Welcome to WordFest 2023

The 2023 WordFest begins next week, marking the start of a month-long celebration of the wonderful world of words.

Over the next four weeks, Tākaka Memorial Library will be buzzing as it hosts a variety of talks, competitions and activities for readers, writers, puzzlers, and wordsmiths.

If you’ve ever wondered how news is captured in graphic form, then come along to the library next Friday when Golden Bay news media artist and illustrator Alistair Hughes shares his inside knowledge and experience.

Staying on the theme of illustrations, Laura Keegan comes to the library the following week with practical advice for beginners interested in publishing their own picture books.

At the end of the month, one of the Bay’s best-loved authors, Gerard Hindmarsh, is due to make an appearance to talk about his latest book Kahurangi Out West

Other library-based activities include board games sessions for all ages hosted by games guru Karen Dransfield.

In addition to our extra puzzles, book reviews, and giveaways throughout the month, The GB Weekly is running a writing competition with great prizes on offer for the Bay’s young poets and older story writers.

The GB Weekly Writing Competition

Poetry: Entrants up to and including year 10 students are invited to submit an original poem. There are two age categories: Up to Year 6; and up to Year 10. The winner in each category will win Take Note vouchers to the value of $25 and $50 respectively.

Very short story: Entrants are invited to submit an original short story up to 60 words in length. There are two age categories: Up to Year 13; and Open category. The winner in each category will win Take Note vouchers to the value of $75 and $100 respectively.

Rules: Entries close at midnight on 31 August and must be submitted by email, with subject heading “The GB Weekly WordFest Competition” to: admin@gbweekly.co.nz.

All entries should be the author’s own work and not have been entered to any previous competition. The judge’s decision is final. The GB Weekly will publish the winning poems and stories, plus a selection of other entries.

Contractors

The increase in food prices and rule changes within the chicken industry in New Zealand has sparked a rise in people having backyard chickens. From experience, there weren’t any financial savings, however there are benefits, such as:

• Recycling of food scraps for the non-composters.

• Chicken manure combined with yard litter provides valuable nutritious mulch for various fruits.

• Great family pets, especially for children. They can live well over 10 years too.

• Weed control. They eat all sorts of weeds that plague many gardeners like Tradescantia, Oxalis, plantain, and dandelion.

Improving fertility. Neglected vegetable gardens, orchards or scrappy land can get a real boost after having chickens grazing for a while.

Here are some tips I’ve gleaned from experience and what others have told me.

Breeds

There are a lot of different breeds available when you include heritage chickens. Check out http://www.keepingchickensnz. com/p/where-to-buy-chickens-in-nz.html and https://www. rarebreeds.co.nz/chooks.html. Over the Hill there is Orchard View Farm in Riwaka who supply Hylines. Essentially there are light birds suitable for egg production, heavy birds for meat, and dual birds suitable for both. Heritage breeds don't lay as well as the commercial Hyline or Brown Shaver hybrid breeds, which pump out over 300 eggs a year. A disadvantage of heritage birds is they tend to go broody, which is good if you want to expand your flock. Obviously, a rooster is needed and there are rules around not having roosters in suburban areas. In the end Hylines were our favourite, being gentle, placid (easy to pick up by children) and producing lots of eggs. Heritage breeds do tend to lay eggs longer compared with hybrids, which burn out after a few years.

Breeders usually sell pullets, aged between six-eight weeks and a year old. “Point of lay” (POL) birds are better at around 20 weeks for hybrids like Hylines, or up to 30 weeks old for heritage breeds. They are more expensive, but so is feeding them from pullet to POL stage. When buying birds, look out for those with bright eyes, bright red upright comb, dry nostrils, shiny feathers, clean feathers, and active manner. These are all indicators of a healthy bird. Always quarantine new birds to be sure they're healthy.

Housing and yard

There are many different design options. Ideally, big enough to fit five birds per square metre and set perches with 15cm per bird. Have a window for light, a small access door/flap for entry and exiting, and lockable to stop predators entering at night.

Ensure it's easy to clean out via a side door. Have ventilation holes for good air circulation, but not too drafty. Insulation is advisable to manage temperature extremes. One nesting box for every four birds, but more is better. Line with wood shavings or bark. Avoid hay or straw in houses and yard as this encourages mould and mites. I regularly cleaned the chook house with ash water to deter mites. Poorly managed houses and yards can encourage coccidiosis and other infectious diseases.

Good regular freshwater supply is essential, into a trough of sorts. There are various feeders available too. Ideally both are set at hens back-height, so they avoid defecating in them. Step-on feeders are great to minimise feed being stolen by other birds.

In addition to good food, shelter is important for wet weather or summer heat. Dusts baths are also very important for pest control.

A run is essential, best with added woody mulch that can be used in the garden. After lunch (laying) time, the chickens can be let out into a larger run or free range in the garden. However, from experience it's better they have a defined run to avoid poop on the deck or where children play and keep them out of the vegetable garden. Temporary runs using netting, set up on a rotation basis, are ideal to manage how hard the vegetation is eaten down, not dissimilar to managing larger livestock. Chickens can also be utilised to clean up old vegetable beds. Moveable houses are available to purchase or build. This enables more freedom to shift the hens around the garden. Linda Woodrow’s The Permaculture Home Garden is a great read, utilising easy-to-build bamboo dome homes.

Feed

Selected greens can be planted and sown for a healthy chook diet. Check out which perennials can be grown for hen health here: https://insteading.com/blog/chicken-friendlyplants/. Annual plants such as leafy greens like spinach, bok choy, mustard greens, beet greens and broccoli, are ideal for supplying protein, vitamins and minerals, which chickens love. Various outlets supply specialty mixes, like Kings Seeds, or Appletons in Brightwater. In addition to regular greens, chickens can be fed food scraps, but avoid processed foods, especially those high in sugar, carbohydrates, and fats. Check out this site for a comprehensive list: https://www.chickensandmore.com/ table-scraps-and-leftovers-for-chickens/.

In addition, different commercially made feeds (like NRM) are available for different life stages and affordability. For laying chickens, layer pellets or mash is needed to support good egg production. Those into organics can check out Biograins.co.nz.

There is definitely room for a serious local egg producer to start supplying the Bay's needs.