant’ to your list of the Eglu’s eggcellent qualities…. 🙂 “
More Strange Eggs in the Gallery!
Following our ‘egg within an egg’ feature in the last newsletter you have been sending in your weird egg pictures. Rosemary found a teenie tiny pekin egg which she fried and fed to her Cavachon puppy – it was just the right size! Amy discovered another tiny egg, but this one had no yolk. Ingham was another lucky recipient of an egg within an egg, and perhaps the strangest one so far…a shell less egg that looked more like a snake’s skin.
Keep your weird and wonderful pictures coming in! Send to stephanie@omlet.co.uk
Tom’s Tasty Cauliflower Fritters
Transform one egg (and some cauliflower) into something tasty!
Ingredients:
300g cooked cauliflower
2 tbsp chives
1 medium onion (finely diced)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
salt and pepper
panko breadcrumbs
(or fresh breadcrumbs if unavailable)
Method:
1) Once cooked and cooled, mash the cauliflower with a fork or potato masher.
2) Add the onion, chives, flour, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
3) Whisk the egg and add to the mixture (if the mixture is very wet, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs).
4)
Chill for 30 minutes.
5) In a large frying pan, add oil (sunflower or similar).
6) Heat oil on a medium heat, until a few breadcrumbs added start to bubble and brown.
7)
Form small parties from the chilled mixture and coat in panko breadcrumbs, or similar.
8) Shallow fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown.
9) Drain on kitchen paper.
10)
Serve with a squeeze of lime and sour cream.
New Products and Special Offers
Syn-Vital Bokashi – Great for your chickens’ digestive system and now on special offer due to a best before date of March – now £6 (was £8)
Little Miss Princess – A cute egg cup for the little princess in your life (or is that you?) – £5.95
Woodland Crumble -A tasty treat for garden birds and chickens. Discounted due to a best before date of 02/16 – now £1 (was £2.89)
This entry was posted in Chickens
Planting Greens for you and your Hens
No one can deny that the delicious orange yolks from your own hens’ eggs is a sight to behold. Allowing your hens to free range in your garden, feeding on fresh grass is the best way to get those wonderful yolks, but this isn’t always practical in the winter when the grass stops growing. Feeding your hens green vegetables helps them produce these amazing eggs and keeps them happy, so why not try growing a few veggies at home and both of you benefit?
Winter isn’t the best time for sowing crops, but if you start planning now, there are a number of greens that you can grow at home to feed your hens over Winter.
Swiss chard
Soak the seeds for 15 minutes in warm water to give them a head start, then plant them 1/2″ deep in previously water soil. I plant around 6-8″ apart to allow the plants to grow well as they can reach quite an impressive size. Water well for the first week or so and protect the emerging seedlings from slugs and snails. The seeds are in a cluster, so you will get at least a couple of plants from each seed.
You can also plant them into individual seed trays and plant out when the seedlings are large enough to handle.
When the plants reach 8′ high, start by pulling a couple of leaves from each plant. Pull the stalk at the base of the plant and they should snap off easily. They are classed as a cut and come again crop, so only take a few leaves from each plant at a time and they will crop over several months.
Swiss chard is very tolerant of cold weather, but if it is very cold where you live, they will benefit form a cover of horticultural fleece to give them added protection. It also grows well in a pot, placing 3-4 plants in a 14″ pot. There are many different types of Swiss Chard, but my favourite is ‘Bright Lights’ which has dark green leaves and thick stems coloured red, orange, yellow and purple. They also make attractive plants in a mixed border.
Kale
Kale is a member of the cabbage family and is very tolerant of cold temperatures. Most garden centres now have this winter vegetable as small plug plants available now. For around £2-£3 you can pick up a tray of kale and that should last your hens for the winter.
Kale isn’t demanding, but can grow quite tall, so place them in a sheltered spot or make sure you stake the plants when they reach 12″ + high to prevent them being blown over in the wind.
Plant the plug plants deeply, up to the first layer of leaves and this will help anchor them down. Firm the soil in really well and they don’t do well if rocked around and the roots are disturbed.
Water well for the first couple of weeks and the plants soon start producing dark leaves, that can be harvested in the same way as Swiss chard.
Varieties to try – Red Russian is one of the quickly to start producing leaves. Nero di Toscano produces large dark green leaves and plenty of them.
Salad Mache or Lambs Lettuce
These little plants grow well in cold weather, but run to seed when it gets too warm, so perfect for growing as a winter crop.
Plant the seeds thinly 1/2″ deep and allow 6″ between plants. Water well and they will soon form little rosettes. Harvest a few leaves from each plant and they will continue cropping over winter.
They are also called Corn salad.
Any cut leaves should be placed into a wire wild bird feeder, similar to the ones that you can put suet blocks into. This keeps the greens off the floor and allows your hens to peck at the leaves.
Dedicating a small area of your garden or a few pots to vegetables, will keep your hens happy all winter. Don’t forget that planting a few extra plants and you can be picking fresh winter crops for your kitchen too!
If you have any questions, please contact me at Tom@Omlet.co.uk
This entry was posted in Chickens
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