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CHICKENS,DUCKSANDBEESABEGINNER’SGUIDETOKEEPINGLIVESTOCK

INTHEGARDEN

PaulPeacock

CONTENTS

TitlePageChapter1:IntroductiontoChickens,DucksandBeesKeepinganimalsforfoodWhytimesarechangingWhychickens,ducksandbees?Keepinganimalswon’tsaveyoumoneyThreegreatreasonsforkeepinganimalsTeacupphilosophyBecomingmoreself-sufficientChapter2:OrganisingtheGardenforLivestockFindingoutallyoucanbeforebuyingyourlivestockHensDucksBeesPARTONE:CHICKENSChapter3:IntroductiontoChickensThehenandwhatsheneedsHavingtimetolookafteryourhensEatingthemeatUsingthefeathersEnjoyingfunandcompanionshipClearinguppooEnjoyingnew-laideggsWhatdoyourchickensneed?Doyouneedacockerel?WheretoputyourhensHousingyourhens

SitingthehutSparehousingStoppingyourhensfightingTemperatureClippingwingsAwordaboutsicknessWhatdohensreallyenjoy?CheckingthatyouhavepermissiontokeephensDispatchingyourhensGettingadviceChapter4:HandlingYourHensWhywouldyouwanttoholdyourhens?HowtoholdahenReleasingyourhenUsingacarryboxChapter5:HowToFeedYourHensTheimportanceofproteinThebestwaysofdeliveringfoodFeedinghensinthecityPelletsormashUsingagravityfeederProvidingwaterforyourhensProvidingcalciuminyourhens’dietHowmuchdochickenseat?Providingthe‘extras’Chapter6:HousingHensProvidingventilationMaterialsNestingboxesProvidingperchesProvidingalittertrayProvidingabigenoughrunSitingthehutMovingthepositionofthehutandrun

StoringfoodUsingabroodyboxBuildingyourownchickenhutIntroducinghenstotheirnewhomeInroducinghenstoeachotherChapter7:HowToKeepYourHensHealthyandCleanCleaningthehutchDon’tover-disinfectCleaningthenestboxesCleaningfeedersChapter8:ChoosingyourBirdsWhataretheadvantagesofkeepingacockerel?HowtobuyhensBreedssuitableforeveryoneChapter9:HowToRecogniseWhenThingsAreGoingWrongApplecidervinegar(ACV)OtheradditivesHenssittinginthecorner,hardlyfeedingordrinkingHenswithfeathersmissingWhiteencrustingatthebaseofthefeathersBirdswithscalylegsLotsofdiarrhoeaandhungrybirdsPalecombsandreducedeggproductionWheezingbirdsChapter10:WhatMakesaChickenTick?ThechickengutandhowitworksHowhensmakeeggsThemoultBroodinessCrumbsWhatareyougoingtodoaboutcockerels?Caringforyourhensaroundtheyear

PARTTWO:DUCKSChapter11:IntroductiontoDucksGoodgardenersWhatyouneedtokeepducksHousingyourducksFeedingyourducksUsingyourducksformeatandeggsHandlingducksDucklifeChapter12:FeedingYourDucksOrganisingyourducks’dietFinisherpelletsProvidingwaterAllowingyourduckstoforageOfferingoystershellMakinggritavailableProvidingextrasChapter13:HousingDucksMakingthehousingstrongWaterproofingtheduckhouseSitingtheduckhouseLiftingthehutRoostingNestingFumigatingTherunChapter14:KeepingDucksforEggsChoosingducksforeggproductionWhat’stheegglike?WhereyourduckslayStoringduckeggsThegoodduckeggguideCookingwithduckeggs

Howdoduckslayeggs?Chapter15:DuckBreedsHowtobuyducksBuyingintriosChoosingyourducksKeepingbantamsChapter16:DuckDiseasesTipsforhealthyducksPARTTHREE:BEESChapter17:BeekeepingChapter18:BeeAnatomyTherespiratoryandcirculatorysystemTheexoskeletonWingsandlegsTheheadInsidethebeeThestingDifferencesbetweenthecastesChapter19:GettingStartedAskingforadvicefromexperiencedbeekeepersWearingprotectiveclothingUsingasmokerBuyingahivetoolUsingbucketsBlowtorchFeedersVarroacontrolrequirementsChoosingthehiveThebroodboxRearrangingthefurnitureThesupers

ThelidThestandAmentorRacesofbeesCastesofbeeHowtobuybeesChapter20:TheBeekeepingYearWarmway/coldwayThedevelopmentofbeesOrientationflightsChapter21:BeekeepingTechniquesWhatareyoulookingforinthehive?EstablishingwhetherthereisroomforexpansionFeedingHeftingUsingotherfeedsandapplicationsSwarmingandsupersedureMarkingaqueenCollectinghoneyReturningtheframesChapter22:BeeDiseasesProblemswithbeegeneticsWhybeescontractdiseasesVarroaFoulbroodSmallhivebeetle(aethinatumida)NosemaWaxmothsChalkbroodStonebroodTrachealmitesViralinfectionsSacbroodChilledBrood

IndexCopyright

CHAPTER1

INTRODUCTIONTOCHICKENS,DUCKSANDBEES

You choose a noble undertakingwhen you decide to grow some of your ownfood.Igetexcitedaboutfoodandwhereitcomesfrom;youmightevensayIamobsessed with it. There is something marvellous about growing something,caringforit,nurturingitandthencemakingsomethingwonderfultoeatordrink.

This was once the major occupation of every person in the country. Theprovision of food is rightly ingrained in our culture because it is thewaywesurvive.Infact,morethansurvive–prosper,enjoy,delightinlife.It isastrueforgrowingvegetablesasitisforkeepinglivestock.

This book is about people. It’s about you, although it is supposed to be aboutchickens,ducksandbees–withafewextrasthrownin,itisreallyaboutyouandtherelationshipyouhavewithyouranimals–andofcourse,itisaboutthewayinwhichyoucareforthem.

Whetheryouarekeepinganimalsaspetsorasawayofprovidingyourfamilywith food, this regimeof care isyour responsibility and therefore thisbook ismoreaboutyouthananyoneelse.

KEEPINGANIMALSFORFOODTheworldischanging.Actually,itisstoppingchanging–letmeexplain.Overtwo hundred years ago a process started in earnest to change theway peoplelived.Actually,thischangeoriginatedamileawayfromwhereIamsittingatmycomputer. Hargreaves’ ‘Spinning Jenny’ made it possible for mill owners tocreatevastwealthoutof theworkofothermen,and the IndustrialRevolutionbegan.Fromtheturnoftheeighteenthcentury,themovementofpeoplefromtheland to the townswas huge. Peoplewere paid for theirwork in papermoney,

oftenwithlittlevalue,andbecausetheyspentoverhalfthedayinthemill,theyhad no time for fundamental domestic tasks such as baking bread, growingvegetables, brewing beer.William Cobbett, anMP fromOldham, Lancashire,was so outraged by the change in the diet of ordinary people that hewrote abook,CottageEconomy,wherethebasicsoffoodproductionwerespeltout.

Eventually,Cobbett left thecountrybecauseofhisviewsand,as theGeorgianperiodbecametheVictorianperiod,peoplewhosegreat-grandparentswereusedto the best food in Europe were starving as wages fell time and again. Thecontinuationof land reform thatputallcommon land in thehandsof the rich,andthenthebanks,madethetranslocationfromthelandfortheordinarypersoncomplete.

The improvement of people’s dietwas accomplishedby importing cheap foodfromtheEmpire,amethodologyusedbymostEuropeancountries.Indeed,theUKhasneverbeenself-sufficientinfoodsincetheIndustrialRevolution.

Studies in universities around the world have highlighted the unsustainablenatureof thecontinued importingof food to feed the largecitiesof theworld,and that famine in future generationswillmore likely occur in western citiesthaninwhatwetraditionallycalltheThirdWorld.Consequentlythereisaneedfortwothingsaboveallelseinourmodernsociety–theneedtogrowfoodandtheskillstocookit.

Itisnotwrongtowanttokeepanimalsforthefoodtheyprovide,aswellastheirother benefits, such as keeping you in nutrient-rich soil to provide for yourgarden.

WHYTIMESARECHANGINGBecause you are reading this book, youmay be one of a growing number ofpeople intent on living a simple lifestyle– that of self-sufficiency. It hasbeenassociated with crankiness of hippy lifestyles, but has become much moremainstreaminrecentyears.Ifthestudiesareaccurate,onethingiscertain:everyfamilyintheUKwillhavetogrowatleastsomeoftheirownfood.

WHYCHICKENS,DUCKSANDBEES?

Thereisasimpleanswertothis:thesearetheanimalsyouareallowedtokeepinyourgardensoronallotmentswithouthavingtohaveaholdingnumberissuedbytheGovernment.Youcanaddtothisrabbits,buttheyareoutsidetheremitofthis book.Certainly, goats andpigs, aswell as sheep, need aholdingnumber,andthereasonforthisismostlydowntoanimalwelfareandthecontainmentofdiseaseslikefootandmouth.

Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouarecompletelyfreetokeepchickens,ducksorbees.Yourhousedeeds, the local authorityor the localparishbyelawsmight forbidthekeepingofanimalsofanykindatyouraddress.

KEEPINGANIMALSWON’TSAVEYOUMONEYLetmemakethisclear.Keepinganimalswillnot,ever,saveyoumoney.Itmightbringyouout(ornearlyout)ofthemoneyeconomy,butitwon’tactuallymakelife cheaper, except in the provision of honey, which at the moment is soexpensivethatasinglehivemightearnyou£300inagoodyearandnothingatallinabadone.

Youwillalwaysbeabletobuyeggsmorecheaplythanyoucanproducethem,andyouwillalwaysbeabletopurchasechickenmeatforlessthanyouareabletoproduceit,forthetimebeingatleast.

Thetruthisthatthechickensthemselveshaveprovidedcheapeggsandmeatbybeingforcedintointolerableconditionsinfactoryfarmstoprovideyouandmewithcheapmeatandeggs.

THREEGREATREASONSFORKEEPINGANIMALSTherearethreegoodreasonsforkeepinglivestockinyourgarden.First,yougetgreat food – eggs are so much more wonderful, for example, when cookedwithinminutes of coming out of a hen than themonth-old examples you buyfromthesupermarkets.

Second, livestock iswonderful as a part of an overall strategy for beingmoreself-sufficient.Ducks inparticularvacuumup slugs and snails, beesprovide acropfromthewholeofyourneighbourhood,andchickensprovidemountainsofmanuretofeedyourvegetables.

Third, they aregreat fun.Onlywhenyouhave studied life in thebeehive canyoufindrealinsightsintohumanbehaviour.Yourfamilybenefitsnotonlyfromhealthy,wonderful,fresh,pesticide-freefood,buttheywillhaveaninsightintothenaturalworldsofrequentlymissedinmodernlife.

TEACUPPHILOSOPHYItisdifficultnottobecomesomethingofaphilosopherwhenyoukeeplivestockofanykind.Ifyouwanttobecomeproficientatthejob,youhavetospendtimewatchingyouranimals,andconsequentlyyouwillsee,ormaybe imagine, thattheanimalsinyourchargewillhavephilosophiesoftheirown.Whetherthisispure imagination or not doesn’t really matter, because your livestock willcontinuetoliveintheirwayregardlessofwhatyouorIthinkaboutthem.

Inessence,keepinganimalsforfoodsaysmoreaboutyouasahumanbeingthanitdoesaboutachickenbeingachicken.Shewillcluckaway,demandingfoodandcleanwater, somewheredryandairy to sleepandaplace to layhereggs.Thesethingsneverchange,butyouwillnoticesomeamazingtransformations.

Forexample,howmagical is it thatahandfulofpellets is transformed intoanegg each day?Eggs and a smallmountain of poo! The rate of return is quitefantastic too, since chickens seem to be a super-efficient food-convertingmachine. You notice this with bees, too, who forage out there and create themostexcitingarrayofproducts,wherehugenumbersofinsects,eachintentondoingitsbitforthecolony,produceanamazingbounty.

How I wish we as humans lived like bees. Less enlightened beekeeperssometimessaybeeslivealittlelikeus.Well,itisapointofview,butinmanyways bees are our superiors.Quite unlike humans, they have no overall ruler,daily tasksarenotdecidedbycommittee; theysimplyseeanddoaccording totheirinstinct,butherethereisreasontoseecyclesinthepatternoflifeofabeecolony.Itsnumbersgrowandsubsideaccordingtotheseasons;theyreproduce,likesomanyanimals,mostlyinthespring;theyarebornanddieinstrictcyclicrepetition and their organisation within the colony provides for the continuedexistenceofthespecies.

