Activelife LIFESTYLE
COOPED UP After eight months, Steve Moody looks back over the chicken-keeping experience. Initially sceptical, a ready supply of gorgeous, fresh eggs seems to have converted him
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o, at the end of the year, eight months after I was tricked by the rest of the family into keeping chickens, I suppose it’s enough time to draw some conclusions about the experience. They are: The eggs First and foremost, after all the other hassles (of which there are a few) is the fact that the eggs are like none you’ve ever eaten before. Every now and again I have to eat or cook an egg that has not been laid that day, 40 yards away. And it’s a shock. They are insipid, pale, tasteless things; not the fulsome, bright, thick eggs we’ve got used to. This is by far and away the best thing about keeping chickens – and I would thoroughly recommend it. Your egg life will never be the same again, I promise you. Get a good coop and speak to an expert We were lucky enough to be helped out by Carrie at The Clever Coop Company, with advice and expertise and, of course, their
fabulous chicken coops. This makes a massive difference, because the coop is very quick and easy to clean, and keeps the chickens warm and healthy. I think there’s a link between the cosiness and cleanliness of their home and egg production figures. These coops might cost a bit more than a wooden one, but they are worth every penny. Also, Carrie advised us to get hybrids as they tend to lay more. Cute little rare breeds might look prettier, but if they’re laying tiny little eggs and not very often, what’s the point? A chicken is for life, not just for Christmas (or Sunday roast!) There’s quite a bit of responsibility when keeping chickens. They’re pretty stupid at the best of times, so you need to keep an eye out for them getting trapped in random places, or
escaping their run and not being able to get back, and just generally keeping them fed and watered. So if you’re away a lot you need some understanding family members or neighbours. That said, they’re not as hard work as I thought they’d be, they don’t smell anywhere near as much as people claimed they would, and as for the claim they attract vermin – well, I’ve not seen any or evidence of them either. They are certainly less bother to keep than a cat, for example. But keep them out of the flowerbeds, as they can cause carnage. It is worth it. I promise I was very sceptical about becoming a chicken owner. But it is worth it, for the small amount of effort necessary. And if you don’t believe me, pop round for a poached egg...
NATURE
How to spot... the dunlin Visitors to Eyebrook Reservoir or Rutland Water between October and March may see this starling-sized wader as it potters around, searching for invertebrates. Their non-breeding plumage is an unobtrusive greyish-brown above with white underparts. Dunlin have short black legs and a medium length bill for probing the mud. Because they occur so frequently at our reservoirs birdwatchers use them as a yardstick to compare against other, less common, waders.
They are usually in small flocks of up to 20 birds but much larger counts are sometimes made, with over 200 noted in some winters. The birds are abundant visitors to coastal marshes and estuaries with over 40,000 regularly present
around the Wash. Many winter much further south – a July 2015 bird at Rutland Water had been ringed in Spain in September 2013. Dunlin are northern breeders, nesting on the Arctic tundra. However, small numbers breed in British uplands from Scotland as far south as the Pennines and north Wales. In breeding plumage the Dunlin is a smart bird. The drab winter plumage is replaced by a reddish-brown back, black belly and a white dark-streaked breast. Terry Mitcham
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