Lavender Pekin pullets

Just a photo of my Lavender Pekin growers I hatched from my lot over the Summer...

They're living in a hutch in the greenhouse for now until they're old enough to go in the eglu and integrate with the others!

National Poultry Show 2011

Have had a busy weekend at The National Poultry Show 2011!
Got home on Thursday to go to work on Friday, set up the stand with Jude and then stopped at hers. Had the show on Saturday, went to the Poultry Club social, stopped in a Travelodge and then the show on Sunday.
Then when its all over for the public we take everything back down and load up the van!

We were busy all weekend on the Cotswold Chickens stand which was good but I could hardly talk at the end of Sunday! Everyone lived our Wychwood Hen Arch house, took orders for a few and even sold the one we had at the show!

I managed to get a Second Place for one of my photos...

... I did enter the photo of me in a chicken suit for "Any Poultry Subject" but it didn't place ;)

I met Jamie from Poultry Talk and had a good chat with Sandra from Chicken Vet who was really nice, she said anything they can do to help, and help with my dissertation etc, just to let them know :) Will be seeing them at a couple more shows so can have more of a talk.

New Pekin Pullets

I got 2 new Pekin pullets from The National sales pens earlier! :)

Wanted some more after my pekin chicks died but wasn't actively looking.
Didn't have time to look at the sales pens yesterday so went over earlier today expecting them all to be cockerels, and there were these 2 for sale...

... so I had to buy them! :P

I did have to resist the Chocolate Partridge Wyandotte pullet, even though Mother wanted her!

Going to call them Dorothy (Red) and Annie (Pyle/Gingery one!) :)

Omlet Qute ... Testing!

Omlet asked me to preview and test their new small animal house, the "Qute".

 So far I'm really impressed! :)

Its like a contemporary piece of furniture that doubles as a functioning small animal house!

It seems well built and robust like the Classic and Cube are, really chunky piece of furniture, well thought out and the gerbils seem to like it! Nowhere for them to gnaw at edges like some cages either so it should last ages – even the tube has a metal rim so they can’t chew it!
Its easy to keep the pets in the top or bottom with the “Lift ‘n’ Twist” tube to be able to clean out the bottom drawer, or to fill up food and water. I added a couple of tubes into the bottom draw so they were running though those and making tunnels.

One thing with it being solid on top is how dark it is inside the top ... good with nocturnal animals!

The drawer comes out to empty it to clean ... or use as a "Mobile Play Pen" and take it around the house, as the advert says.

 Looks good next to ma bed and perfect height to use as a bedside table to put ma alarm clock on! :P

Only bad things are – its really heavy! 

I struggled to carry it upstairs so a child would have no chance moving it. They can easily use it to take small furries out and to clean out though. You do need a big deep sink to put it under the tap like photos show with the massive double sink! Its easy to take the top apart and give it all a wipe down too, just 2 clips at the top and it slides out.

 Top opens down to clean it out...

 And the tray comes out to give it all a proper clean...

I think it could do with being a bit taller as they like to climb which they can’t really do so if the top section was taller you could put in shelves, hang in hammocks and wooden ladders – could be used for degu then! The draw is also a really good idea but could be a bit bigger to fit a hamster ball or bigger bag of food in.

As great as it is, I do think its a steep price tag. Have seen a few people comment to say similar, I paid around £50 for my Gerbilarium which is similar and thought that was expensive.

So, I’d definitely get one, would look great, be easy to use and the gerbils would love it ...  just not on ma Student budget! :)