Thestudyofthebeeprovidesplentyofexamplesofwheremankind’sactionis

both short-sighted andplainlywrong.Youwill not find in this book the ‘PaulPeacock’methodofbestbeekeeping.Whatyouwillfindisthestandard,becausefromthereyouwillbeabletomoveonanddevelopyourowninteractionwithbees.Butyouwill also findquestions.For example, if beeshave livedon theearthsinceflowersappeared–around120millionyears(orthereabouts)–andhaveevolved theirownbehaviour that suits theparticular locality,whydowethinkwearebetterthanallthatevolution?

BECOMINGMORESELF-SUFFICIENTBecomingmoreself-sufficientisentirelyinkeepingwiththeideaofthisbook,since hens, ducks and bees are part of a wider, more self-sufficient lifestyle.Whateverwesayaboutgettinga smallholdingandsome land,mostofuswillnever, ever, get anywhere near this idyll but we can all do something in ourgardenstomakeusmoreself-sufficient.

Theneedtobecomemoreself-sufficientisbecomingmoreandmoreimportant.Forexample,theIncaslivedinthebiggestcitiesintheworld,andtheydiedoutbecause theyranoutoffood.TheBabylonianandAsiaMinorcitieseachdiedoutbecauseofalackoffood.Socouldthesamethinghappentous?Thatiswhyit is so important to get into a culture of growing our own food and keepingsomelivestock.

CHAPTER2

ORGANISINGTHEGARDENFORLIVESTOCK

Everyonehas their dreams.Minehas been to completely removemyself fromhumanity,exceptformybeautifulwifeandproducelotsoffatbabieswholiveofftheproductsofthelandIhave,thevegetablesIgrowandtheanimalsIkeep.Unfortunately, that remains a dream, though my wife is beautiful and mychildrenarenotfat,buthealthy.

Likeallcountrymenofmyclass,Ihavenolandtospeakof,certainlynotenoughofittoenablemetobetotallyself-sufficient.Consequently,Iamawageslaveand only have modest means to produce my own food. Fitting it all in isdifficult;tryingtocombinepoultrywithvegetablesisparticularlydifficultsothesuccessfulurbansmallholderhastobeorganisedandclever.

Landisatapremium,andsincewhatIgrowisparticularly important tome,Ihavetomakesuremylivestockdoesn’tgobblethelot.

FINDINGOUTALLYOUCANBEFOREBUYINGYOURLIVESTOCKI boughtmy first hens at an auction. Theywere amixed bag of good layers,hopelesslyoldbirds,flightybantamsandwhatnot.Ididn’tunderstandthem,butmuddledmyway through,probablybreaking the law in theway I transportedthemfromthemarkettotheallotment.

Itwasspring.Alltheallotmentsweremarkedout,greenshootingcabbagesandonions were tasting the splendid summer sunshine and everyone on theirrespectiveplotswas eagerly awaiting the summer’sgrowth.Mynewlyboughthenshadtheirownideas.

Noonehadtoldme–butthisisnoexcuseandIshouldhavefoundout–thathens could fly over a six-foot fence. Consequently, I nearly lost the plot(literally)as thered-facedHon.Secretary toreastripoffmebecausemybirdsweregrowingfatoneveryone’sseedlings.

My apologywas only just enough, and there followed a franticwing-clippingsession.Beforeyouplan,getsomeknowledgetobeginwith,andyouwillsaveyourselfheartache.

HENSAllowabout2squaremetresasaminimum(anabsoluteminimum)runforthehens,andhaveenoughspace tomove themaroundevery threemonthsbut10squaremetresperheniftheyaretobefree-range.Thereisnothingtostopyoumakingyourrunthesamesizeasaraisedbed,andwhenyouhavefinishedgiveyourhenssometimeonthatbed.Theywillmanureitforyouandeattheslugs,etc.,scratchingawaywithenthusiasm.

Your hens produce food andmanure, and youwill want to compost this richmaterial.Compostingwillbementionedelsewhereinthisbook,butyoushouldhaveadouble-binsystemforbestresults.Fillbin1whichwillthenstarttorotdown.Once this is full tip it intobin2 tocomplete the job. If it takesyousixmonthstofillbin1thentherestoftheyearitwillberottinginbin2.Thisallowsyoutofillbin1againwhiletherestofthecompostisrotting.

Adouble-binsystemneeds2squaremetres,andisstatic.Thebinsareametrehighandyoucanmakethemfrompallets.

Thehenhutchshouldfaceeast–westifpossible,allowingyouthebestofwintersunshine,andmakeshadeinthesummerbygrowingcropssuchasrunnerbeansalongitsside.

You can keep the hens off your crops in a number ofways. First, keep themlockedintotheirruninthemornings.Thisforcesthemtogettheirfullrationoflayers’pelletsforagooddiet.OvertheyearsIhavedevelopedasystemofraisedbedswhichwill conveniently house either a horticultural fleece covering or aminipolytunnelcovering.Thefleeceprovidesforaneventemperatureinside–

but lesswind.Youcanwater through it, andofcourse,youcanbuild it sonoinsects will get inside and spoil your crops. This has to be the ideal organicgardeningmaterial,anditwillalsokeepthehensoffyourcrops.Theywilljumponthefleecefromtimetotimewithsuchalarmingconsequencestothemastheworldgiveswaybeneaththem,thattheyprobablywon’tbotheragain.

DUCKSOrganisationally,ducksarelikehensineveryrespectexceptformorewater.Acareful study of commercial – so-called ‘free-range’ duck accommodation –makesthepointthattheyonlyneedtobeabletowashtheirfacestobehappy.Thisisbecauseducksgetstickyeyes.However,Iampersonallyhappieriftheycanalsogettheirbottomsinthewaterandhaveasplash.Theylooksohappyastheyscrabbleabout,sotheremustbesomemeritinhavingasmallpond.Itonlyneeds tobea smallpond, though, asyouarenot trying to recreate thevillagegreen.

For many years I used a sunken baby bath – enough for two birds to splasharound inandnotsodeepas tokillahenshouldshe fall in.Youalsoneed toprotectchildren–sohaveaplan!

Thekeyisnottoletthewaterbecomestagnantordirty.Itneedstobechangedevery day or two so there is constant freshwater available to the ducks – thediscardedcanbetippedontoyourcrops,soit’snotwasted.

BEESPreparingforbeestakescareandtime.Alotofpeoplethinkbeesareboundtoswarmandcauseallkindsoftrouble.Thatmightbethecase–butrarelyis.Withplanningyoucanavoidmostswarmingneedsofthecoloniesandraiseyourbeessonooneevenknowstheyarethere.

Bees shouldbekeptoutofdirect sunlight, away from icywinds in thewinteranddrivingrain.Ihavekeptbeesinthemiddleofhousingestatesandtheonlycluetotheirwhereaboutswasmelookinglikeachain-smokingidiotinmybeesuitandsmoker–walkingdownthegardenpath.

Yourbeescanbemademoreorlessinvisibleifyouforcethemtoclimbupward

over a high obstacle. Point the hive entrance away frommost of the generalpopulaceandsurrounditwithahedgeorfenceeightfeethighandnoonewilleverknowtherearebeesinthearea.

The trick comes in your second year, when youmight want to increase yourcolonies,andyouthenhave120,000beesinthegardeninthesummer.Myusualresponse to this is to placemy bees somewhere else.Often you can talk to afarmer,butevenapublicparkmight–withpermission–havesomeout-of-the-wayplaceforbees.

Look around and think about siting your bees away from prying eyes andpossibleharm.

One last point before you turn to the beekeeping chapters: join your localbeekeeping society! Not only will your membership provide insurance, therewill also be many people who are more than able – and willing – toaccommodateyourhive.

PARTONECHICKENS

CHAPTER3

INTRODUCTIONTOCHICKENS

THEHENANDWHATSHENEEDSHens are wonderful, curious, exciting, lovable, tough, intelligent, resourceful,productive,thrifty,communal,cleananimalsthatarerelativelyeasytocarefor,generallydiseasefreeand,solongasyoutakecareofthem,willprovidefood,interestandamusementformanyyears.

Thinking about keeping poultry is frequently brought into sharp focus if youconsider the Five Freedoms. These are the brainchild of the Farm AnimalWelfareCouncilwhoconsiderthatgoodanimalwelfareimpliesbothfitnessandasenseofwell-being.Anyanimalkeptbymanmust,atleast,beprotectedfromunnecessarysuffering.TheFiveFreedomsare:

1.Freedomfromhungerandthirst–byreadyaccesstofreshwaterandadiettomaintainfullhealthandvigour.

2. Freedom from discomfort – by providing an appropriate environment,includingshelterandacomfortablerestingarea.

3.Freedom frompain, injury ordisease – by prevention or rapid diagnosisandtreatment.

4. Freedom to express normal behaviour – by providing sufficient space,properfacilitiesandcompanyoftheanimal’sownkind.

5. Freedom from fear and distress – by ensuring conditions and treatmentwhichavoidmentalsuffering.

The ability to supply all of these is the starting point for a happy relationshipbetween you and your animals. The concept of the Five Freedoms originatedwith the Report of the Technical Committee to Enquire into the Welfare ofAnimals Kept under Intensive Livestock Husbandry Systems, the BrambellReport,publishedinDecember1965.Thisstatedthatfarmanimalsshouldhavefreedom‘tostandup,liedown,turnaround,groomthemselvesandstretchtheirlimbs’,alistthatisstillsometimesreferredtoasBrambell’sFiveFreedoms.

These freedomsarenot tobe the absolute ruleof your animalwelfare routinebecauseyoucannotalwayskeepanimalsinfullhealth;theysometimesgetsick.An ill hen does not automaticallymean you have failed it somehow.Keepinghensatall, especially if theyhavecome fromacage, isdoinghen-kinda realservice.

HAVINGTIMETOLOOKAFTERYOURHENSOntheonehandyoucannotbetoobusytokeephens.Theylovebeingletoutinthemorning, fed andwatered as necessary, then left to their own devices (solongas theyaresafe)untilyou returnhome togazeaway thepressuresof theday. On the other hand, however, you can often think they live in the samefashionaswedo:rush,skipmeals,gettooexcited,forgetfulandpanic-strickenunder the pressures ofmodern life.Youmust not forget to provide your henswiththeneedsoftheday:food,water,protectionandshelterfromweatherandpredators.

You need to plan the purchase of good quality food, and not let a day go bywithoutagoodsupply.

Tokeephensistobealwayspreparedfortheirneedsandyourabilitytokeeptheregimegoing.Indeed,asIwritethis,Inoticeitisgoingdarkandmybirdswillneed locking up – so I’m off to say ‘goodnight’. Should I not manage this,tonightcould justbe thenight the foxgets them,or thedrivingwindand rainmakearealmessoftheirsleepingarrangements.

Tosaythehenisamachinethatconvertsallkindsoffood,fromthepelletswegive them as their daily ration to the worms, insects, roots and shoots theyscrabble on their daily transit around the garden into a daily egg would be

understatingthepoint.

Aswellasthedailyegg,theygiveusagreatamountofpleasure.

EATINGTHEMEATForanyone intentonself-sufficiencychickens raised formeatarepossibly themost luxurious foodsyoucanhave.Youknowthequalityof the food thathasgone into themand canguarantee awonderful life for the chicken. In the olddayspeopleusedto(andclearlystilldo)keepalotofhensandeatthosewhichhadgonethroughtheirsecondstageoflayingeggs,moreofwhichlater.Itwouldmeankeepingtwoflocks,andconstantlyrearingreplacements.Thehenswouldbe eaten at the same rate as their replacementswouldbe available, and in thedaysbeforefreezers, theywouldbedespatchedonebyoneas theneedsof thefamilydetermined.

Ofcourse,thesedays,henscanbedispatched,dressedandcleanedandpoppedinthefreezer,whichinmycaseisafantasticwayofseparatingthekillingfromtheeating.Whentakingahenforthetable,orevenwheneuthanisingahenonhealthgrounds, I always feel like Iwill never eatmeat again.But after a fewdaysIhavenoqualmsontakingabirdfromthefreezer.

USINGTHEFEATHERSThenumberofthingsyoucandowithfeathersisamazing.Myfavouriteisthebuildingofwalls fromconcreteormud,usingfeathersasabindingagent.Butfromthefishingflytothestuffedpillow,thosefeathersareuseful.

