About our Poultry
Visitors to the garden always love our free-range poultry and have so many questions to ask about our lovely flock.
These are the birds you are likely to see in the garden this summer:
Guinea Fowl
We have always had guinea Fowl and they are useful in the garden as they are free-range, sleep in the trees and keep our pests under control.
Pekin Bantams
These are a delight in the garden, they have heavily feathered legs, so find it difficult to scratch in the soil.
The lavender pekins have hatched 8 chicks this year from their small eggs.
This is the black coloured pekin bantam. They live in the poultry run and sleep in a hut there.
They put themselves to bed, so just need closing up.
Bluebell Hens
These are hybrid hens and lay eggs most of the year. They do damage if they get into the garden and so live in the orchard. Their wings are clipped so they cannot fly out. They sleep in a hutch which is closed each evening to protect from the foxes
White Doves
We have just released a new flock of white doves from their quarters in the courtyard. They enjoy the garden and will return to their dovecote at night.
Not only do our poultry provide us with eggs, they are also a vital part of how we manage the garden for wildlife. They are excellent for clearing up the slug population, they turn over the compost heaps, remove bugs and add to the enrichment of the soil by their droppings.