Autumn has arrived, misty mornings, spider webs decorated with dew drops, fallen leaves, a nip in the air, poultry houses full of feathers and bedraggled looking hens everywhere as they moult, replacing their old feathers for new so they are in good condition to cope with the colder, winter months ahead
We too are preparing for winter, as the young birds grow or are sold on and the smaller houses and arks become empty, we clean, repair and wood preserve them ready for next years busy breeding season.
We merge the hens from the breeding groups into larger flocks freeing up more houses to treat and allowing the grass pens to rest in rotation.
Once the birds have finished moulting we will feed them a handful of corn as a scratch feed late afternoon, to help keep them warm and full over the longer nights.
With the real possibility of the birds having to be in lockdown again this winter to help prevent the spread of Avian Flu, we are buying in straw, extra ground sanitiser and DEFRA approved disinfectant. and looking how and where to house the birds to meet the requirements stated,yet still giving them space and relative freedom.
So, although the busy time of incubators,broody hens and chicks everywhere is over,there is still much to be done but at a slower less demanding pace.
.
We too are preparing for winter, as the young birds grow or are sold on and the smaller houses and arks become empty, we clean, repair and wood preserve them ready for next years busy breeding season.
We merge the hens from the breeding groups into larger flocks freeing up more houses to treat and allowing the grass pens to rest in rotation.
Once the birds have finished moulting we will feed them a handful of corn as a scratch feed late afternoon, to help keep them warm and full over the longer nights.
With the real possibility of the birds having to be in lockdown again this winter to help prevent the spread of Avian Flu, we are buying in straw, extra ground sanitiser and DEFRA approved disinfectant. and looking how and where to house the birds to meet the requirements stated,yet still giving them space and relative freedom.
So, although the busy time of incubators,broody hens and chicks everywhere is over,there is still much to be done but at a slower less demanding pace.
.
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