Attheveryleastyoucancompostfeathers.Theymakegreatabsorbersofliquidinthecompostheap,androtdownquitesuccessfully.

Onefinaluseforthemisstuffinginyourbeesmoker–Idon’tburnjustfeathers,buttheydogiveoffsmoke.

ENJOYINGFUNANDCOMPANIONSHIPI spendhourswatchingmyhens.Theyare funny, complete characters in theirownright,andtheyenjoybeingalive.Ienjoylookingafterthem.Theygiveyou

something tocare for, and they rewardyoubyentering intoyour family,yourflock.

Forthepriceofahandfuloflayers’pellets,youhavealltheentertainmentyouneed.Studyingthemisanall-engrossingpartoftheday,andtheirrobustnaturemeanstherearefewsadnessescomparedtotheyearsofenjoyment.

On top of this, you can show your birds and get involved with numeroussocietiesdedicatedtopoultry.ThePoultryClubofGreatBritainhasalotoflocalassociations,whereyoucannotonlyengageinsocialactivitiesbutgetalotofhelpandinformationtoo.

CLEARINGUPPOOThechickenisapoomachine.Yougetlotsofthestuff,andifyouareagardener,youwillbeverygladofittoo!Ifyouallowthemfreerangearoundthegarden,apartfromhavingtonetyourcrops,youhavetobepreparedtowashawaypoofromthepaths.Hensproducealotofpooatnight,andyouwillbesurprisedhowmuchyouhavetocleanup.Ofcourse,clearingpooistheworstofallthejobs,soonceyouareusedtothat,therestofitiseasy.

ENJOYINGNEW-LAIDEGGSThisisthemajorreasonpeoplebuyhens.Thereisnothingontheplanetbetterthanhavingeggsthathavecomedirectlyfromthechicken–allothereggswillseem inferior. The shop-bought egg is usually up to a month old, and vastlyreducedinqualitycompared to theveryminute itwas laid.Yournew-laidegghasallitsmembranesintact.Thismeanstheyolksitstightandthewhitedoesn’tflowalloverthepan.

Youareenteringegglover’sheaven,whenyoufirstgethens.

Ioncecollectedalltheeggsinthehutchandreplacedthemwitheggsthathadlittlelionsonthem.Whenacertainperson,whosenameshallbeomittedtosaveherblushes,wenttocollecteggsforarecipetoputinoneofherbakingbooks,itcausedconsiderableconfusion.

Youcanfindoutalotaboutyourhensfromthestateoftheeggs.Thin,bloodied,

poocovered, doubleyolked, orwithout a shell at all, eachof these symptomsrelatestoproblemswiththehen.

WHATDOYOURCHICKENSNEED?At the most basic level chickens need a balanced food ration, clean water,somewheretoescapefromtherainandcold,andasaferoostingpoint,safefrompredators.Consequently,keepinghensincagesinsheds,thoughinmyopinionashamefulway to keep animals, does keep hens in prime health – though at acost.

Buttokeephensinthegarden,ontheallotmentoranywhereongrass,producesanumberofproblemsthatwewilllookatinmoredetailinlaterchapters.Mites,wormsandmudarethefirstsetofproblemsandthenthereareproblemsamonghens–pecking,bullyingandoverlyrandycockerelsallhavetobedealtwith.

Finally, broodiness can cause problems if you don’t want a high number ofchicks, but can be fantastic if youwish to bring up your own flock.Hens gobroodyatalmostanytime,andwillsitonaclutchofeggsthattheywilldefendwith ferocious stabbing pecks. Hens become bad-tempered and useless foranythingotherthankeepingtheseeggswarm.

Mostly youwill need to discourage the hen from being broody.A number oftechniqueswork,buttherearenoguarantees.Sometechniquesthatyoushouldcertainlynot try includeplunging thehen into freezingwater– thepoor thingwouldprobablynotsurviveit,neitherwoulditbefairtoconfinetheanimalinanupturnedbucket,aremedysharedwithmebyanIrishfarmerinapub.Hewasallsecrets,‘Come’eresir,Ihaveagreattipforyou.’IhavetoconfessIthoughtitwas a horse tip hewas givingme.He said he had a dozen broody hens inbuckets,eachwithabrickontostopthemwanderingaround.

The breed can affect the broodiness of the animal. As you would imagine,moderneggfarmsdonotreallyneedbroodyhens,andthe‘littlebrownhybrids’theyusearealmostcompletelynon-broody.

DOYOUNEEDACOCKEREL?Intruthhensdopreferlifewhenthereisacockerelaround.Heordershisflock,

defends them andmates regularlywith them, too. If you havemore than onecockerel,youwillgetfighting,oratleastcompetition.Youcanseparateflocks,eachhavingacockerelbut,especiallyifyouliveinthetown,orhaveneighbourswho like their earlymorningsunadulteratedby loudcrowings,hensdo just aswellwithoutacockerelatall.Townhensdonotneedacockerel, andyougetjustasmanyeggs,aswellashappyneighbours.

WHERETOPUTYOURHENSIt ispossible tokeephens inagarden–evenabackyard isgoodenough,buttherearesomerestrictionsandthingsyouneedtoremember.

Youhave tomove thehens around thegarden so the soil they are runningondoesnotbuildupparasites.Thismeansthehutchandanyassociatedrunmustbemoveable.Theirscratchingandpattingwillruinapatchofgrasswithinacoupleofdays,leavingyouwithbareearth.Veryfertile,butverybareearth.

Besuretherunisaspredator-proofaspossible,andifyoucanletthemlooseinthegarden, your fencesneed tobe chicken-proof, becauseotherwise theywillfindawayoutofthegardeniftheycan.

Youneedabout100metressquare(thatis10metresby10metres)foreachfree-rangehen,buttheydon’tneedallthatspaceinonesitting(ifyou’llexcusethepun).Youcanrestrictyourhenssotheyarestillabletobehavelikehens.Don’tovercrowdthem,asthisleadstobullying.Youarenotstartingahenfarminthebackgarden,youarekeepingafewhens,maybeenoughtobeself-sufficientineggs–sodon’ttrytohavetoomany.

Moveyourhenseverytwotothreemonthsanddon’tputthembackonthesameland for at least threemonths. This keeps the parasite load to aminimum, asnaturalforces,otheranimalsandlackoffoodforthepredatorswillreducetheirnumber.

HOUSINGYOURHENSHousing isprobably themost importantaspectofall.Hens take themselves tobedatnightandmuchprefertosleeponabranchlikeperch.Theyfeelsafehighupand,ifnecessary,theycanflyoutofdanger.Yourhutchandanyassociated

runneedstobepredator-safe.Morethananythingyourrunneedstobedry,wellventilated but draught free, regularly cleaned and checked for red mite, andclearedforthesame.

Thereshouldbemorethanonenestbox,especiallyifyouhavemorethantwohens,tocutdownthecompetitionforlayingspace.

Itisusuallybesttohavewateravailableinthehutch,butIpersonallypreferalsotokeepfoodandasupplyofwateroutside.

SITINGTHEHUTThe hut is best placed out of direct sunlight, out ofwind and toomuch rain.Thoughhensdoneedtohaveplentyoflight,dappledshadeisperfect.Thehutneedstobeeasilyventilatedinhotweather,butthereisnoneedtoinsulateitinwinter.

Ifyouareable,putthehutfloorofftheground,withatleast30cmbetweenthefloorandtheearth.Thiswillstopmiceandratsfromnestingunderneath–theydon’tliketobeexposedinanyway.

Onelastpoint,ifyouareonahill,placethehutashighaspossible.Thisensuresthe soil is less waterlogged in winter (mud is a real problem). If you have aseriousproblemwithmud,considerkeepingthehensonpavingslabs.Youcancover theslabswithbark,compostorevensoil, so thehenscanscratchaway,butyoushouldbeabletoclearawaythismaterial(withanyassociatedparasitesaswell!).

SPAREHOUSINGThe next thing you need to have in place is someway of separating the hensshouldtherebeaproblem.Ifonehenisbeingbullied,forexample,andfailstoeat and drink, shewill deteriorate very quickly andwill need to be removed.Consequently,youneedsomewayofhousingher.Thisneedn’tbeanelaborateaffair – just awooden box,which is waterproof, with a perch for the bird toclimbonatnightandachickenwireframeforasmallrun.

STOPPINGYOURHENSFIGHTING

Youshouldkeepmorethanonebird:theyareflockanimals.

Youwillsoonlearnthathensarenothuman,andtheirhabitsarenotlikeours.Iftheyareovercrowdedorgoingintomoult,orofdifferentsizes theymayfight.Bullyingcanbequitedistressingandoftenleadstothedeathofoneofthebirds.Youcanstopthisbymakingsuretheyhaveenoughroomandareneverabletofightoncetheystarthavingago.Keepingeggscollectedisagoodidea;don’tletthem build up in the nest box, and if there is ever a cracked egg, collect itstraightaway.Oncetheytasteegg,itcanturntheirheadsquiteeasily.

TEMPERATUREHensevolvedinhotcountries,andrarelydotheysufferfromtheheatintheUK,but from time to time the summertime temperature ishot enough, and the sunstrong enough to give them heatstroke. They need shade in the summer, andplentyofwater.Incaseswherethehenispantingandreallysuffering,itisbesttodousethemwithwatertogettheheatoutofthem,andthisusuallyworksfine.

The opposite is just as bad. There are several days in the winter where thetemperature is reallycold.Anight-timefeedofcorn isslowlydigested,givingoffheat tokeep theanimal fromdeath’sdoorovernight.Donotbe tempted touse a greenhouse heater, which my friend once did, resulting in completecatastropheandasternletterfromtheRSPCA.

Everyonethinksthebestwaytostopwaterfromfreezingistoaddsalt,whichisaproblemforhens.By far thebestway tokeepwater fromfreezing is toaddsomeglycerine,thehenshardlynoticeit.

CLIPPINGWINGSApartoftheprocessofkeepingyourhenslowkeyistobesuretheydon’tflyover the fence and eat your neighbour’s plants. So youwill have to clip theirwings. This is neither dangerous or painful, it is just like having your nailsclipped.

Youneedapartnerfor this,especially ifyouhaveneverdonethisbefore.Youhavetoholdthebirdfirmlybetweenyourbodyandyourarm,makingsurethewingnearestyourbodyisn’tcrumpled,orunabletobemoved.Thenyouneedto

gentlypulltheotherwingout.

Yourpartnerthencutsjustafewcentimetresofftheflightfeathers,recognisablebytheirlargesizeandcentrallocation.Don’tcuttoodeep,thelowerhalfofthefeathershasnerveendingsinside,andyoucanmakethembleed–allyouneedistocut theends.Youonlyneed tocutonewing– ifyou tryboth, theeffect isruined.

Should the bird try to fly she gets differing lift from the newly cutwing andcannotcontrolherselfproperly.Shesimplydoesn’tbothertofly,butcanstilluseherwingsinthatfast,flappingruntheyusetoescapetrouble.

AWORDABOUTSICKNESSBeforeyoukeephensyouhavetobesurethatyouknowwhattodoiftheygetsick.When hens get sick it is usually because they have been badly fed, arebeingbulliedbyanotherhen,needworming,ortheyhavesomeotherparasiticproblemsuchasredmite,ortheymayhavecaughtoneofthemanydiseaseswestillhavenovaccineagainst.Buyinghens froma reputable sourcewillensuretheyarefullimmunised.

Byfarthemostcommoncauseofpoorhealthispoorfeeding.Itisamazingwhatpeoplethinkhenseat–theytryalightsalad,orscrapsfromthetable.Theythinktheywilldowellonbreadorcake,and it issurprisinghowmanyexperiencedpoultrykeepersthinkmixedcornisadecentrationforahen.

Thetruthisthathensneedlayers’pellets.Thisistheirmainmealofthedayandthey should not really be allowed anything else until they have had their fill.Followingthis,theycanbeallowedtorunaroundthegardentoeatwhatever,butnothingotherthanlayers’pelletswillkeepthemhappy.

Wewillreturntothequestionoffeedinghensmanytimesinthepoultrysection,aswellastheothers.Youcannotoveremphasisetheimportanceofgoodfeedingandhowthehealthofyouranimalsdependsonit.

When theydogetsick,youhave to treat themand lateronwewill lookmorecloselyatthekindofdiseasestheyget.But,beforeyougethens,huntoutavet

that knows something about them. This is important, because not all vets aregoodathens,andyoucouldjustbewastingyourmoney.Thisseemsharsh,butifyougo toyour localvetandexplainyouare thinkingofgettinghens,andaskthemwhethertheyconsiderthemselvesapoultrypractice,thentheywilladviseyou.Vets are as specialised as doctors, andwhen you consider the variety ofanimals theyhave tocopewith, it isobvioussomewillbebetteratsome thanothers.

