Eggs

After weeks of trying to reduce the egg mountain by cooking, freezing, pickling, giving away, selling to friends and neighbours in fact doing any and everything you can possibly do with an egg we took the plunge at the weekend and put a sign on the garden gate *Eggs for Sale*. Admittedly sales have been slow but I am optimistic that they will improve.

Not helping the egg situation but good news all the same.... today I am fairly sure the darkest of the Indian game pullets laid her first egg. Over the past few days her comb and face have been getting redder and the cockerel has been trying to tread her, so we knew she was close to lay. The egg we found in the box was not one I recognised as the Ixworth's or Australorp's (yes you do start to recognise who lays which egg) but was fairly small and rounded.

At home over the past few days I have been collecting the odd double yolker, yesterday and today there was a broken soft shelled egg in the house. I think the offender is one the Dorkings. One has been in moult for a while now. The other about to start and coming to the end of lay and think it is her rather than the other who is producing the odd eggs.

The goose is still yet to lay, nearly a month later than previous years. I'm not sure if it is a reflection on the weather or their age. I have searched every hiding place I can think of, although every year she has laid in the house, just in case she has found herself a secret nesting spot....but nothing.

Table birds

This year will be our first year in rearing birds for the table. We have recently bought a trio of Indian Game. The cockerel is dark and pullets light. The pullets, although very close, have yet to come into lay and will possibly be too young this year to breed from. For this reason we have introduced an Australorp and an Ixworth to the small flock. Both breeds will make good size table birds when crossed. The Dorking and Sussex will also be useful for crossing.

We keep the breeding flocks on approx. an acre of land (divided into three areas) in a neighbouring village. Both groups are free to range one area each, sharing their space with a couple of ewes and their lambs.

Indian/Cornish Game - tinted egg layer


Dark Indian Game cockerel - 1 year old:




Dark Laced Indian Game hen:


Light Laced Indian Game hen:




The Indian /Cornish Game was first bred in Cornwall in the 19th century. It is a stout hard feathered bird and is best when free ranging. Although the hens aren't great egg layers they are a popular breed, especially when crossed with other breeds, for table birds due to their abundance of breast meat.

Ixworth - tinted egg layer



Developed by Reginald Appleyard in the early/mid 1900s the Ixworth is now a rare breed. Being a large bird with white flesh and a broad breast it makes an ideal table bird. Similar to the Cornish game it is best suited to free ranging.

Australorp - tinted egg layer

Australorp hen:


Australorp hen with Indian Game cockerel





The Australorp is a popular breed, being of a calm, friendly nature. They are quick to mature and are excellent layers. Due to their size they are also make a good cross with Indian/Cornish game as a meat bird.

Introducing the laying flock

The laying flock are kept at home in an enclosure 42ft by 30ft. giving them plenty of room to scratch around and do what comes naturally. In the winter when the vegetable patch is empty they are often encouraged out of their run to help rid the patch of pests.

In the run, offering shade in the summer is a Rowan tree and a Crab Apple tree. There is also a couple of Dogwoods and an Ornamental Bramble. A couple of upturned roots from old apple trees give them somewhere to perch and to search out bugs. Despite being provided with boxes of soil and sand for dust bathing their prefer to dig their own hollow under the coop. The whole enclosure is fenced with 6ft wire netting but at night they are shut in their house for extra protection.

We have recently changed their feed from commercially produced pellets to our own mix of wheat, rolled barley and cut maize on the advice of a very experienced and very successful poultry keeper. Cod liver oil is added regularly to their feed to provide extra vitamins. Cider vinegar is added to the drinking water on a daily basis. The only scraps they are fed are surplus greens from the garden and the extra worm or two.

So let me introduce you to them......

Cream Legbar - blue egg layer, one of the most popular eggs in the box.

(top hen of the two on the ramp)

Cream Legbar is quite an old breed and one of the few that are auto sexing ( meaning the chicks can be identified on hatching as male or female due to their colouring) They were created by crossing Araucanas, Brown Leghorns and Barred Rocks. It is from the Araucana they get the blue egg colour and the crest on the top of their heads.


Silver Grey Dorking - white egg layer.


The Silver Grey Dorking is one of the oldest British breeds and unusual in having 5 toes on each foot. As well as layers of good size white eggs, they make a good size table bird when crossed with an Indian game cockerel. Ours have proven to be good sitters and good mothers.

Partridge Welsummer - brown speckled egg layer.



Welsummers are beautiful birds laying very dark, speckled eggs. The Partridge cockerel is very familiar as the *Kellogs* cockerel. We now have another recognised breed of Welsummer the Gold Duckwing cockerel. This year we will mate him to our Partridge hens.



Light Sussex - cream/tinted egg layer.

( the hen in the background is a Brahma )


The Light Sussex is an old dual purpose breed, meaning it is a good egg layer and also a good table bird. They are classed as a heavy breed and are active, bright and docile birds.

Speckled Sussex - light brown/tinted egg layer.



Thought to be amongst the oldest of breeds and of similar character to the Light Sussex