Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Quigley + Orville in Practical Poultry

My photos of Quigley + Orville have been published in Practical Poultry magazine :P

Sent them in a while ago and they've been put in Feb's edition :)

Monday, December 27, 2010

Northern Poultry Society: Poultry Club Championship Show

The Norther Poultry Society
Poultry Club Championship Show

Sounds posh doesn't it?! ;)

Have posted off my form + entered Cilla the Silkie + Alice the Barred 'dotte into the show.
3 tinted bantam eggs again, and a bantam egg contents for the first time - they crack the egg open onto a plate and see how fresh it is, how orange the yolk is ... stuff like that!

Its on 16th Jan so will be going up to Yarkshiiire!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Omlet Christmas Photo Competition

The forum had a photo competition, I got a bit carried away taking loads of Christmassy photos, but anyway, I entered a few.

Alice was 2nd + 3rd! lol
ANH came first with:

I can imagine them saying it! :P
Although ours would freak out and try to fly away from the snow - clever chooks *roll*

Eliza is laying

Eliza the Barred Wyandotte I hatched earlier in the year, has started laying :D


They were all FRing in the snow yesterday and she toddles off into the WIR early. Went and had a look + I couldn't see her but could hear her *eh*

Looked and she was in an old feed bin which was laying on its side on top of the wendy house! Thought she was stuck so scooped her out and there was a cold egg in there, so it wasn't laid just.

She flew back onto the roof, shuffled backwards and slid into the bin...

Left her to it + went back an hour later and there was a warm egg in there! :)

Well done Eliza :P

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Out with the Old, In with the New... Dinner Chickens

So, as we've got the 3 new hybrids, the cockerels have to go :(

I was going to do it yesterday but left it too late so just got the stuff ready; bin for the feathers, small broomstick pole and a chair!
Let the 3 cockerels out for a free range in the snow earlier but restricted their food so that they're easier to gut etc.

Got Little Miss Meaty (the name stuck for him) in the eglu so I could pick him up and took him to the side passage.
I was alright in doing it 'cos have know since they were cute little chicks under Hilary that I'd have to do it:

Was alright doing 'the deed' but you always get paranoid from the nervous responses that you haven't done it properly even though I knew he was dead, and I had to double and triple check :/

Plucking was alright. It took about an hour to do, which is way longer than the huge turkeys at the farm! but tbf I haven't done it for a while, and the turkeys are hung so that makes it a lot easier. Ripped the skin a couple of times by the breast but thats not a problem.

Just got Mr Meaty to do next!
Was going to do him tonight but he's still not very muscly + mature, and it would leave Mr Dinosaur on his own in the eglu. Mr Meaty doesn't really crow, although he probably will now Little Miss has gone, but will see. I can always do it in the next couple of days.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Christmas Chickens...

Had no idea what I wanted for Christmas, so after planting the idea of getting chickens after seeing the Buff Orps at The Fed, I decided to get some hybrids so we'll hopefully get more than 1 egg overy other day, next year! :P
Obviously we went to see Jude at Cotswold Chickens. Spoke to her and they were shut 'cos of the snow, then today was our only chance to get there before Christmas!
Took longer time to get there 'cos of the snow but the roads weren't too bad.

Finally got there and had a look and there was 1 (or 2) Black Rocks, so had to have her! Jude said to just go into the stables and get them so I could choose who I wanted.
We had a look at the horses, all the stables were full - couldn't believe how big the filly has got that was born last year! There was a cute little orphan foal with a sad story attached about his mom :(

Meet...
Fearne, the Bluebelle. Should lay pale brown eggs.
Holly the Speckled Star who should lay speckled brown eggs:
and Edith the Black Rock! Like Matilda + Theodore, she should lay brown eggs :)
Fearne + Edith sitting on top of the Wendy House...

There is quite a bit of snow here! The new girls are in the Go with a run attached, inside the WIR 'cos the 3 Dinner Chicken boys are in the eglu at the back.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Federation Championships Poultry Show 2010

So this weekend is the Federation Championship Poultry Show 2010 at Stafford :)

Was meant to be working on the Cotswold Chickens stand but we had to pull out and cancel the stand last minute 'cos of the snow.
The hall with some of the 7000 entries:
 
Sales pens - Modern Game
White call ducks!
Buff Orpingtons - texted a photo to Dad 'cos he's always wanted some, and he phoned me to say we could get them! Decided not to in the end, but it planted the idea of getting new chickens! :P
Pair of Brahmas...
Poor stressed out geese with a bleeding foot :( Went and told the stewards but nothing was done about them
Blue Silkies!!
Brahma who won first prize
Game cockerel:
Another Brahma! He was really friendly and loved being fussed...
Crazy looking fantail pigeon!
Canary with a feather hat on:

Araucana eggs - photo doesn't really show their colour properly!
Whiter than white pekin!
Love her! She was in the rare breeds section, have forgetten the breed already though
Large fowl white Naked neck cockerel
Show Champion - Hamburgh:
Show trophies...
Tashas first prize boy Tarzan
Tasha's boy that got on to Championship row for Best AOC Wyandotte, Best Barred and Special rosette
Tashas first prize trio with Alice in
Tasha's girls:
Large Fowl barred wyandotte boy
Cool carry box...

