A Chicken-ey Sort Of Sunday

The girls and I have been looking at all different sorts of chickens that we'd like to hatch out.

The Meat birds from last year - Ross Cobbs

We've had ex commercial birds for the few years (probably 5 or 6 to be honest!) and they've done brilliantly for a second year of laying for us, so long as you know not to keep them past when they rapidly go unproductive. But it's not given us a self sustaining flock.

Making Simple Cupboards For The Workshop

I know this is more workshop related than homesteading but keeping organised is key to being able to getting stuff done! I'm trying harder and harder to keep things where they should go and know where they are. 

This video shows me building some cupboards to sort an area of my workshop that has been bothering me for some time - all it did before was collect dust! 

As always, please let me know what you think!

Wassailing With Beavers

When we were planning this term for our Beaver Scouts we had the bright idea of having our own little Wassail. The village has a huge one every year so I knew we couldn't top that, but hoped it would be good fun. 

Luckily we had great weather, a cold frosty night so no one was too muddy and no rain!

Sowing Chillies Before Breakfast & Grow Lamp

The urge to grow is just too much after Christmas. I'm sure we've all done it and started too early at times. We sowed our onions a few days after Christmas, as many do but I wanted to get the chillies in as well.

 I'm always frustrated by our chillies and peppers, get a harvest normally but its pretty late in the season. When I go to a garden centre in the spring it drives me mad to see chillies with fruits forming while mine haven't even considered flowering!

New Incubator

The children and I have been talking about hatching eggs this year. The last couple of year we seem to have missed out as we've not had any broody hens at the right time. 

So getting an incubator would solve that problem and allow us to hatch as and when we wanted. I know it's far easier to use broodies when you can. Broody hens are, and I think always will be, the easiest way to hatch out chicks, but they're not without they're problems and egg numbers can be limited.