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Author Topic: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.  (Read 6142 times)

dave

  • Joined May 2008
  • cheshire
hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« on: May 30, 2008, 08:11:02 am »
Hi Im Dave,I come from a farming background having kept and bred chickens, bantams,ornamental pheasants,guinea fowl and pigs plus usual kids things like rabbits etc.I used to have a small nursery in nth wales selling hardy and half hardy perennials and shrubs.I was also the  propagator for a friends larger nursery  after closing mine due to partnership breakup.We sold wholesale germinated seedlings as well as a huge range of hardy stock all home produced.

Dave

candlemas

  • Joined May 2008
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2008, 09:02:24 am »
Hi Dave, and welcome!  We have just joined the forum (yesterday).  There's talk of acquiring bantams where we are - so we might perhaps pick your brains at some point later on.  We're escaped townies, and there is no limit to our ignorance (or at any rate to mine)!

dave

  • Joined May 2008
  • cheshire
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2008, 09:55:09 am »
Hi Candlemas,Im a townie now.I like a few bantams runnin around the place and they make great broody's.I used to use them for hatching and rearing pheasants.Most of mine were mongrels apart from the silkies.
Good luck with your new beginning and have fun.There,s lots of info online too to give a general idea.If i was starting out now I'd go for goats,rabbits,geese and chickens/bantams.Grow lots of veg,fruit and herbs.Maybe even some dried flowers.

Dave 

candlemas

  • Joined May 2008
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2008, 10:32:33 am »
My wife and I left London 3 years ago - and now we've got 20 acres of Sussex to look after.  We keep wondering - how did THAT happen.  We really are Accidental Smallholders!

Fortunately my brother is going to come and join us here - he's a professional gardener, with beekeeping experience (he used to look after a monastery garden).

Apart from fruit and veg, I think that bantams and bees are probably top of the list at the moment.   

Townie

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Fife
    • http://www.townie.wordpress.com
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2008, 01:03:53 pm »
Hi there Dave and welcome...

You have a wealth of experience there and i'm sure we'll be able to pick your brains  ;D

I'm looking to get a couple of silkies, but having problems getting them.

My wee bantam hybrid went broody a couple of weeks ago, then when I thought she was ready to sit tight on the nest, I moved her to her own wee quiet place and stuck 6 extra silkie eggs under her... a couple of days later she stopped sitting, kicked up a stink wanting out.. so that put a damper on hatching my silkies  :(

countrygirlatheart

  • Joined Apr 2008
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2008, 06:10:43 pm »
Hi Townie

I notice you are looking for silkies ..   I met a lady last year from a town near Broxburn who breeds them and she had lots of them of various colours.  I can dig out her number if you are interested ?


Townie

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Fife
    • http://www.townie.wordpress.com
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2008, 06:15:42 pm »
Hi Countrygirl...

That would be fantastic if you could  :)

I was supposed to be getting a couple of ex-battery hens this weekend but it has fallen through and the batt-hen trust are not sending any up here now.

carole

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2008, 02:41:53 pm »
Welcome from us in Brittany, I have quite a few silkies, they are great birds but broody at the drop of a hat.
Would love to rescue some battery hens but here it is not looked at the same as back home

Carole

dave

  • Joined May 2008
  • cheshire
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2008, 05:44:11 pm »
I did find silkie crosses just as good at going broody as full bred ones,so dont get to bothered if you cant get pures.Another thing is the crosses usually have pink skin so look a bit more appetising when your eating the surplus cocks,lol

dave

  • Joined May 2008
  • cheshire
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #9 on: June 05, 2008, 05:49:26 pm »
when i was a tenager my uncle had battery chickens and it was my job to feed and collect eggs,and haul out all the deaduns too,there were plenty of those.If you rescue some they tend to sit still and not move far as theyre only used to a cage size run so make sure food and water close and theyre protected.They will gradually learn to be like normal chickens and lay like the clappers too.Its good to see em scratching around.

Dave

dave

  • Joined May 2008
  • cheshire
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #10 on: June 05, 2008, 05:52:32 pm »
Hi there Dave and welcome...

You have a wealth of experience there and i'm sure we'll be able to pick your brains  ;D

I'm looking to get a couple of silkies, but having problems getting them.

My wee bantam hybrid went broody a couple of weeks ago, then when I thought she was ready to sit tight on the nest, I moved her to her own wee quiet place and stuck 6 extra silkie eggs under her... a couple of days later she stopped sitting, kicked up a stink wanting out.. so that put a damper on hatching my silkies  :(
Was she frightened at all townie,or are there vermin about,either rats or foxes.I often used to let mine sit in a coop in a shed if there was a chance of rats or noise.

Dave

countrygirlatheart

  • Joined Apr 2008
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2008, 08:35:29 pm »
Hello Townie - have sent you a personal message re the silkie lady

Fluffywelshsheep

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Near Stirling, Central Scotland
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #12 on: June 06, 2008, 06:22:55 pm »
hiya from fluffy

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: hello from ex nurseryman and country bumkin.
« Reply #13 on: June 07, 2008, 05:02:34 pm »
Hi from a country pumpkin   HM

 

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