bellecrosshens

Love your ideas/goals. It's surprising how similar most goals are for many homesteaders. Water collection is one thing we need to improve on, we do have a couple of collection points but really should

Thank you - my resolve is to try and post daily. So hopefully will post my successes and failures, also to try and find the time to read through other peoples posts on a regular basis.

Thank you and thank you for your vote. There does seem to be a more positive attitude towards AI this year and the strain is less virulent than last so hopefully all will be well.

Thank you.It's good to be back, feels like normality has resumed

Thank you.x

Yes with auto sexing on hatching you can identify the males from the females.Much depends on the strain/line of the breed. As Bellecross Belles are a Welsummer cross identifying the chicks is the same

They are looking really well. Mine are at various stages of moult. They range from oven ready or moth eaten to pristine and fabulous :-)

How exciting - a few years ago I would have loved to have such an amazing project. Sadly and realistically I'm not sure I could physically manage it now. So I shall live my dreams through your posts.The

Like wise, a couple of the netted pens last year weren't waterproof and we spent much time, effort and money on continuously replacing the straw.This year we are better prepared with waterproof covering

I usually free range my birds all year round rotating the pens so always having at least one pen and house resting. With the lockdown last year more of the pens were left fallow and I'm sure benefited

Super photo

They look great and when you move to your farm, if you tire of them, they make great drinkers/feeders for pigs

Thank you. I think the sunlight catching them helps, also plenty of leave mould :-)

Thank you. The olive eggers are super, such great characters. They are from a Welsummer cockerel Cream Legbar hen mating. Yes I'm afraid we are fully expecting to have to go into lockdown again this winter.The

Thank you - yes hopefully all's sorted. Now I need to catch up on everyone's posts.Must make the most of this glorious weather first though. Now the clocks have gone back the evenings are longer so plenty

Looking forward to the updates, it will be interesting to see the off spring of a Bruce / Silkie mating :-) Good luck with next years breeding plans.

Beautiful - it captures the feeling of autumn perfectly

Yes I think a flock of geese would group together and see a fox off but as a brooding pair mine were vulnerable.

Very hardy and independent.Easier to rear with a hen rather than a broody as like all game can be slightly uptight and flighty but I find a hen calms them. She will also teach them to go to roost in a

No I'm afraid not.I lost a sitting goose to a fox and also her mate trying to protect her.Now everyone is behind electric fencing.