WHATDOHENSREALLYENJOY?Hens love todust-bathe.Theywill find adry spot and simplywallow,gettingdustintotheirfeathers,andifthisisindappledshadeinthehighestheatoftheyeartheywillbecompletelyhappy.

They also love to eat and drink together, their demeanour and behaviourcommunicatestoeachothertheirmood,healthandstatus.Thecombisagoodwayof recognisinghow thehensaredoing.Pale combsmightmean sickness,but couldalsomean thehensareyoung.As soonas theycolourup themalesknowthebirdisreadyformating.

Henshaveastrongsexualdrive,itishowtheyhavebecomesuccessfulovertheages.

CHECKINGTHATYOUHAVEPERMISSIONTOKEEPHENSThevariousthingsyouaregoingtohavetobuyorerect inorder tokeephenswillbedealtwithinotherchapters.However,itisworthtakingaminutetolookintothevexedquestionofthepermissionsneededtokeephens.

Wehave seen the sadnewsstorieswherepeoplehavehad theirhens removedfrom their propertybecause theydidn’t havepermission tokeep them.This isbecause either they are in breach of their tenancy agreement or some localbyelaw,ortheirdeedsstrictlyforbidthekeepingoflivestock.

Youneedtocheckyoursituationbeforeyoubuy,becauseifsomeonecomplains,youwillneedtobeprepared.

Doyourdeedspreventyoufromkeepinglivestock?About10%oftheprivatehomesinthecountryhaveaclausestatinglivestockofanykindcannotbekeptinthegarden.Thereisusuallynowaytogetroundthis,but shouldyougoaheadandkeephens,myadvicewouldbe tokeep them inultra-hygienicconditions,being ‘on theball’with theircare,andsweetenyourneighbourswiththeoddboxofeggs.

CounciltenantsUsually there is a proviso in your tenancy agreement that no livestock areallowed on council property, but this relates really to the keeping of horses,sheepandother livestock.Beyond this there isusuallyanunderstanding thatafewhensisfinesolongastheyarenotcausinganuisance.Therearestillpeoplewhokeeppigeons,rabbits,guineapigsandferretsintheirgardens,andthesearealsocoveredbythesameagreements.

Inessencethesituationforthecounciltenantissimilartotheallotmentholder,whereasmallnumberofhensarestillallowedforbylaw.But,shouldyourhensgetoutofhandbyenteringothergardensandeatingtheirprizedahlias,increasetoanunacceptablenumber,ormakeaconstantdinat3a.m.inthesummer,youarelikelytofindyourselfintrouble.

PrivatetenantsHere,almostexclusively,youareatthemercyofyourlandlord.Iftheysayno,thereisusuallynothingyoucando.Besure,shouldyoudecidetokeephens,tobe able to demonstrate they are no trouble, they are clean and perfectly inkeepingwith the house and its gardens.Andbe sure to be able to place themelsewhereifyouareorderedtoremovetheminarush.

DISPATCHINGYOURHENSOn thewhole, chickensare robust animals.There isno reasonwhyyourhensshouldnotlivemuchlongerthanfiveyearsasaminimum.Ithinktheoldesthenisabout20yearsold,andstilllaystheoddegg.However,henscangetsickanddie,too.Themostimportantthingyoucandoasafirststeptogoodhenhealthistofindavetwhohasconsiderablepoultryexperience.AsIsaidearlier,don’tbe

afraidtoaskaround.

Theotherimportantthingtolearnishowtodispatchyourhenshouldyouneedto. If you are going to eat your hens, learning how to kill by dislocation isimportant,andisprobablybesttobetaughtbyaproficientperson.

Thisiswhatthelawsays:forcommercialkillingofanyanimal,youhavetousethestun/bleedmethod.This involvestouchingtheheadwithanelectrode, thenoncetheanimalisstunned,slittingaveinintheneck.Thiscausestheanimaltodie from loss of blood. If you need to kill poultry only singly for homeconsumptionorforhumanereasons,youareallowedtokillbydislocationoftheneck.

Undernocircumstancesshouldyouattempttochoptheanimal’sheadoff.Thisisillegalanddangerous.Neithershouldyouusetheoldmethodofanotched-outbroomhandle,whichfrequentlyresultsinthebirdsufferingstressandtheheadcomingrightoff.

The so-called ‘killing cone’ that looks like amegaphone in which the bird isplacedheaddownandkilledwithatypeofpliersisalsonotallowed,evenforaone-offkilling.

The rules governing animal welfare at slaughter and killing are set down inDirective 93/119/EC on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter orkillingandimplementedinGreatBritainbytheWelfareofAnimals(SlaughterorKilling)Regulations1995(WASK)andinNorthernIrelandbytheWelfareofAnimals(SlaughterorKilling)Regulations(NorthernIreland)1996.

GETTINGADVICEAs with most things in the human world, you will get different advice fromdifferent poultry keepers. You need advice, really before you start, if only toboost your confidence. Look around a number of suppliers, and go to somepeoplewhoyouknowwillbeabletohelpyou–maybesomeoneatyourlocalallotment keeps poultry. Look in the newspaper for local members of ThePoultryClubofGreatBritainandperhapsgoonacourse.Mostpoultrysuppliersruncoursesaboutpoultry-keepingtoo,andthiswillgiveyoutheconfidenceyou

needtostartkeepingchickens.

CHAPTER4

HANDLINGYOURHENS

This is quite an important subject. It is important to handle your hens for thereasonsbelow.Atthesametimeyouhavetorealisethatevenifyouboughtyourhens from a reputable source, you cannot be 100% sure they are free fromdisease.Makesureyouwearanoverallorsomethingandglovestoprotectyourclothesfrominfectionwhichyoumightaccidentallytransfertoyourinsideslateron.

Childreninparticularcanbesusceptibletosalmonella,andalthoughyourhensshould have been immunised, just aswhenyoubought themyouwould thinktwice about eating a raw egg, you should have similar cautionwith the birdsthemselves.

Alwaysmakesureyouwashyourhandsandthatyourtetanusinjectionsareuptodate.Anastypeckcouldhaveallkindsofconsequences.Ifyouareallowingchildrentoholdyourhens,don’tletthemdoitunsupervised.

WHYWOULDYOUWANTTOHOLDYOURHENS?There are many reasons for regularly holding your hens. First of all, if onebecomessick,andyouhavetoexaminethebird,youwillnotbeincreasingitsstress if it is already used to being handled. If a sick bird that normally runsawayfromyouactuallyneedstobepickedupandplacedinacarryboxtovisitthevet,theordealcanbeverystressfultothepointofbeingdangerous.

Regularhandlingofyourhensisanimportantpartoftheirregimeofcare.Thiswayyoucanclipwings,administerallkindsoftreatments,suchasfleaandmitepowderandgenerallycleanthemup.

Theregimeinvolvesthefollowing.

NokissingPleasedon’tkissyourhens.Theydon’tappreciateitandprobablythinkyouaretryingtobitethem.Isupposeifyouaregoingtokissthemanywhere,itwillbearoundthe topof thehead,and thereforeyouopenyourselfup toa jollygoodpecking,whichwillleaveyouwithhealthworries.

Nohandlingaroundthebottom(unlessyouneedto)Thisshouldonlybedoneinveryspecificcircumstances.Youshouldavoidpooasabackdropatall times ifpossible.A trick to findout if thehen isnear thepointof lay is toplaceyour fingersbetween thehipbonesnear thebottom. Ifyoucangettwofingersthere,theanimalwillsoonbelaying.

AlwayswashafterwardsWithout exception, you should wash your hands, and anything else for thatmatter, after handling hens or their eggs, or cleaning out the hut. Use anantibacterialsoapandhotwaterbutbemindfulyoudon’tscaldyourself.

ChangeyourclothesItisbetterstilltohavespecialclothestowearwhenyouaregoingtohandleyourbirds.Thiscanactasastimulusforthebirds–whenevertheyseeyouinawhiteoverall,theyknowtheyaregoingtobepickedup,andwilloftencometoyouto

get some food. Special clothes can include neoprene gloves and glasses,especially for children, who are more liable to be a victim of a scratching,panickingbird.

Haveatetanusshotifnecessary,ifyouhavebeenscratchedBirdsscratchinthesoil,wheretetanusisfound.Iftheyscratchyou–well,yougettheidea.

NochasingYouwillgetnowherebychasingyourbirdsaroundthegarden.Theywillnevercome to you but rather stress out every time they see you. Theywill becomenervousbirdsandyouwillwearyourselfoutrunningaroundthegarden.

Takeyour timewhenyou collect yourbirds.Talk to them ingentle tones andholdoutfoodforthemtotake.Donotusesuddenmovementsbuthaveacalmdemeanourandtheywillcometoyou.

HensarenotpetsYoumightownthesebirds,buttheyarenotpets,inthattheirpurposeforlivingisnot tobepetted.Theymightnevergetusedtobeinghandled,andrunawaywhenevertheyseeyoutryingtopickthemup.Youhavetospendtimeearningtherighttohandlethem.

Crouch beside them, making short, soft repetitive sounds, holding food andgenerallymaintainingwhat theyconsiderasafedistancefromthem.Leavethefoodon thegroundand thenwalkaway.Thismayneed toberepeatedseveraltimesbeforetheystartcomingnearyou.

Mating:SeizingtheopportunityHens that have no cockerel will frequently treat you as their mate, squattingdownintoamatingpositioneverytimeyougoby.Taketheopportunitytopickthemupeach time theydo thisandyouwill find themeasy tohandle.Talk tothem, gently stroke them for 30 seconds and then gently put themdown afteraround30seconds,andifyoucan,leavethemalittlefood.

HOWTOHOLDAHEN

Thiscanbedoneinmanyways.PersonallyIamnotafanofholdingthembythelegsorbythewings.Itcanbeuncomfortableforthemandtheywillrespondtothis,becomingresistanttohandling.Theyfrequentlyopentheirwings,makingitharder for them tomove aroundwithout banging them. Holding them by thewings(sortofundertheirarmpits)isveryuncomfortableforthem.

Iprefertoholdtheheninacomfortablestance,usingmybodytoholdonewingstill,andmyarmtoholdtheother,inafirmbuteasygrip.Thisway,shouldtheystruggle and try to flap their wings, they will not be able to do so, andconsequentlywilldamageneitherthemselvesnoryourself.Theotherbenefitofthismethodisthatyouusuallyhaveafreehandtodowhateveryouhavetodowiththebird.

UsingapartnerSomeoperationsneedtwopeopleandyouneedtoplanforthis.

Wingclippingisacaseinpoint.Onepersonholdstheanimalinplaceagainstthebodyandarmandatacomfortablepointopensoutthewingtobeclipped.Theotherpersontakesabout3to4cmoffthetipsoftheflightfeathers.

RELEASINGYOURHENDon’t think,becausetheyarebirds,youcanthrowthemontothegrasstolandwithmuchflappingandmuch‘bok-bokking’.Theyneed tobeplaceddownaseasilyaspossible,andthismeanschangingyourgripsoyouareholdingtheminbothyourhands.

Thiswaytheycanwalkoffwithnodistressandwillsimplyrufflea little,andwalkaway.Ifyouareable,givethemsomefoodasatreat.

USINGACARRYBOXTakingyourhentothevet,ormovingitanywhere,shouldbedoneinaspecially-madehencarrier.Thesearebasicallysturdy,hen-sizedcarrierboxesthatallownorealviewoftheoutside.Youneedtobesurethehencanfitintoandoutofthe box correctly and comfortably, without it having to bend around smallentrances.Catanddogboxeswillnotdo–youneedalidatthetopsoyoucan

holdthewingsfirmly.

Talk toyourbirds,makingcomfortingsounds to themso they feel lessafraid,andgetusedtotalkingtothemasyouhandlethem.Ifpossiblethebirdshouldbefedandwateredbeforeitistransported.

Drivecarefullyandslowlytoavoidthrowingthehenanditsboxaroundthecar,andremembertoleavethehentorestmotionlessbeforetakingitoutofthebox.Itmightnotliketogobackintothebox,soprepareyourselfforsomeresistance.

CHAPTER5

HOWTOFEEDHENS

Anationalnewspaperwroteinthesummerof2010thatanyonecouldkeephensasall theyneedtoliveoniskitchenscraps.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth. Ifyou feedyourhensonkitchenscrapsyouwill findyourselfwithsickhensonyourhands.Ofcourse, theywillscratchabout thegardenandprovidethemselveswitha fairlywell-balanceddiet,butyouwouldbeamazedatwhatpeoplethinktheyeat!

