Poddington and P

Young chickens moult twice during their first year of life. During the first few weeks of life the soft down feathers are replaced and later young feathers are replaced by adult feathers.

In good health a chicken will moult annually starting during September, which could go on for several months. Feathers die and are replaced; however there may be some delay which results in bald patches as new feathers develop. Moulting takes considerable energy placing the chicken vulnerable to ill health. Hens do not lay and cockerels do not breed during moulting season. Antiparasite treatments should not be used during this time as it may interfere with healthy feather development.

The first few days of a chicks life is fairly peaceful. They require a warm quiet environment where they can sit or sleep. I tend to provide them with a soft fluffy blanket on a bed of hay and under a red heat lamp. This seems to act as a sufficient replacement for mother hen. Hatchings during the colder months, I also provided a thermostatically controlled heater. My chicks tens to be comfortable at around 30̊c, any hotter and they pant, any colder and they huddle together.  

Food is not wanted for the first few days, as they digest the egg yolk. Following this I give them sieved ‘layers mash’ in a low sterilised dish every 2 hours 7AM – 5PM. Chickens are day time animals which suits me fine!. I give them cooled boiled water with small sterilised stones in it as young unsteady chicks can easily drown or fall asleep in a water receptacle. Chicks will naturally peck at objects and a small stone is a good way of encouraging them to the water bowl. As soon as the chicks are up and mobile I remove the stones.

Cleanliness is the key to healthy chicks, their nest must be cleaned at least daily, paying particular attention to clean water and feed receptacles.

At 4 days there little wings start to develop and they start to flutter. It is now that I am able to determine if they are frizzled or straight winged. At this stage their little combs are all uniformly yellow so there is no way of telling males and females.

I begin to wean them out of the light of the heat lamp at 3 weeks, by now I have normally got another clutch that need it more and they are quite capable of generating body heat by their size and antics. If the weather is cold I will provide them with a hot water bottle under their hay.

At 4 weeks, if the weather permits they are able to go outside during the day. I have adapted a rabbit cage for this purpose. It is under cover, there is a warm sleeping area with hay and I have added some logs and low perches for their amusement as they are now accomplished fliers.

They are now able to tolerate ‘layers mash’ put through the centre of the colander, so that any large pieces are removed. Food can be left out all the time, but their last meal is always 6PM. They will also enjoy some fresh grass, greens and breadcrumbs. Chickens will get most of the nutrients they need from fresh green grass.

It is at this stage when it is possible to determine the boys from the girls. The boy’s combs will begin to turn peach/coral/red and red marks appear on their necks which are the start of wattles.

They will start sleeping at night, but I still bring them inside if the weather is cold.

By 6 weeks saddle feathers begin to develop in females and it resembles a bustle.

At 7 weeks they are able to stay outside all day and night. They will perch in the coop to sleep and we have height adjustable perches so that they can be raised as they grow.

At 8 weeks the males will begin to be sexually interested in his females, perhaps with a little sideways dance or the offering of food.

They are now able to manage corn and you will notice them look like they are yawning or a crow with no sound. This is thought to be them shifting the corn into the crop. Their growth is now beginning to slow and they will only need to be fed twice a day, morning and afternoon.

At 10 weeks the female’s feathers will be more rounded than the males who are more pointed.

At 11 weeks they progress to wanting to dust bath. An unused cat litter tray filled with a mixture of fine soil and sand will suffice. I had read that dust bathing was a social event but was amazed to see the whole family regularly dusting together, it is clearly their favourite past time.

The males make attempts at crowing, although this sounds rather like they are being strangled.

Hens start laying eggs at around 5 to 6 months of age but should this fall over the winter months it may be a little later. Basically in chicks that I hatch and raise, I will wait a whole season before they come into lay themselves, but enjoy watching them grow up.  

The flower garden

Trim lavender lightly to remove old flower heads and encourage new shoots. 

The kitchen garden

Tie in the main shoots of cucumbers. Shorten side shoots to 1 leaf beyond the flower.

Harvest runner beans, lettuces, beetroot, courgettes, onions, shallots, garlic, early potatoes, and globe artichokes. 

Cut and freeze dry herbs.

Prune back gooseberries, blackcurrant and raspberry canes now that all the summer fruit has been picked.

The greenhouse

Cut off non fruit bearing lower branches of tomato plants. Continue to feed.

Sow oriental vegetables such as mibuna and mustard greens for salad, they bolt less at this time of year.

Harvest peppers, aubergines and chilli’s.

Support melons as they ripen.

The pond

Check if dragonflies have laid their eggs in the pond.

General

Continue weeding/ hoeing.

Give hedges their final trim of the year. Clip to 1 third of their base.

Feed lawns with autumn feed.

Start collecting seeds from vegetables and flowers as heads start to ripen.

Canine and human relationships go back for more than fourteen centuries. Probably the most important is that they provide companionship. Dogs are also not very demanding and offer us unconditional love, with their adoring eyes, wagging tails, and following us anywhere we go.

