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Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Clock – new price £104.95

This Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Clock with Herb Box is both ornamental and practical and a convenient place for three of your favourite herbs. For additional kitchen herbs, see the Herb Box which is perfect for your windowsill.

Kitchen Clock Measures: 70cm (height) 33cm (width) 16cm (depth)

Price: £104.95 Free Carriage. **Remember you will also receive a Free Thatched Cottage Print when ordering this item.

The Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Herb Box – new price £12.95

The Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Herb Box is designed for the windowsill, and holds three 2 ¾ inch herb pots. You can also fill with soil and plant with your choice of herbs.

The  Kitchen Herb Box measures: 26cm (length) 10cm (width) 12cm (depth) 31cm high with handles.

Price: £12.95 Free Carriage.

If you are interested in ordering the Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Clock with Herb Box or Handcrafted Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Herb Box or you would like more information then please contact Alan & Helene quoting farmingfriends referral at alan.saxby@gmail.com. You can visit their website for their full range of products.

“My goose( Grace) has made a beautiful nest and has continued to lay. Would anyone like a pic of the nest? I have taken eggs from Sally my other goose to fill Grace’s nest, hoping to turn Grace broody. There are 9 in the nest as of today . They have laid about 12 eggs each so far and are still laying. We ate the first dozen which were delicious. Mama”

Sally The Embden Goose's Nest With Goose Eggs

Grace The Embden Goose's Nest With Goose Eggs

I thought it was interesting to see the embden goose eggs in their nest.

A useful book for a new goose owner is the book Ducks & Geese At Home by Michael Roberts.

• 
  Ducks And Geese At Home By Michael Roberts

If you keep geese or are thinking of keeping geese then join the free farmingfriends geese forum for the latest chat, advice and questions about geese and geese related issues.

If you would like to receive regular information about poultry then why not sign up to the farmingfriends newsletter.

It depends on the breed of hen as some breeds are more susceptible to becoming broody than others. Bantams and Silkies (I have friends that have used Silkies to hatch guinea fowl and quail eggs before now) are known for being broody hens.

Things you can do to try to encourage a hen to go broody is:

• You can try leaving a couple of eggs or pot eggs in your hen’s favourite nest site, (if using real eggs I would just mark them with an ‘X’ so you can tell those eggs from the fresh ones).
• Leaving the eggs to build up in a nest will encourage a hen to sit as birds in the wild will lay a clutch of so many eggs and then sit on them.
• Give the hen plenty of fresh clean straw for the nest as  fresh straw can encourage hens to lay.
• Broody hens usually prefer a dark, secluded, well hidden type of nest so that they are more protected from predators.

If you keep hens or are interested in keeping hens then visit the farmingfriends hen forum for the latest chat about hens and then check out the books shown below about keeping hens which are informative and excellent for the beginner and a handy reference for the more experienced hens keeper.

• 
  Chickens At Home By Michael Roberts
• 
  Starting With Chickens By Katie Thear

If you would like to receive regular information about poultry then why not sign up to the farmingfriends newsletter.

Saddleback Piglets at 4 weeks old

The weaners are 8 weeks on Friday 12th March 2010, they were born on the 15th January 2010.

Saddleback Weaners at 4 weeks old

There are 2 boars and 6 gilts. The piglets are happy, healthy and good natured piglets.

Gregg and Belinda are based in the York and Hull area and would be happy for any prospective buyers to come and visit the piglets and the sow that farrowed the piglets.

Here is a picture of Maggie the sow who farrowed and raised the weaners.

Maggie The Pedigree Saddleback Sow

If you are interested in the piglets for sale as weaners then fill out the contact form with your details and whether you are interested in gilts or boars.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

A useful book for a new pig keeper and breeder is the book Starting With Pigs by Andy Case.

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  Livestock Books

If you keep pigs or are thinking of keeping pigs then join the free farmingfriends pig forum for the latest chat, advice and questions about pigs and pig related issues.

If you would like to receive regular information about pigs then why not sign up to the farmingfriends newsletter.