Oneladycalledintoaradiophone-inprogrammeaboutsickhens,andwasaskedwhat shewas feeding them. ‘Anice salad’, she saidwith somepride.Anotherfedthemsausages,anothereggs,anothercollectedsnailsandslugsforthem,yetanotherfedthemKellogg’sCornFlakes.

Themost important part of being a chicken is getting the right food to eat.Ahen’sdietiscomplex,andtherearesomeobviousreasonsforit.First,alayinghenneedsalotofcalciuminthediet;shecannotmakeshellsfromnothing.Thenthebirdproducesalotofproteinintheformofalbumeninthewhiteoftheeggandalotoffatandmineralsintheyolk.Herdietneedstoreflectthis,aswellasprovide all the various nutrients and energy for the everyday nutrition of thebody. In order to keep herself going the hen is constantly pecking at possiblefood.

Thefundamentalbasicfoodforahenisacombinationofgrain,oilsandproteinsboughtbythehen-keeperinacompleterationtomatchtheageanddevelopmentofthehen.

There is awonderful1940sbookcalledRaisingHensandRabbitsonKitchenScraps, a great necessity duringwar time, althoughyouwere providedwith arationofgrainforeachhentosupplementtheirdiet.However,onstartingoutinhen-keepingyoumustunderstand:hensneedtherightfood,andwewillrepeat

thistimeandagain.Goodfoodmeanshealthyhens.

THEIMPORTANCEOFPROTEINYoung hens need protein to grow, and this needs to be in their food. Fromhatchingtosixweeks,thecrumbsfedtochicks,calledstarters’ration,canbeupto 20% protein. From sixweeks to 14weeks the ration changes to ‘growers’ration’whichisaround17%protein.

Beyondthisyoufind‘layers’ration’whichisaround15%protein,coveringallthehen’sneedsforday-to-dayadultlife.

Feeding cockerels, you might think, should be easier, because they do notproduce eggs. However, they do produce a lot of sperm. If the cockerel iscovering half a dozen hens, he will be delivering much more high proteinmaterialthanhiscourtesan’segg-a-dayequivalent.

Fundamentally,yourhensneedtheirration,starters’ration,growers’rationandlayers’rationastheirmaindiet.Everythingelseisanextra,whetheritbegrass,insects and grubs, bits of bread, cabbages (which they love),worms; all theseshouldbeconsideredanadditiontotherationratherthanthebasicdailydiet.

HensarenotgreedyUnlike dogs and small boys, hens will not eat and eat until they explode.Consequentlyahoppersystemisaconvenientwayofprovidingpellets.Youcanbesuretheywillnoteattheirwaythroughallthefoodatonce.

THEBESTWAYSOFDELIVERINGFOODWheneveryouseeanoldruralfilmthereisalmostalwayssomeonesomewhereinafarmyardthrowingafewhandfulsofgraintoagallopofchasinghens.Itisacute idea, but notpractical unlessyouhappen tohave a farmyard and a smallarmy of ferocious cats to frighten off the rats and mice that would also beattractedtothescatteredfood.

Forthemostpracticalpoultryfeedingitisbesttousesomekindoftroughorahopperdeliverysystem.

FEEDINGHENSINTHECITYIt is important, in the city, to be able to show your neighbours that there isnothing toworryabout in relation to rats.Consequently it isbest tokeepyourfeedlockedaway,atsomedistancefromthehens,soratscannotgettoknowitisthere.Ratsareintelligentanimals,andhavegoodmemories.Iftheylearnwherethe feed is kept, theywill soon enough find a way of getting to it.With fullbellies, you can be sure they will be looking to settle down in theneighbourhood,andbeforeyouknowittheywillbefoundwobblingacrossyourneighbour’s washing line and performing their particular form of high jinksaroundhomeandgarden.

The first sight of a rat can cause ‘chicken wars’ between otherwise perfectlyhospitablepeople,andyoushouldgoallouttobesurethisdoesn’tarise.

Keepingfoodlockedaway,andfeedingwithahopperthatyoutakeawayeachevening should be enough to keep the rat populationmore interested in othersourcesofhumanwaste,ofwhichthereareplenty.But it’snogoodtellingthepeoplewho live near you the rats came from somewhere else. They are yourresponsibilityiftheyaresharingyourchickens’food.

PELLETSORMASHMost people buy pellets for their birds because these flow more easily in ahopperdeliverysystem,andtheydon’tblowawayifputintoatrough.However,you can also buy the same product in amash form,made of flakes.Mash iseasierforsmallbirdstoeat,andyoucanmakeawetmashfromthem.However,mosthensdoperfectlywellonpellets.

Oneuseformashistoaddthisinaspecialfood(seebelow)wherethemashiscombinedwithotherfoods.

USINGAGRAVITYFEEDERIhaveseenmanyofthese,fromsmallboughtoneswhichholdaweek’sworthoffeedtolargeDIYaffairs,madefromadustbinandhungfromtheroofofashed,holdingatleastamonthortwo’sworthoffood.Theycanbefree-standingonthefloorortheycanbehungfromabeam.

Either way, they need to be protected from the rain, otherwise the pellets gorottenatthedeliveryendandthewholethingclogsup.Theycomeintwoparts:abucketorhopper,andaservinglid.Youfillthebucket,andthenattachthelid.Turnthewholefeederupsidedownandthehopperthenloadstheservingtray.Asthebirdseattheirration,thetrayisre-filled.

ProsandconsOntheonehandthegravityfeederrepresentsaneasywayoffeedingyourbirdsforaweek.Ifyouhaveithangingofftheground,itcanbeadjustedsoyourbirdscanpeckawayeasily,butratswillfinditimpossibletoreach.

Ifyouusesmallfeeders,andhavemanybirdsfeedingfromthem,youcouldfindtheweakerbirdsbeingbulliedinthegeneralcompetitionforspace,somakesureyouhaveenoughfeedersforbirdstobeabletoeatawayfrombullyingfemales.Ifyoucanseparatethefeedersfromeachotherbyaround5–10metres,thehenswillhaveachancetofeedandescapetheirrivalsshouldtheyhaveany.

All hens are messy eaters, and you get food over the floor, which has to becleanedup,andcertainhens–thetypethatpushesfoodtotheside–willmakeaterriblemesswithagravityfeeder,wastingmorethantheyeat.

The gravity feeder is not an opportunity to leave the hens unattended, eventhoughiscertainlymoreconvenient.

PROVIDINGWATERFORYOURHENSTherearebasicallytwowaysofwateringhens:atroughorgravitywatering.

Inmuchthesamewayasgravityfeederswork,anupturnedbucketforwaterisaveryconvenientwayofwateringyourbirds.Hensarequitemessyandwillthinknothingofpooingintheirwater,sothegravityfeederisbeneficialbecausethereisacomparativelysmalllip.Youdohavetokeepyoureyeonthis,andprovidethemwithfreshwateratleastdaily,andbepreparedtocleanthewatertroughorfeederifsoiled.

Thesamegoesforbullyingwith thewaterasdoes thefood,somakesureyouhaveacoupleofplacesforbirdstovisit.Itisbestyoucleanthecontainersoutveryregularly,insidethebucketsofthegravityfeedercangetalayerofmucousquite easily, and troughs get verymessy too.Why give your birds water youwouldn’twishtodrinkyourself?

AppleCiderVinegarAboutonceaweekIadda fewtablespoonsofAppleCiderVinegar (ACV) tothe water, which has a beneficial effect on the hens. Do it for a week everymonth,atarateofabout20mltoeachlitre.Manypoultrykeeperssayitcureseverything,which certainly it doesn’t. However, you will find a weekly dosebringsyourhensanewleaseoflife.

Certainly it counteracts many parasites in the gut, and increases the acidity,helpingtocontrolworms,thoughitisnotasubstituteforagoodworming.Itisfulloftraceelements,mineralsandvitamins.Youwillnoticebrighterfeathers,abettercombandmorealerthens.

Somepeople sayACV increases egg production,which is questionable, but itmightmeanfewerlostdaysineggproduction.

PROVIDNGCALCIUMINYOURHENS’DIETHensproduceeggs,andeachegghasashell.Themineralsneededforgoodshellproduction include calcium and there should always be an excess available inhens’diet.Layers’pelletsareadailyration,but ifyouprovidethehenswithapotofcrushedshell,too,theywillbenefitdoubly.

Inthedigestionoffood,hens(likeallbirds)usegrittogrindtheirfood.Shellisanimportantsourceofgrit,andtheywillgetmorebenefitfromtheirfoodwhen

crushedshell isavailable.Also,someof thecalciumisabsorbed,making theireggshellsstronger.

Undernocircumstancesshouldyoufeed theirowneggshellsback to thehens.Thiscancause themtopeckateggs,which in turncan lead tootherproblemssuchasbullying–atortuousroutethatweshallexplainlater.

HOWMUCHDOCHICKENSEAT?Chickswill eat about a kilo of food each in their first sixweeks of life. Thisgivesyouagoodguideonhowmuch food tobuy if youare startingoffwithchicks.

Adult birds eat differing amounts depending on the breed, theweather and iftheyarelaying.Theywillobviouslyeatmoreiftheyarefree-rangeratherthaninacage,andthisalsowilldependonhowmuchtheycansupplementtheirfood.

Generallyahenwillconsumeatleast25goffeedadayplus‘extras’.Wehavealreadymentioned,butitisworthmentioningagain,theimportanceofyourhenseatingtheirdailyrationbeforefillinguponotherfoods.Itisworthwhilenotinghowmuchyourhensareactuallyeatingbytakingcarefulnotesoveraweekpermonth. Thiswill give you an indicatorwhen the amounts drop. Besides, it ispleasanttowatchyourhensandunderstandtheirways.

PROVIDING‘EXTRAS’Itispossibletomakemashesofvariouskinds.Boilupsomepotatoesandmashthem.Addtothishalfasmuchlayers’mash,maybeacoupleofslicesofbreadandsomechoppedgarlic.Thiscanbeservedwarmtothehens(butnothot)onacoldday.Theywillloveit!Thegarlicistheretohelpdigestionandpossiblyhelpwiththeparasiteload.Itisnotareplacementforawormingregime.

Theadditionofsomecabbage,sproutstopsandoniongreenswillalsomakeforanextraspecialtreat.However,althoughtheywillhappilygoaroundeatingtheirway through your garden, try not to give them garden cuttings and generalgardenwaste. Chickens knowwhat they like to eat, and alsowhat is bad forthem,andyoumightbedisguisingsomethingtheywouldn’tnormallyeat.

Althoughtheyareomnivores, trynot togivethemmeat intheirdiet.Let themget their own in the formof insects, spiders andworms. It is not desirable toleavemeataroundthehutchorrun,asitissuretoattractrats.Keephens,sofarasthefoodyougivethemisconcerned,onavegetariandiet–they’lldotherest.

AwordaboutbreadWehumans eathorriblebread as a rule. It is not foodnutritious enough– thebreadboughtfromthesupermarket–tokeepahenalive,andeventheverybestbreadisn’tthatgoodforthemeither.

Byallmeansgivethemsomebreadtoeat–theyloveit,butonlyoncetheyhaveeaten their ration. Birds fed on bread alone go downhill rapidly andwithin acoupleofdaysyouwillnoticeadifferencefortheworse.

ConclusionBirdsneedtherightfoodfortheirparticularstageofdevelopment.Theirbasic,everyday, health-giving ration is layers’ pellets.Make sure you clean up afterthemandstoretheirfoodawayfromratsandmice.

CHAPTER6

HOUSINGHENS

Youcan findallkindsofhousing, sometimesongarage forecourts, sometimesoutsidepetshops,greengrocers,enterprisingfloristsand,increasingly,atgardencentres.Muchofthehenhousingyoufindforsaleisofinferiorquality,fitforayear’sworthofwearandeasilyholedbypredatorsandverminalike.

Ofcourse,hensliveinthewildtoo,wheretheyexistintownsorthewoodlandedge,mostly in theIndiansub-continent. It isbest tokeephens insuchawaythatmimicstheenvironmenttheycomefrom.

Hensneed to feel safe, and consequently theyperchup trees andon rooftops,awayfrommammalianpredators.Housingshouldprovidehenswiththisfeelingofsafetyandhaveaperchfor themtorooston.Theyhavereallystronggrips,andwillnotfallofftheirroostevenunderthefiercestprovocation.

