Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.
Asbo, taken by Vicky.
The Bagot Goats.
Meet our new addition to the Chickens, Asbo we have named him. We named him today after a complaint from Diane who he woke at 3.am this morning with his Cock-A-Doodle-Doing. As you can see he is a fine looking fella.
Asbo is a Light Sussex Cockerel that we have got to run with our laying Hens, 5 of which are Light Sussex. We got the Chickens to give us and our Holiday Guests eggs. It has been one of the best decisions that we made. Our Guest have enjoyed having the Chickens, Geese and not to forget Dennis clucking around the Cottages, and all those who have eaten the eggs think they are better than those in the supermarkets.
The reason for getting Asbo was that now that the Cottages are not going to be so busy for the next couple of months the eggs will go to waste. Hopefully Asbo will start to fertilise them and we will be able to incubate the eggs and produce chicks to grow on to be sold as laying birds in the Spring. Light Sussex are one of the best laying Chickens producing large brown eggs.
The only problem we have is that Asbo is Cock-A-Doodle-Doing. Although we are on a Farm in the countryside, and it is nice to hear a Cockerel, it is anti social at 3.am in the morning. I didn’t hear it myself, but I would not want to be woken by a Cockerel at 3.am. Tonight we are going to try to darken the Chicken house so that it is completely dark inside even when light outside, as we were told that a Cockerel will not Cock-A-Doodle- Do if it is completely dark. I am not convinced. If he wakes anyone tonight he will be going back from where he came until the Cottages are not occupied. We will only need him for a month or so and when we are finished with him he will go back.
The Bagot Goats have also been a bit of a problem. I knew there was a reason for me not having Goats in the past. They eat any thing and will make themselves a nuisance trying to get it, that they are with the Rhea. They are not happy with their feed if the can see the Rhea eating theirs so they try to chase the Rhea away from their feeding trough so they can eat it. It causes us to spend time that we don’t have not got keeping the Goats away from the Rhea food.
I am not sure how many Billy’s and Nanny’s we have. I was told the there were I Billy 3 Nanny’s and an un-sexed Kid, probably a Nanny. It is a Billy and the way that the Goats are dueling there may not be as many Nanny’s as I think. A stand to put the Rheas trough on may stop the Goats, as the the Rhea are a lot taller. As long as the Goats don’t knocked the raised trough over it may work. The duelling is a bit different. If it is because there are more Billy’s some will have to go. The Kid Billy has an Asbo and will be going in the Spring or there will be unnecessary fighting.