Poultry Discussion

Why poultry discussion? Well we are chicken farmers and all too often when we talk with family and friends we start with talking about chickens then end up talking about anything from food and food safety, climate change, wildlife, birds, our farm. We started this blog to communicate what we are finding out about the world around us and how we try to farm in a sustainable way so that our farm is here not only for ourselves and our neighbours but for the future too.

Saturday, 28 September 2013

Ready to start planting

The new roof is on the shed and it looks good... We are also starting planting now that all the harvest is gathered. Let's hope for a better autumn this year to let the seeds establish well.

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

150 visitors turn up at the farm!

Three coaches of people to see the Mormon Pond. They brought the sun with them. Great because we are finishing the last of the combining!

Saturday, 21 September 2013

Here come the girls!!

152 Lleyn ewes have arrived on the farm - the boys are here next week!

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Pond life

Great to spend some time on farms looking at ponds and pond life

Farm life this week

Saw some out door pigs this week - enjoying the autumn sunshine

Saturday, 7 September 2013

Grapes

Our grapes are growing well. I checked the sugar today - big difference across the rows some about 10 brix some about 15 brix. They need more sugar in them though before we can make wine! Last year we abandoned picking this is the first year we could pick - I will keep an eye on them over the next few weeks!

Saturday, 31 August 2013

Gathering in the straw

Oat straw is being gathered in from the fields. The harvest is progressing well.

Hill Farm, Castle Frome, Herefordshire

Hill Farm is about 300 acres in size - an acre is about the area of a football pitch. This year we are growing feed wheat; winter beans, spring beans and oats. We also have 50 acres of woodland.

The wheat was planted in the autumn and will be harvested in August. We will feed the wheat to our chickens and sell some of the straw to other farmers who will probably use it for bedding for their livestock. We will bale some up for ourselves and chop the rest and incorporate (put it back) into the soil to improve soil structure. Beans were planted in the spring along with spring oats.

The woodland areas are traditional mixed woodland with conifers and areas of deciduous trees. There is a myriad of wildlife on the farm - mammals, birds, insects ... we will tell their story in this blog. They live in the woodland, fields, lakes, and streams. We hope that you will enjoy the story of our farm.