Anotherthingistogivethemroom.Iftheyhavetocompeteforroostingspaceornesting, they can fight,withdistressing results.Don’t overcrowdyourhensandhaveatleastonenestboxpertwotothreehens.

Obviously,themoreyouspendonahutchthebetteritisgoingtobe,anddon’trush into the purchase; make sure it is good, robust, and take time to shoparound.Remember,yourhenswillspendalotoftimeinside!

Thefirstthingsyoushouldthinkaboutwhenbuyingahenhutchinclude:

CanIcleaniteasily,andreachtoallthecorners,nooksandcrannies?Arethematerialsrobustenoughtoprotectthehensfrompredators?Isthewoodfinishedtosuchastandardthatredmitecaneasilybedealtwith?Aretheresufficientnestboxesandaretheycomfortable?Aretherenailsand/orotherproblems(chickenwireistheworst)thatmight

injurethehensoryourself?Aretheroostsataheighttoallowenoughventilationabovethebirdswhensleeping?Istheroofleak-proof?Isthedoorsufficientlystrong?(Badgersareenormouslystronganimalsandwillbreakthroughadooriftheywantto!)Isthehutcheasilymoveable?Isitpossibletofitaruntothehutchtoconfinethebirds,and,ifso,isiteasilyremovable?Canyouaccessthenestboxesfromtheoutside?Areyouabletosupplyfeedandwaterinsideiftheweathergetsreally,reallybad?

Thehutch ispossiblyoneof themost importantpartsofagoodhealth regimeyourhenscanget.Itisresponsibleforthequalityoftheairtheybreatheforlargeparts of the evening and the atmosphere inside the hut. Whether it is mites,bacteria,fungalsporesorparasitesinthepoo,theamountofspacetheyhave,orthecompetitionforroostingspace,layingeggsortheabilitytobeabletoescapebullyingbirds,thehutchisaveryimportantpieceofequipment.

PROVIDINGVENTILATIONBirdsinhutchesareeithertoowarmonhotsummerevenings,orfreezinginthedarkest ofwinter nights.The rest of the time they are fine, unless it has beenraining,whenthebirdsspendthenightdryingout,steamingontheirroosts.

Firstofall,ventilationisimportantbecauseyoudon’twantyourbirdsbreathing

eachother’sbreath toomuch.Toomanybirds inahutch isdangerousbecausetheycanquicklyinfecteachother,particularlywhentheweatherisdamp.

Manyhutchesaredesignedbydividingtheroostingperchlengthbytheassumedwidthofahen.Veryoftenahutmadeforfourbirdsreallyoughttohavenomorethanthree.IfyouimagineasheetofA4paperforeachhen,thensubtract25%,youwillhavethecomfortablestockforthatparticularhut.

MATERIALSYouwill find twodecidedly opposing camps in the chickenworld: thosewhohate plastic and those who swear by it. The truth is many of these opposingviewscomefromhutchmanufacturersandare,Ihavetosay,verypersuasiveintheirarguments.However,agoodplastichutchisbetterthanabadwoodenone,and vice versa. I have been very happywith a small plastic hutchmade by awell-known British company. It has many design features that make it anexcellenthut.Althoughitisadvertisedasbeingforfourbirds,Ionlykeeptwoinit.Thiswayventilationisincreased.Itisoftenthesameforwooden‘arks’whichareessentiallyatrianglemadeoftwosidesandafloor.

Ventilationshouldcomethroughshieldedholesat the topof thehutchandnotnearthebottom.Thatwaywarmairfromsleepingbirdscanescapefromthehut.Thereareusuallyenoughgapsinthebottomtoallowamildflowofreplacementfreshairwithoutenormousgalesblastingthroughthehutch.

You get a lot of hen hutches made from material that is of inferior quality.Personally, I am not happywith hutsmade fromwhat looks like ‘waney lap’(thin,overlappingstripsofwood,foundinubiqitousfences)boardsor3mmplybecausetheyeitherleakwaterupthejointsortheyaretooflimsytowithstandahit fromaboot, football, lawnmoweror a badger. (The fox is usually far toodelicate tobash into things.)Often thefloorsof thesehutsarealsomadefromflimsywood,andwithinafewdaysoffindingit,small(orlarge)rodentswillbeabletonibblethroughthewoodtogetinside.

Theotherproblemwithplyisthecutsurfaces.Iftheyarenotsealedtotherain,waterwillget insideand,during thewinter, freezebetween theboards.Water,whenitfreezesactuallyexpandswithgreatforce, thereforepushingtheboards

apart,ruiningthewood.

It is preferable to buy hutchesmade from ‘marine ply’ or, better still, properplankwood.

You can get plastic hutches in many designs. There is nothing intrinsicallywrongwithplasticasamaterial. Indeed, itdoeshaveanumberofadvantages,andoncelockedinside,yourhensareusuallysafefromdanger.Theyareusuallywellventilatedandatthesametimefreefromdraughts.Easytoclean,mostofthemhavemouldedperches,makingitimpossible,oratleastverydifficult,forredmites to gain a hold.However,where the perches are riveted in place, orworse still, made of a pole balanced between holes, it is really difficult toeradicatethem.

Inawoodenhutchyoucanblowtorchthemites–butdon’tburnthethingdown!(Moreonthislater.)

Wooden roofs should be at least coveredwith good-quality roofing feltwhichshouldhaveadequateoverhangsandfew,orno,seamsforwatertoseepthrough.Imaginespendingthedayinthewet,andhavingtoenduretheconstantdrippingraindownyourneckallnighttoo!

NESTINGBOXESAruleofthumbisthatyoushouldhaveenoughboxesforthebirdstobeabletouse themwithout having to fight for a space. It’s the same problem faced bydesigners of ladies’ toilets. For three birds, have two boxes, for five to sevenhavethree,foreight totenbirdshavefourandsoon.Theydon’tall layat thesametime,butmakesureyouhavelotsofspace.

Putstraworothermaterials,suchasshreddedpaper,intheboxestomakethemcomfortableandreducethechancesoftheeggsbreaking.Ihavetoconfessthatthetwobirdsintheplastichutchhavenostrawinitssinglenestbox.Ifirstfilleditwithfreshstraw;theyateit.ThenItriedthemwithshreddedpaper,whichtheyconsumedfasterthanthehay.Ithentriedfallensoftpineneedles,whichtheyatetoo. I finallygaveupandnowthebox isbare–and theydon’tseemtomind.Being plastic, it is moulded to fit a hen smoothly. If I had a box with harsh

woodensides,Iwouldhavethoughttwice,andkeptonwiththestraw.

Somebirdscanbeaffectedbyhay,whichIpersonallyIhaveneverexperienced,butakindreaderpointedthisouttome.Theproblemiscausedbyafungalsporeofthegenusaspergillus.Ifyourbirdshavearunnynose,itmightjustbecausedbythehay–ifyouhaveusedit.

Makesureyoucleanthenestingboxes–henssometimespoowhentheylay,byaccident.Theysometimesjustpoo.Actually,thatcouldbethetitleforthewholebook–theydopooquitealot!

Theotherthingtorememberaboutnestboxesisfleasandmites.Thebirdssharethem,andthisisthepathtospreadingecto-parasitesaroundtheflock,sobesuretoregularlycleanoutthenestingareas,andeitherdisinfectinmoderation,dustorotherwisefumigatethemregularly.

PROVIDINGPERCHESHens love to climb up to perch, and they need a branch to hold on to. Irememberasalittleboygettingchickens’feetfromthebutcherandfrighteninggirlswiththem.Youpulledonatendonandthetoesclenched.Thismechanismisverystrong,andonceaboard,theyneverfalloff.

Sostrongisthisgripthatyoufromtimetotimefinddeadbirdsstillstandingontheperch.Theyneedapieceofwoodorplasticaboutaninchtoaninchandahalf (35mm)about50cmfromtheground.Youcanhaveanotherat75cmifyouarehousingmorebirds.

Trytomakesuretheseperchesaresmoothlylocated,withnonooksforredmitetoclimbinto.Onceeverycoupleofdayslookunderneath,andwheretheperchislocated into the walls, check for redmite. They huddle together in the shade(theyhatelight)andlooktoallintentslikeascab.Atnight,whenthebirdsareroosting,theycrawloutoftheirhidingplaceontothebirds’legs,andsucktheirblood.Vampiresthattheyare,theyskulkbackhomeinthemorning.

Fortunately you don’t need awooden stake to kill them – just some redmitepowder.

PROVIDINGALITTERTRAYWhile they are up there, having a sleep, hens poo. They poo just as they aregoing to sleep,when they are asleep and just as theywake up!Youwill findlinesofpoowhere theyhavebeenroosting.Putsomethingdowntosoak itallup: straw, shredded newspaper, and weekly if possible, collect the lot andcompost it. Thismakes brilliant compost, especially if you are going to growmushrooms on it, so long as you can get over having a foodstuff created bycollectingyourhens’poo.

Yearsago,althoughpossiblythereareoneortwostillpractisingit,therewasasystem called deep littering.You covered the poowith a layer of straw. Eachweekyoupiledmorestrawonitandasitfermented(andpongedabittoo)thelitterwouldfallunderitsownweight,andwarmthehutchesintheprocess.

Then,ofcourse,eventuallythedeeplitterhadtoberemoved,makingeveryonesweatandsickatthesametime.

Thisisnotagoodideafordomesticchicken-keepingbecauseofthesmell.

PROVIDINGABIGENOUGHRUNMosthenhutchescomewiththepossibilityofhavingarunattachedtothehut,sothebirdsgettheopportunityforawalk-about,ascratchandapeckand,atthesametime,remainprotectedfromtheoutsideworld.

Forgoodness’sake–makeitarun!It is fairly important, and I have often felt this while watching them at thenumerouslittlearksyouseeingardensandpoultrysalesorganisations,theword‘run’isabitofamisnomer,andmightinsomecasesdomoreharmthangood.MaybeIamhumanisingthingstoomuch,butbearwithme–you’llgettheidea.

In a battery farm thehens lookout at rowafter rowof crates, in dimmedbutadequatelightinawarm,biologically-controlledroom.

That’salltheysee,andtheyhavenonotionofanythingbetterordifferent.Butinsome cases, in one of those tiny ‘arks’, they are confined to a space not that

muchbigger thanabatteryhen,and theprospectof somewonderful food justoutofbeak’sreachmightbefarmorefrustratingtothebirdthantobelockedupaltogetherinawarmroomwithfoodandwaterontap.

Ifyouaregoingtohavearun,makeitarun,notasmallwalk.Rememberthefive freedomsmean theanimal shouldbeable to engage innormalbehaviour.Wesometimescomparedomesticfowlhousingwithpoultrycaging,whichisnotonlymisleading but possibly unhelpful. If all your birds can do is to waddlearoundafewsquaremetresofrun,thatisnotenough.Inthewild,henswandermanyhundredsofmetres,toreturntotheirfavouriteroostseachevening.

Ifyoucan,allowthebirdstheuseofthegardenspace,providingyoucanprotectyour favourite flowers, and they cannot get over the fence to decimate yourneighbour’sgardentoo.

Oneof thebest runs Ihave seenwasa fruit cage:bigenough for agood run,lightenoughtomove,secureenoughtokeepyourbirdsenclosed.

Make sure the run is predator-proof, andmake it so themyriad sparrows andotherbirdscannotgetintotherun,orontopofitforthatmatter.Theirdroppingscouldspreaddiseasetoyourbirds.

Donotthinkthegatetotherunisagoodenoughdoorforthebirdstospendthenight behind. Alwaysmake sure you can still lock the hut door with the runclosedtoo.andthattherunandhutareeasilymovedbyhumans,butsteadyasarocktowind,children,petsandotheranimals.

SITINGTHEHUTItisbestifyoucansiteyourhenssotheyarenotoverhungbytrees,butdohaveameasureofprotectionfromprevailingwinds.

Ifpossible,haveacleargapbetweenthehutchandtheground.Thisissothereisnowhere for families of rats or mice to live under the hut. Also, if you canconstruct it so that your hens can climb up to roost, somuch the better as itmakesthemfeelmorecontent.

MOVINGTHEPOSITIONOFTHEHUTANDRUNAsyouwillhavenoticedsofarinthisbook,itisalarminghowmuchbirdspoo.Over time this poo loads the soil it lands on with parasites’ spores and eggswhichwillre-infectyourbirds,andinfectanynewbirdsyoumayacquire,overtime.