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FeRN’s aim is for members to set-up local and regional networks across the UK. The national office will act as a knowledge exchange hub enabling members to contribute up-to-date opinion, news and information online and by email. The website www.fern-uk.com will be developed over the next few months, so all you women in the food and farming sector go take a look at their website.

“The safest, most comfortable ,most hygienic, most chick friendly and cheapest litter for a brooder is clean chopped straw. All you need is a small bale of straw and your lawnmower (with it’s collection bag on if possible). Lay straw on a clean,dry floor and just mow it with up .It could not be easier ,by the way store in a dry bag / place. One square bale of straw will give you and the chicks a lotta pleasure. If you do’nt have a mower, get out the scissors ( get help from a adult please), you will chop a lot of straw in 4/5 minutes. For easier and quicker cleaning of brooder etc ,lay a few sheets of newspaper or cardboard on the bare floor followed by about a half inch of your chopped straw, add some more straw to this every few days,making sure that the chicks feet are always clean.Just roll up and replace when as required. Also for the first 3 to 4 days the chicks are in the brooder place a long single strip of cardboard 6 inches high around the inside of the brooder,rounding the corners, it stops them bunching and smothering.”

Thanks Stephen for this tip.

A litter material is placed on the floor in the brooder to help insulate the floor for the birds comfort and to absorb moisture. Litter also helps control disease and can prevent splayed legs which chicks and keets can easily suffer from if the correct flooring is not provided.

Suitable litter materials include;

• Wood shavings.
• ground corncobs.
• Sawdust.
• Sugarcane.
• Rice hulls.
• Finely chopped straw.
• Wheat straw.

Whichever litter material is chosen it must be clean, fresh, not mouldy and 2-8 inches or 5-20cms deep.

Unsuitable litter materials include;

• Newspaper.
• Paper.
• Metal.
• Plastic.
• Lino.
• Wood.
• Ordinary cardboard.
• Any slippery surface.

Cloth, carpet or corrugated cardboard may be used as a flooring in a small homemade brooder as these surfaces can provide traction for the keets to get a grip on and not slip.

I have successfully reared guinea fowl keets, ducklings and quail chicks on carpet and straw.

If you keep poultry or are interested in keeping poultry then visit the farmingfriends forum for the latest chat.

• 
  Incubation At Home By Michael Roberts
• 
  Incubation: A Guide To Hatching And Rearing By Katie Thear

If you would like to receive regular information about poultry then why not sign up to the farmingfriends newsletter.

If you keep hens or are interested in keeping hens then visit the farmingfriends hen forum for the latest chat about hens and then check out the books shown below about keeping hens which are informative and excellent for the beginner and a handy reference for the more experienced hens keeper.

• 
  Chickens At Home By Michael Roberts
• 
  Starting With Chickens By Katie Thear

If you would like to receive regular information about poultry then why not sign up to the farmingfriends newsletter.

The theme for this year’s conference is Food for the Future.

The speakers this year include:

• Will Cockbain – who will be speaking about Food and Environmental Security.
• Paul Brereton – who will talk about Lost Food – tracing the origin of food.
• Heather Parry – who will speak about the challenges faced and benefits of using environmentally friendly materials.
• Graham Ward OBE – who will talk about the food crops which could be grown in the UK as growing conditions change, he will also include developing new varieties by traditional and genetic modification methods.

The three day conference  commences with the annual dinner on Sunday evening, the conference on Monday and a trip to visit the Yorkshire Agricultural Society’s new premises on Tuesday morning.

Prices:

Conference Day Ticket (includes refreshments and lunch) £15

Conference Dinner £25

Conference Day Ticket plus one evening accommodation ( all meals included) £75

Conference Day ticket plus accommodation for 2 nights ( all meals included) £110

Tickets can be obtained from Sally Robinson at Valley View Farm, Old Byland, Helmsley, York YO62 5LG by sending a cheque or email sally@valleyviewfarm.com and telephone 01439 798221 to pay by credit card.

Let me know if you are a member of the WFU and if you are attending the WFU conference.