Hello and welcome to The Compost Bin. I'm Compostwoman and I live with my family in rural Herefordshire. We have nearly four acres of garden and woodland, all managed organically and to Permaculture principles, which we share with Chickens, Cats and assorted wildlife. We also grow a lot of our own food, run courses in all sorts of things and make a lot of compost!
I am a Master Composter and have spent more than a decade as a volunteer Community Compost adviser with Garden Organic and my local Council.
I'm a self employed Environmental Educator so I run workshops and events where I talk about compost, veg growing, chicken keeping, cooking, preserving and sustainable living. I also run crafts workshops and Forest School/outdoor play sessions in our wood.
We try to live a more self sufficient lifestyle here, as best we can, while still having a comfortable life and lots of fun.
To learn more about us click on the About Compostwoman tab and remember to click on the photos to make them full size!
Thursday, 17 October 2013
RIP Nutmeg Hen - who laid down her life in defence of her chicks.
Nutmeg Hen, the elderly "generic ginger hybrid" hen, all broodiness supposed to be bred out of her, went broody for the very first time a few months back and, as regular readers may remember, I put some fertile eggs under her. And they hatched!
She was the most attentive Mother Hen I have ever seen, really astonishingly devoted to her two chicks and her devotion showed in their rapid growth -
they look at least two weeks older than they actually are, due to her good feeding and care.
I took this photo of them all on the chicks 7 week birthday, and am very proud of it.
But it is a bittersweet feeling as later that same afternoon I found the two chicks cowering under a bush crying disconsolately for Nutmeg, who was nowhere to be seen or heard. The Younger Hens were squawking and scanning the skies nervously, in a way that I knew meant "airborne trouble" - they do this for planes, crows, buzzards and hawks in general. The old ex batt Gang Hens (now sadly down to just two members, Babs and Bunty) were muttering worriedly, whilst hiding deep under a Rose of Sharon bush - their favourite place to flee when scared.
I looked around and eventually found a pile of ginger and white feathers near the Broody Ark along with a few black feathers from Blackie the Copper Marans chick.
Nutmeg was gone.
I am guessing from the feathers ( and a bald patch on Blackie's back) that a Buzzard swooped down on Blackie and Nutmeg tried to defend her chick and so was taken, instead.
As I posted on my personal Facebook Wall
"RIP Nutmeg Hen, brave and loyal girl, last surviving member of the original Spice Girl gang of five, survivor of 5 fox attacks, Top Hen who ruled with a velvet claw and a kind "cluck"
who gave up her life today to defend her two chicks."
In the aftermath the chicklets were very distressed, crying out and looking around for Nutmeg, and I had the problem of where to put them to be warm and safe without her. I could not give them to one of the other hens to foster as hens do not work that way, instead of mothering them, they would attack the chicklets. So the rest of the afternoon was spent re arranging various runs and houses and the chicklets were moved into a large run with the Eglu attached, as it is the most insulated house.
I think it was one of "our" Buzzards who must have taken Nutmeg as I heard a lot of commotion earlier on, then went out and found the two chicks calling in distress and no Nutmeg, just the few feathers. All the other hens were all hiding under things and this makes me think Buzzard rather than Fox, as when it is Fox all the hens tend to go up things.
At least the chicklets know how to feed themselves and are so big and strong and well feathered that they are ok without a Hen to brood them any more.
Nutmeg's legacy of strong, healthy chicklets. But, such a shame :(
Thursday, 26 September 2013
Chick update - 4 weeks old today
Nutmeg and her two chicks. They are four weeks old today :)
See how big they are!
I think the black one ( a Copper Black Marans) may be a cockerel
I'm not yet sure about the blond one (Wheaten Marans x Cream Legbar)
Whatever, they are very entertaining and Nutmeg continues to be a superb mum to them :)
Sunday, 1 September 2013
A bad back and chick antics
I hate letting people down.
But I managed to hobble to see what the chicks and Nutmeg were up to, which raised a smile on my face :)
Cassi Cat got a bit too interested and Nutmeg chased her away
And then Nutmeg found the newly cleared raised bed, full of lovely, dry, compost. A giant dust bath!
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
New arrivals and a very proud, very caring Mama Hen
This is what I videoed, yesterday afternoon.
And this is what greeted me when I went out to check on Nutmeg this morning :)
Two chicks have hatched!
The dark one is a French Copper Blue Marans, the creamy one is a French Wheaten Marans cockerel x Cream Legbar hen.
And here is a video of their first few steps :)
Nutmeg, aged nearly 6, a generic ginger hybrid, first time broody hen :) Well done lovely hen :)
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
New floor tiles and nearly, new chicks :)
Compostman hard at work laying down the new terracotta floor tiles. They are lovely, but how I wish we had not had to spend the money and take the time to do this unexpected work.
Oh well, they do look good and won't get damaged if we have any other water leaks
On to happier stuff. See the pipping? :)
More news, tomorrow :)
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Another Marjoram Update
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Nutmeg update.
I now go out and open the door of the Brody Ark where Nutmeg greets me with a frenzied crescendo of
" bock bock bock" while I carefully pick her up off the eggs and put her outside.
I have already put her food and water bowl nearby, so she has to move towards it, rather than turning round and going straight back inside to The Eggs.
here they are - two French Copper Blacks (dark brown) a Dorking x French Wheaten (pale) and a Cream Legbar x French Wheaten ( Blue)
I quickly shut the doors so Nutmeg can't get back in until she has eaten, drunk
and eliminated. Broody hens only poo once a day and do huge, very smelly ones. Like this.
While I guard her eggs, Nutmeg eats a bit of grass, does a few stretches and flaps her wings. Then with a huge "squaarrrk" she heads back to the Broody Ark and I let her in.
I do this before I let any of the other hens out and I shut the others in at night a bit earlier than normal so I can let Nutmeg out again last thing at night for more food and drink.
If I didn't do this I don't think she would bother - I have seen a broody hen turn to skin and bone, rather than leave her eggs and I do not want that for Nutmeg.
Fingers crossed, so far, so good.
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Broody hen
Nutmeg the Ginger Hen, the oldest hen, the nearly-stopped-laying-cos-I'm-much-too-old hen, the kind, gentle matriarch of the Ginger Gang, the even tempered and generally delightful hen...
has Gone Broody. Now a Broody Hen turns into the Hen from Hell, pecking and growling and fluffing and generally behaving in a very slightly bonkers way.
A sort of " take me on if you think you are hard enough" gleam comes into their eyes and they have a tendency to peck at you and draw blood.
I am hoicking her out of the nest box several times a day to make her eat , drink and poo.
I have never had a commercial Ginger gybrid hen go broody before. We shall see if it sticks; if it does I might get her some fertile eggs to sit on :-)
At her age! honestly!