Onewayofreducingtheburdenofparasitesistomoveyourhensaroundfromtime to time.Usuallyyou shouldput the runandhutonnew landevery threemonths,andnotreturnthemtotheoriginalspotforatleastsixmonths.

Therearewaysofdoingthisifyoujustdon’thavespaceenoughtomovethem.You can put the birds on concrete or paving flags, covered with a layer ofcompostorsoilbothforcomfortandtoenablethemtoscratch.Thisallowsyoutoremovesoiledmaterialforcomposting,alongwiththeparasitesinit.

STORINGFOODThisisparticularlyimportantifyouliveinatown.Keepyourfoodawayfromthe hens in a sealable, animal-proof, container. Lock it away in a shedsomewhere andalways cleanupany spillage. It is notgoodenough to simplystoresacksoffeed–theyarefartooeasilynibbledthrough.Iusedanoldsteelammunitionchestformanyyears,andalsoasetofsteelofficefilingcabinets.

USINGABROODYBOXFromtimetotime,accordingtothebirdtype,yourhenswillgobroody.Thatis,they’ll wish to sit on eggs in order to raise new hens. Such hens becometroublesome,peckingatanyoneoranyhenthatcomesnearthenestbox.Ifyouwishthehentoraiseaclutch,putsomefertileeggsunderherandseparateherfromthemainflock.Forthisyouneedabroodybox,whichisessentiallyasmallhutchwhichallowsyoutokeepthebroodyandheroffspringawayfromtherestofthehens–whomightjustkilltheyoungiftheycouldgettothem.

Theboxshouldhaveasmallbutwellprotectedrun,freefromdraughtsandrainandthereshouldbeanestboxaswellasaperchinside.Youshouldbeabletofeedchickfood,andtheabilityforamotherhentoenjoyaquickwalkaround,achanceofapooandhaveherownfoodandwater.

Alternatively,youmaynotwishyourbroodyhentositoneggs.Afewdaysinthebroodybox,wheretherearenoeggstositon,usuallydoesthetrickwhenitcomestoreturninghertonormality.

BUILDINGYOUROWNCHICKENHUTThisisapossibilityforanyonewiththeskills.Aseriously-robuststructurecanbemadeusingexteriorplywood.Asimpleboxwithadoorwilldo.

I built a hen hutch having bought one that came bymail orderwhich arrivedsmashedtopieces.Youneed:

1pieceof18mm×60cmsqexteriorply;5piecesof18mm×59cmsqexteriorply;2piecesof3cm×1cm×60cm;2piecesof3cm×1cm×62cm;lotsofnails;agoodsaw.

What I designed became a hen hutch for 20 quid, that any idiot could puttogetherandthatwouldbeatleastasgoodasanyoneelse’sonthemarket.Ihaveseensimilarhutsasthesefor£300plusand–IknowIambiased–butthislittlehutchisasgoodasthose(Iwouldsaythat,wouldn’tI?).

MakingtherooflidLookingathenarks, therearehinges,etc.,special jointsandbitsofwoodthathavetobesawnandevenrouted.Well,allthatfancystuffisgreatifyoucandoit,butIcan’t,althoughIcannailabattentoapieceofmarineply,andthenusethisasalid.

Havingthoughtaboutit,therooflidisabrilliantideabecauseyoucanpullitoffandreachintothehutchtocleanit.Theroostingbarcanbeliftedoutandallthenooksandcranniescanbegotatwithablowlamptoremovealltheredmites,ordustedorcleaned.

Thevolumeinside isverysimilar tomyOmletEglu–plentyofspacefor twobirds,andlotsofheadroomforthebirdstobreathethefreshair.

Tostartwithyouneedfourpiecesof18mmmarineply59cmsquareandone60cmsquare.Youneedanotherpieceofplywhichyouwillfitinthefront.Ididn’tbothertomeasurethispiece,Ijustmarkedthisoff.

Youneedsome3cm×1cmbattenwithwhichtolinetheouteredgeofthe60cmsquarelid.Thiswillgiveyoualidwithalip,whichyoucanlayontopofthebox.

Whenthehutisfinishedyouhaveachoice–youcaneitherputroofingfeltontherooflidorpaintit.Ihadsomerubberisedpaintintheshed,andIquitefanciedthat.

Therooflidwillbefixedinplacewithabungee(nylon-casedelasticatedband)so it can’t blow away.My first design ideawas to have a dowel through twoholesonwhichthebungeecouldlipoverandthebirdscouldroostonit.ButInowpreferafixedroost.

SitingtheroostingbarMarkoutthepositionoftheroostingbarbeforeyouputthewholehuttogether.Thismustbeatleast20cmfromthebackwall,andaminimumof15cmoffthefloor,preferablyhigher ifyoucanmanage it.There shouldbeheadroomofatleast30cm.

ClampingandconstructionThesidesof thehutchsiton topof the floorpieceandarescrewedandgluedinto position. I found it easier to hold the pieces in position with clamps.Actuallyconstructingyourhutisalittlefiddlytosetup,butwhenusingclamps,thewholejobismucheasiertocomplete.

FixingthebackThe floor is fixed to the two side walls and the whole structure is thenstrengthened by attaching the back. The structure now has a floor and threesides,gluedandscrewedtogether.

ThefrontCutapiece,about3sqcm,outofthetopofthefront,toallowforventilation.

The entrance (door) is also cut out of the front piece and can be hinged, slidbehind two L-shaped brackets, or held in position with rope. The size of theentrance is really themost important part of the construction, because this iswhereMrFoxcouldgetin.Ifyoumaketheentryspacejustbigenoughforahentogetthrough,youwillmakeyourhutsaferagainstpredators.However,ifyoumake the aperture too small, the hens will not use it, leaving themselvesvulnerabletoattack.

NestboxandroostbarinplaceFirst, cover the structure completely with roofing felt, for waterproofing. Thewholestructureneedseithertobepaintedortreatedwithwoodpreservative.

Yourhutmustberaisedofftheground.Youcouldconstructawoodenframeforthispurpose,butyoumightjustaswellusesomeconcreteblocks.

ThecostAlready-treatedmarineplycostsaround30a sheet,whichprovidesmore thanenoughtomakeasmallhut.Youwillhavetomaintainforyourhut,bykeepingit painted and weatherproofed, but these tips prove that keeping hens doesn’thavetobeexpensive.

INTRODUCINGHENSTOTHEIRNEWHOMEThisisatrickyaffairifyoualreadyhavehens.Letusassumefirstofallthatyouhavenone,andtheseareyourfirstbirds.

Somepeopleputtheirhensontheperchsotheycanfeelathome.Ineverdothisfortworeasons.Firstofall,andthisisespeciallytrueifyouhavegotyourselfsomeex-batteryhens:youdon’tknowhowstrongthegrip isandtheycanfalloff andhurt themselves.Whenyoubuybirds they canbe fromaholdingpenwheretheyhavespenttheirpreviouscoupleofweeks.

Ofcourse,ex-batteryhensarefragilecreaturestostartwith,andshouldneverbeofferedaperchtostandoniftheyarenotwillingtodoso.

Placethebirdsintheirhutwithfoodandwaterandconfinethemfor24hours,longenoughforthemtobecomecontentwiththeirnewsurroundings.Thenletthemintotherunandonlyafteraweekortwoletthemwanderintothegardenatlarge.

INTRODUCINGHENSTOEACHOTHERIfyourhenshavebeenraisedfromchicks–whichisquitelikelyifyoubuythemfromadedicatedpoultrysupplier–theywillhaveformedbondsof‘friendships’thatmeantheymoreorlesslivepeacefullyformostoftheirlivestogether.

Cockerels,fromafairlyyoungage,arecompetitive.Theydon’teverstopbeingso.Theywillfightwithincreasingferociousnesstogainasmanyfemalesintheirharemaspossible.Bringinganewbirdintoanestablishedflockcanbefraughtwithproblemsbecause that bonding is not therebetween the establishedbirdsand the newcomer and they will, likely as not, encounter some problems,rangingfromabitofbok-bokingtooutrightbullying.

Ifpossible,introduceatleasttwonewbirdsatthesame,time,puttingtheminabroodyboxnext to thefenceandgivethemtheirownlittlerun.Watchoutforskirmishesatthefencebetweentheestablishedandnewbirds.Youwillknowifthereisaproblemifthereisaheightenedamountofbok-bok-bokinggoingon.

Onlywhen you feel happy should you put them into the same run,when youmustwatch their behaviour carefully. It can take aweek for these two sets ofhenstobeunited,andeventhen,afirmeyeneedstobekeptopenfortrouble.

CHAPTER7

HOWTOKEEPYOURHENSHEALTHYANDCLEAN

Hens are fairly clean in their habits. I say fairly cleanmeaning that theywillpreen themselves, oil their feathers and make sure these are waterproof.However, theywillpoo in their foodandwater,where theysleep,andwilleatspilledfeedlodgedinpooandmudifthey’rehungryenough.

Like all birds who are mobile enough in the wild to avoid having specialbehaviour when it comes to excreting, hens do not mind soiling themselves.Pigs, on the other hand, are completely fastidious about not pooing onthemselves;notsohens!

Consequently,wehavetokeepourbirdsclean.Thismeanscleaningoutfromthehutchtheirroostingmesses,andmakingsureanyplaceswherehensstandorsitarefreefrombothmessandectoparasites.

CLEANINGTHEHUTCHItisoftenbetterifcleaningcanbemanagedeverycoupleofdays,ataskeasierifyou only have a few birds to clean up after. My advice would be to startcompostingchickenmanureasearlyaspossible.Adecentcompostheapwouldsoon be overloaded by the amount of manure produced by chickens, and thecompostwouldbecomerunnyandsmelly.

Theimportantthingistobesuretoaddalotofgardenwasteandmixthiswithlayers of chickenmanure. A good compost heap needs heat, air andwater toworkwell.Ifyoukeeponremovingthelidinordertoaddasmallamountofhenmanureintheheap,itwillsooncooldown,thusreducingitsefficiency.Collectaweek’sworthinaliddedbucketandthenaddthistotheheap.Firstputinafewsheetsofnewspaperandthenaddthemanure,thenmorenewspaperontop.By

doingthisyouwillhaveplentyofabsorbentnewspaperandtheheapwillremainhealthy.

DON’TOVER-DISINFECTThe temptation tomake the hen hutch completely sterile like our own toiletsshouldbeavoided.Ifanystainingorsmearingofpoooccurs,washitawaywitha little salted water. Try to avoid strong vapours which the birds dislike andwhichcantainteggs.

Ifyoucanremovethemajorityofthemanureusingnewspaper,abrush,adrawhoeorashovel,thatisallyoureallyneedtodo.Ifindawateringcanworkstowashawaytherestofthedebriswithaquickbrushing.

Isprinklesomesalttodisinfectandthenre-bedthefloorwithwhatevermaterialIamusingatthetime.

Aseriouslookaroundtheperch(es),thejointsandnooksandcranniesinsidethehutchwillshowupredmites,whichshouldberemovedandtreated/eliminated,and you should be looking for telltale signs of rodents getting into the hut –spraints (rodent faeces) are quite different from chicken poo. If you find any,establishwhere they are getting into the hut and dealwith this accordingly. I

havefoundthatsealing theholeandraising thehut fromtheground(if that ispossible)dealswiththelittlevisitors.

CLEANINGTHENESTBOXESItendtodothisbetweeneveryfewdaysandaweek.However,ifthenestboxissoiled, I clean it straight away. It is a matter of cleaning away the beddingmaterial and replacing it, looking out for mites, etc. and dealing with themaccordingly, andmakingsureyouareconstantlyhappywith thequalityof theeggs.Wewilllookatthislater,buttheycansometimesbestreakedwithpooorbloodorboth,whichsometimesalsogetsonthebedding.Thiscouldindicateapoorlyhen.

Ifyouhavealotofpoointhenestbox,thiscouldmeanyouhaveahenwithabowel/reproducitvepassageproblem,ahensleepingon thenestbox,ora lazyhen.Watchyourbirdsforsignsofbullyingifyouhaveahenroostingonthesideofthenestbox.Ifpossible,taketheboxawayforanightandlistenatroostingtimeforsignsoftrouble.

CLEANINGFEEDERSThisisanimportanttask.Henswillsoiltheirwater,giventhechance,andsoyouhave to clean it.Alwaysmake sure the drinking pans are clean – no algae inthemandcertainlynopoo!Youwouldn’twishtodrinkfromthemandneitherdothehens.Youmightwonderwhy theypoo around thedrinkingvessels – theycan’thelpit.Theyhaveevolvedalifestyleonthemove,overagreatarea,butwe keep them like agricultural beasts, confined, so their natural behaviourdoesn’tmatchhowwekeepthem.