One important aspect of the dog-human equation is that we establish ourselves as boss upfront. Dogs by nature are pack animals and there is always a leader or “alpha” dog that the others obey and respect. When we adopt a dog, we become pack members and we must assume the alpha role or live to regret it.

One way of looking at dogs is to compare them to children. They both need rules and guidelines. You need to show leadership and establish boundaries. Dogs no longer need to hunt like wolves as their association humans provides them with food. Food and play treats therefore form the basic training lures for most dogs.

The Canine Communication System is one that is based on the principle of understanding your dog, before expecting it to understand you! We talk to our dogs and they “talk” with barking. It can be helpful for you if you know how to interpret the various barks that dogs have. Also important is your dogs ear position, facial expression, and tail action. Pod has several different tones of bark; barks of delight and another for danger. Tails up and wagging can be a sign of a happy or feisty dog so you would need to look for other signs.

A dog’s brain is completely different from humans in so much as how they interpret sensory information. A dog’s brain is far simpler than a human’s brain; it doesn’t have the capacity for speech or memory. Yet he will interpret, analyze and process information in order to act based on his senses.

Every pack has an alpha dog and he is the undisputed leader. When you bring a puppy or dog home they are naturally going to try and dominate the new pack which is you and your family. It’s up to you to show that you are in fact the alpha dog here and earn the dog’s respect, and therefore obedience. Being the Alpha dog is a very important concept to not only understand but to take action on.

Your dog can learn a lot about you from your body language, your mood, your facial expressions and tone of voice. The actual words you say to your dog or even their name is irrelevant to the dog it is the tone that you use that they respond to. 

Clicker training is often used in shaping the dogs behaviour. It starts by you teaching the dog to obey a command by using a treat as a reward. Gradually he will respond to the sound of the clicker at the exact moment the dog performed the task which will be closely followed by a treat. Apparently they use it to teach dolphins, did I really want my dog to jump out of water through a hoop??? Anyway I purchased a ‘clicker’ and taught him ‘down’ in 2 days…marvellous!!!.

Obedience training accomplishes two things: It establishes a bond of communication between you and your dog. Your dog learns that when you give commands, he needs to respond. When he responds appropriately, he’s rewarded for his behaviour. What he wants most is to please you, when you’re happy, he’s happy. Obedience training keeps your dog active, thinking and involved. Dogs that are active, both mentally and physically are less likely to be poorly behaved. Corrective behaviour involves both time and patience. You must be vigilant and correct your dog at times so as not to give mixed messages. Just like with children you can expect many disjointed conversations with people whilst you give a command to your dog. Fortunately, a dog learns skills faster than a child.

Some of the basic skills are maintain eye contact, sit, down, come, stay, heel, drop, fetch, ouch or leave it (the latter has been found to work with nipping puppies, if you yelp like a fellow puppy the pup will stop biting).

Most dogs are anxious to please their owners but sometimes the dog can become bored if not given enough stimulation, or frightened and intimidated if yelled at. Knowing about your dogs breed is also important, Pod is a West Highland Terrier, little dogs with a huge character making them mischievous and requiring less exercise that a Great Dane.

Sometimes dogs go through stages a little like children, the terrible twos. The dog will act up just to test you, to see if you really are the boss. But before you reach for the rolled up newspaper to discipline your dog please remember that if your dog misbehaves it is your fault for not teaching him/her correctly so hit yourself with it.Jan Fennell 

Living of the land, rearing livestock, consuming own grown seasonal food, fishing and foraging, being less dependent on the outside world. Self-sufficiency is the new ‘good life’.

With some effort growing your own fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs is easy to do and requires very little space. I grow many of my vegetables in pots and sacks outside and in an unheated greenhouse. Many of my plants are grown from seed, which is cheap as you can get a lot of plants from a packet of seeds.

Hedgerows and public woodland are good food sources, offering Elderflowers, wild berries, blackberries, chestnuts, mushrooms and truffles. Provided you do not remove the whole source no one will complain. You should have a good idea of what you are picking as many berries and mushrooms are not meant for human consumption.

Provided you have patience and a rod, sea or shore fishing can provide a good supply of fish. Mackerel, Bass and Red Mullet are some that can be found in local waters. Marine fisheries prefer that Bass caught under 40cms be returned to the sea to increase in size. Even seaweed is a great food source if you don’t mind a slightly salty taste.

Keeping animals is relatively cheap to do. Chickens, pigs and sheep will enjoy most kitchen scraps and vegetables that are not good for the table. What the animals are fed in will influence what they produce ie; healthy large chickens will produce large eggs.

When you grow and raise your own food you know what has gone into it, no pesticides or supplements. It give you a much better appreciation of food when you have grafted to get it. Anyone can select meat, fish, fruit and vegetables from the supermarket but what is the cost to the environment.