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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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 Posted: Tue May 23, 23 7:19 pm Post subject: Hello (again) |
 
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It's been so long since I was last on Downsizer that I think I ought to reintroduce myself and catch up a bit.
My name is Malcolm, though most friends call me Mal, Mally or Magic. I am a carer for my disabled wife and we used to live in a small village on the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire, where we had a decent sized garden full of fruit trees, a vegetable plot and runs for my “collection " of chooks.
Since I last posted, a lot has happened. Just after the pandemic started, I lost all my birds to predators. The two-legged kind. I went down to “The Land Beyond the Discovery Tree" as we named that strange, secret realm at the bottom of the garden where time ran in a completely different way, and found all the runs’ gates open, the coops open and totally empty. There weren't even any eggs left. I put on a brave face, picked myself up and got busy with the incubator, having decided to concentrate on Heritage breeds of French table and dual purpose breeds.
I managed to get hold of LaFleches, Crevecouers, Bressé and, best of all this wonderful, huge breed called Barbezieux. Everything went well, then, just as they began to mature, breed and lay, predators struck again, in the form of foxes this time. Again, I lost every single bird and I don't mind admitting that I cried my heart out at the sight of my beautiful birds, or what the fox hadn't managed to carry off, ripped apart.
That was when I stopped visiting Downsizer. I had nothing to talk about, didn't need help from the forum members. I restocked again. I managed to find the LaFleches and Crevecouers, including quite rare Cuckoos, but due to foxes again, couldn't replace my lovely Barbezieux. For those who don't know of this breed, they are huge. The biggest breed in Europe with proud carriage, beetle black plumage, large, gentle, brown eyes and large white earlobes. They are also held (by some) in even higher esteem than the far more famous Bressé as a table bird. Eggs, like the bird, are BIG. I regularly got eggs upto 115gr.though 85-90 were more the norm
Since then, we have moved down to Ilkeston in Derbyshire so that we are nearer to family and help should we need it. The garden is smaller and more manageable and the chucks have been moved to our eldest lad's smallholding near Belper in the magically named “Amber Valley.” We get down there as often as possible –it's only 15 minutes away and our caravan is parked up there should we choose stay , which we often do. It's a really happy place and a happy time surrounded by most of the people we love. I spend a lot of time teaching the great-grandkids about nature. Last summer I could normally be found trekking round the farm with the Famous Five,- the four great grandkids in tow, followed by Wonky the Crevecouer.
Now something wonderful has happened. Thanks to help from various groups on Facebook, I have finally managed to track down sources for my much missed Barbezieux! Ì have 2 dozen eggs winging their way to me as I type! I am a really happy bunny and I have things to ask about and tell again! These eggs are pretty precious, so I shall be relying on the wisdom from this great forum for help and reassurance!
I think that's about it. I'm all caught up for now! Cheers! |
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gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8896
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
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jema
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28231
Location: escaped from Swindon
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes
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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 23 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| dpack wrote: |
hi there, long time welcome back
glad you are settled in a better place, derbyshire is nice, a pal of mine went to ilkeston and has stayed for 30 yrs
real chooks are rather delightful, if traumatic at times, re 4 leg foxes trap and gun help but electric fencing and physical fencing are very useful
2 leg foxes require similar means |
We have a World Industrial Heritage site,-Bennerley Viadict, the " longest cast iron pier in Britain" at the bottom of our street! It really is a cracking town, the first I have ever lived in. After being in a small village it seems huge, but we have countryside just 5 minutes away. The famous fox is amazing isn't it! It just shows what a fantastically adaptable creature they are. Mind you, my little white Poodle, Roisin used to walk round the garden like that when she wanted to pee.
We are now keeping our birds in cheap polytunnels reinforced with timber supports, storm strapping, plywood skirtings to the outside and three strands of electric fence around the bottom. We haven't lost a bird since we started using the system. Surprosingly, the chooks don't seem to be bothered by it, they will happily push through or even perch on the top strand of tape!
We are looking at getting various other unusual breeds, Icelandics amongst them. We are also putting 145cm electric mesh around the whole area where the Barbezieux will be. The eggs have cost too much to risk losing them again!
It's surprising how strong the net in the tunnel covers is. I think a fox would have a real job getting through it. Replacement isn't too bad either, - one of the gransons owns a hydroponics shop so we get it at cost! |
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Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk
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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 23 9:19 am Post subject: |
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It is indeed a happy move! We are happy, the chooks are happy, everybody is happy! 
We had a lot of trouble with some of the neighbours where we were. I think they were responsible for the theft. At one point we found rat poison in the runs and they threatened to poison our dogs. All over them destroying bird nesting sites during the Summer. We asked them to stop and were ignored, so we got the local police wildlife officer to explain the law to them. At the finish, we couldn't use the garden whilst they were outside, - most of the time during lockdown. My wife, who is disabled, was called everything from a pig to a dog, I was reported to the DWP for benefits fraud, because I was claiming disability benefit, (I wasn't, I was on carers allowance as a full time carer) and actually accused of being a paedophile. I have absolutely no idea why anyone would say such a terrible thing. You can't imagine the distress neighbours like that can cause.
Anyway, we're well out of it and are enjoying life![/img] |
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Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9868
Location: Devon, uk
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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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| Posted: Wed May 24, 23 9:52 am Post subject: |
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We're well out of it!
I seem to have infected our lad with the love of rare breeds! Although concentrating on French breeds, We aren't averse to others. As I said, we are looking at Icelandic chickens that are reputed to be pretty much as good layers as hybrids, very hardy and wirh ultra-protective cocks. We are also after Shetlands, Bressé Grisé, and are getting Ardennaise soon. I'm still after Noires de Caussades too.
I want to add a photo of our gorgeous LaFlêche boy Russell Crow but I can't find how to do it! He's 10 months old, weighs about 4kgs and is still growing. He is our prime cock for the breed for this year.
I bought one in Paris over Easter - a hen bird barely big enough for four of us and it cost me €30!! It still had its head and legs on, so I cluld see, even without the label, exactly what it was. Boy was it good!! We washed it down with a bottle of Croze-Hermitage and one of Poilly Fumee. Oh man![/url] |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46192
Location: yes
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| Posted: Thu May 25, 23 10:43 am Post subject: |
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grannie was a big fan of rhode island reds as rooster and something white with a few speckles, maybe suffolk, as hens for a batch of multi use hybrids
that flock then lived with either a new white or red rooster as time passed
good layers, delicious birds, not too much trouble to wrangle
my barnvelders were delightful and found assorted ways to die very quickly 
the dirty four dozen were ex "free range" GBH layers, once they stopped being scared of outdoors they trained up a treat as a with the moos flock, they devastated the wildlife, i got some ace eggs, and they lasted the grazing season
the effort of wrangling them, moving them and the toll on the wildlife was too high, although they did improve the soil and reduce some pests a bit, so we did not repeat the experiment
they were beyond free range, some went full Kurtz  |
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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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mal55
Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 168
Location: Erewash or in the dog house
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Mistress Rose
Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15950
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