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Home

Home today :)

Its my birthday and Mothers 50th on Monday so came home for the weekend.
Got the 9.30 train from Aber. They only put on 2 carriages instead of 4 so it was rammed and there were people standing up thr whole way, they wouldn't even get through to ask for tickets! Put another 2 carriages on at Shrewsbury so it wasn't too bad. Got in to New St at half 12ish.
Went and met the Big Sis, got lunch then just went round the shops ... still haven't any of mine!

Got home, went to she shops to get some more food and then people came round at 7ish.
Was fancy dress but Mother only told me on Thurs so I was Rudolph with an afro :P

No idea what time they left. 3ish?

Got like 200 facebook wall posts! lol
Replied to them all :)

Friday, December 10, 2010

Chicken Egg Farm Visit + Midsummer Nights Dream

Went to lectures then to "Free Range Egg Production Unit" this afternoon ... a chicken farm

We had to get our bio-security overalls + boot covers on, had a looks around, went in the sheds, stroked the chickens!
Had a look at the chain feeders, auto drinkers, nest boxes (astroturfed on a convayor belt!).
Everything is attached so that they can push a button and all the feeders, drinkers and nest boxes all raise up to the roof, the slatted boxes you can see down the middle are collapsed, and they can drive a mini quad/tractor in to push out all the dirty bedding!
The eggs are laid in the astro turf nest boxes in the middle of the shed, which rolls along like a conveyor belt + the eggs roll out:
They have the grading, stamping and packaging machines there and distribute themselves all over Wales and around Aber.

Out of the shed and outside to the range:
They have 10 acres for 3000 chickens - are allowed double that but there was a lot of space for them outside..

Gots to ask questions, they use Flubenvet but she couldn't remember what it was called "Yes! thats it!"  :P

They have a specialist poultry vet that flies around the UK in a helicopter he's so much in demand!!!

Got off the mini-bus and went straight down the hill to the theatre!

Did a tech run on the lights of Midsummer Nights Dream, then opened to the audience and did a run.

Went quite well, couple of dodgy things 'cos its a manual desk (with 48 sliders) and you can't programme cue's in like you normally would, and then just press Go.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Day after

I had to get up at 11 for my 12 o'clock lecture.
Texted Cody who lives in the flat next-door and is on my course at quarter to, to see if we were going ... "Yes"
Rolled out of bed, got ready and got to the lecture on time.

I kept jumping whenever someone sneezed or did something load!
Think I was still drunk, well, I was - I really had the urge to gambole down the ramp thing, but they wouldn't let me.
Can't really remember the lecture ngl, was the last one for that module though! :))

Got back and went to town with Becky + Ange. Sorted my flat Secret Santa present ... Pound shop FTW.
We were meant to spend a £5er but sure the budget allowed for £7.

Went to Old College at 5 for another Tech Theatre meeting for Midsummer Nights Dream.
Sorted out the Prompt Script ... they were all stressing but its like THE least tecchy show ever. The scenery wasn't finished and we open tomorrow!
Finished the scenery and made props and then left at 9ish.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Why Not's...

Been to town tonight :)

Got in from my tech theatre meeting at like 8, bought a £1.49 bottle of Cassini and we started drinking at about 10 ... I was kinda drunk already.
We left for Re-Load, got in the queue and decided it looked dead so went to town instead.
Ace'd it (taxi) down the hill and went to Why Not's/Yoko's.

Was £ Party until half 12 so we did loads of sambuca shots and bottles .... even more drunk.

No idea what time we left, probably about 3ish?
Went to 24hr Spar with Ruth + Steph ... can't remember if there was someone else with us. We were wetting outselves all the way home with Jeff the taxi man.
I fell out of the taxi when we got to Rosser :/

Sat in the kitchen for another few hours talking, maybe drinking, can't really remember.
I love Wednesdays at Uni ... wish we had a camera though! :P

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

BBC Book Nerds

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.


Instructions: Copy this into your blog. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 1984 - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (All 7 of them)
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (the whole series)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

5 read and 10 half read...

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Four Counties Poultry Show

Had a good day at the first Four Counties Poultry Club show! :)

I spoke to one of the ladies organising it a while back and said I could help out if they needed anyone, but then decided to enter after the National, just for fun if anything.

Checked with Tasha, my friend who the girls are from 'cos didn't want to show them if she didn't want me to, but she was fine with it and entered too! :)

I got:
First Prize for 3 Bantam Eggs...
 ... Cilla the Silkie got First Prize and Best Silkie Award ...
 ... and Alice the Barred Wyandotte got Second Prize (to Tashas girl)!
Tbh I wasn't expecting to get anything so was really happy with that!! :)
I bathed them on Friday and they slept in the bathroom over the weekend to dry off. Grumps wasn't very happy though! :P

Jack - Tasha's National Champion!! First Prize Barred Wyandotte Male
 Barnevelder :)
 Rare Breed 3rd Prize ... not sure what it is though. Really like her :)
 Serama Cockerel!! He got First Prize
I still want one for the flat next year :P

Tasha bumped her car on the way, on the same road only about half a mile away!
Her car was bad, she tried to drive it up to the hall and realised it wasn't driveable so a tow-truck came and took it away. We dropped her home after + shes got to get a hire car + drive back tomorrow!