Make sureyou also clean the feeder,whetherhopperor dish.Keep it dry anddon’tletfoodspillouttoomuch(althoughthiscan’tbehelped,believeme!).

CHAPTER8

CHOOSINGYOURBIRDS

Ithasbeenmyexperiencethat,likebees,hensarefascinating.Theywillabsorbyoursleeplessnightsandprovideyouwithnoendof interest.There isalwayssomethingnewtolearn,alwayssomethingtopreparefororlookforwardto.

There isno such thingas thebesthen, the righthen, theoneyou shouldbuy,because there are so many factors involved in their care and use. You mightfancy something that looks pretty around the garden, youmight want a largemeat variety, a good layer or a combination of all three. You might fancybantams,whicharesmallversionsoftheordinarybreedsoryoumightprefertodoyourbitforhenkindandkeepex-batterybirds.

Thewholethingisuptoyou,you’retheboss.Buttherearesomebreedsthatdobetterforthegardenpoultrykeeperthanothers.

WHATARETHEADVANTAVESOFKEEPINGACOCKEREL?Wehavesaid,onpage18,thatinthetown,wherethereareneighbourstoannoy,youarebestnottokeepacockerel.But,andIamnotcontradictingmyselfatall,therearegoodreasonsforkeepingone.Ofcourse,theoverridingconcernshouldbe the people around you. But, generally speaking, hens are happier withcockerels.Ofcourse, theirnaturalpassion is to reproduce,oneof thedefiningqualitiesoflifeitself,andthepresenceofthecockerelkeepshensinorder,andfulfillsthisurgeforthem.

With a cockerel in your flock the hens will also be protected to a degree.Cockerelsarefussy,bloody-mindedandstrong,andmanyacatordoghasbeenputoffbytheirpresence.Therehasbeenlotsofresearchintotheimportanceofhensociety,and theway theyperceive threats,and ithasbeenfound that they

aredefinitelyhappierwithamanaround.

HOWTOBUYHENS

AlwayskeepmorethanoneChickens are flocking birds, albeit in reduced numbers thanmany breeds, butthey are social animals.A lonehen is a sadbeast indeed and Iwould say theminimumnumberofbirdstostartwithisthree–justincaseonediestherearestilltwotobegoingonwith.Itisnotuncommonforsinglehenstogiveupthewilltolive,andtheyareenlivenedwhenputwithanotherhen.

Ex-batteryTherearelotsofwaysofgettinghens.Perhapsoneofthesafest,withregardtothehealthof thebirds and their futuredevelopment, is tobuy ex-batteryhensfromoneoftheorganisationssuchastheBritishHenWelfareTrust.

I agree, in the long run,withmanywho say thesebirdsmightnotbe thebestbirdsforabrandnewhenenthusiast.Thereareinstanceswhereabirdcandieofshock, cold, stress and new hen keepers are apt to blame themselves in thesesituations.It isn’t thebest introductiontokeepingpoultry tohaveonedie.Butgenerallyex-batteryhensareveryhealthy indeed.Theymight look featherlessandbewildered,butthisispartlybecauseofthemoult–whichiswhytheyarenousetotheeggfarmerinthefirstplace.

The point is that an ex-battery hen has been immunised against almosteverythingtreatableinthehenworld, theyhavenoliceormites, theirgutsareclearofparasitesandsoon.

You should give them land that has not hadhens on it before – if they ingestworms or parasites they can become quite ill because they haven’t had thembefore. They need plenty of shelter, good food and clean water and time torecoverfromtheirentryintotheworld–abitofpeaceandquiet.

You can buy special ex-battery feed with a little extra protein to help themrecover their feathers, and thenas soonas they start layingagainput themonlayers’pellets.

Ex-batteryhensarehybrids,builtforegglaying.Youwillgetatleast250eggsfromeachbirdinthenextyear–theirpreviousyeartheyprobablylaidaround340eggs.

BuyingfromproducersIwouldsay,don’tbuyfromanagriculturalmarketbyauction. It isawasteoftimebecauseyouhaveabsolutelynoideawhatyouarebuying,thestateofthebirds, their age andwhat not.There are, however, a number of poultry showsaroundthecountrywherespecialistproducersselltheirstock.

I know this soundsobvious, but domake sureyouhave all thehousing, feed,waterers,everythingyouneed, inplacebeforeyoubuyandyouhaveadequateboxesforthebirdstobetransportedhome.

At dedicated poultry shows you can talk to suppliers, ask questions, comparebirdsandpickupalotofadviceonthewaythatyoumightnevergetelsewhere.

PoultryparksThese includepoultry ‘farms’whereyoucangoandview thehens,often rarebreed hens at that, poultry housing, poultry feed and even get training. Veryoftentheyareverygood,butlookaroundatthecleanlinessofthehutsandrunsandthewaythebirdsinteract.Arethewatererscleanandsoon?

Don’tforgettoaskquestionssuchas,‘Whatarethehensimmunisedagainst?’,

‘Canyoushowmetheyareatpointoflay?’–aquestionthatoftenbringsmanyanswers.

Shoparoundandvisitafew–they’renicedaysoutanyway.

PolThismeanspointof lay, inotherwordsthesehensarejustaboutreadytostartlayingeggs.YouwillfindmanypoultrysellerswillcallabirdPOLat18weeks,and you could be waiting another six before they actually start to lay – amaddeningperiodwhenyouactuallyhardlybelieveitisevergoingtohappen.

Bepatient–feedthemgoodfoodandeventuallytheywillstart.

YoucangetanindicationaboutPOLif,whenhandlingthebird,youcanfittwofingers between the pelvic bones near the hen’s bottom.This gap increases insizethenearertheanimalistolaying.

BREEDSSUITABLEFOREVERYONE

PurebreedsvshybridsOvertheyearspeoplehavebredpoultrytogetcertaincharacteristics,crossingagood layer with a bird that never moults to give something of bothcharacteristics.However, usually, thesebirdswhenmatedproduce all kindsofoffspringnoneofthemresemblingtheirparents.

Overmanygenerations,peoplehaveproducedsomebirdsthatalwaysbreedtrue–theyarecalledpurebreeds.

Theancona,forexample,producesanconas,notalargermalewithoutbarrsandasmallerfemalealmostblack.

Hybridbirdsarenotlikethis.Ifyoumatetwohybridsyouaremostlikelynottogetanythingbecausemanyof themaresterile,orsomeof themdon’tproducemales at all. Sometimes hybrids produce some very strange offspring, as thegeneticsoftheirgrandparentsshowthrough.

SexlinkageTherearecharacteristicsthatarelinkedtothesexofthebird.Formostofusthisisoflittleimportanceuntilwestarttobreedourhens.Sometimes,forexample,malescanhavetelltalemarkings,allowingustoseparatethemfromtherestofthechicks–unlessyouarewillingtogrowthemforfood,noonewantsalotofcockerels!

ThefollowingbirdsareonesofwhichIhavehadsomepersonalexperienceandcan vouch for their characteristics. There are many more birds out there tochoosefrom–around160purebreedsalone,sogoandhavea look!Theyare

alwaysfascinating,andacloserstudywillbringenjoymentandreward.

TheLBJtoMrsPepperpotThesearehybridbirdsthataresowidespreadtheyareoftenreferredtoasLittleBrown Jobbies or LBJs. They aremostly from the breeding programmes thathaveproducedtheubiquitousbatteryhen.

Thereareanumberofreasonsforkeepingthesehens,inadditiontotheirheavyegg-layingcapabilities.Theyarepatient,unruffledbirdsthataregentleandverybonding.Oncetheyknowyoutheywillcomeandeatfromyourhand.Theyareperfectforchildrenandrarelyfightorbully.

Robust,theycanwithstandfreezingtemperaturesandsummerheat,andareveryeconomicalbirds.

Oneofthegreatthingsaboutthemistheyhardlyevergobroody,atraitbredoutofthem.

Youcanfindthesebirdsanywhere,andtheircharacteristicsarefairlycommon.Most of the LBJs you buy are crosses with Rhode Island Red (RIR). MissPepperpot, for example, is a cross between an RIR and another hybrid crossbetweenaMaranandaPlymouthRock.TheSpeckledyHenisacrossbetweenanRIRandaMaran.

AnconaThesearecompactbirds,almosthalfwaybetweenfull-sizedbirdsandbantams.They have been around since the 1840s and produce in the region of 170smallisheggsayear.Theyarepronetofighting,andthoughtheyarestrikinginappearance, you have to be careful – they do not mix well with children.However, if you are looking for a bird thatwillwander around the allotment,vacuumingupinsects,thisistheoneforyou.

AustralorpA dual-purpose bird developed for the outbackers inAustralia. It lays around200eggsayearandhasadecentcarcasstoo.Thisbirddoestendtobroodiness,

andtheydomakeexcellentmothers,soifyouarethinkingaboutbreeding,thisistheoneforyou–thebroodyprocessisusuallypainfree.

You will notice that hens with black feathers lay fewer eggs than average,whereasbirdswithred/brownfeatherslaymore.TheAustralorpisjustabouttheexception that proves the rule. Just imaginewhatwouldhavebeen the case ifthesebirdswereRIR-based!

BarnevelderThisisabeautifullydappledbirdyoujustwanttohug(butdon’t).Itisadocile,friendlybirdthatwillhooverupinsectsandgardenpestsandstillfindtimeforachatinthemiddleoftheday.Ithastobeoneofthebestbirdsforthegarden–nottoobigandeasytocarefor.Thedownsideisthelowishnumberofeggs,ataround170.

BlackRockThisisahybridoftheRIRandtheBarredPlymouthRock.Theylookgorgeous,beingblackwithsomechestnut.Theyare lovelybirds tobenear,andtheyaregentlewitheachotherandotherhens.

IfyouliveinthenorthoftheUK,orinanexposed,coldwindyplace,theBlackRockisthebirdforyou.Ithasstrong,highlywaterproofedfeathersthatkeepthebirddryandwarmintheworstofweathers.

Theirfeathersareverystrongandtheyareprolific layers–around230ayear.TheyarewellworthalookifyouwantapossiblymorehandsomeversionoftheLBJ.

OrpingtonThese are a little like pillows on legs. They are nearly all feather, andconsequently striking birds. These are themost docile birds in theworld, andlovebeingpickedup.They are easywithpets and children.They are somildthattheydonotreactwellwhenthereareotherbossybirdsaround–watchoutforfeatherpecking.Theyonlylayaround150eggsayear,butareseriouslybuffandlovely.

PlymouthRockThisisanAmericanbirdoflongpedigree,hailingbacktothe1820s.Ihaveonlyreallykeptwhiteones,butyoucanalsogetbuff-colouredexamples.It isnotasmallbird,makingagoodboiler,butstilllayingabout160eggsayear.Thisisanexampleofthedual-purposebird,producingmeatandeggs,andisthereforethesmallholder’sidealhen.

Ifyoukeepthempennedintoasmallrun,theywillgrowfatquitequickly,butallow them thegarden to roamaroundand theywalk it off.Extremelydocile,thisanimalisagreatcompanion.

RhodeIslandRedThere issomethingmasterfulabout thesebirds.Theystandnononsense in therun,butarenotoutrageouslyaggressive.It’sjustthewaytheystand!TheylooklikemembersofthehenSAS,butlaylotsofeggs–around220ayear.

Theyneedspaceandarebigbirds,sochooseyourhousingcarefully.

SussexThese are lovelybirds tokeep– if you likewhitehenswith all kindsof littlemarkings and beautiful temperaments.These birds are inquisitive – always onthego,lookingforsomethingtodo,scratchingandintelligent.Theyarenottoo

large,layaround200eggsayearandhavesoftfeathers–sokeepthemshelteredfromdrivingrain.

WyandottesThesepurebreedbirdsaresuchgentlebarredandspeckledhens.Ihadanumberof them, silver laced, and they were just lovely. Almost too lovely – I wasalwaysworried theywould break a bone.With slight frames but quite robustreally,theylayabout200eggsayear.

BantamsThebonsai of the chickenworld, bantams areminiature versionsof the largerbreeds–mostlypurebreed chickens.They are adelight tokeepbecause theyseem(tomeatleast)tohavebagsofpersonality.

Generally they tend tohave the samecharacteristics, especiallywith regard toegglaying,astheirlargercounterparts.However,donotthinkthat,becausetheyaresmall,youneedlessspace.

Somepoultrybooksdescribebantamsasbeing‘flighty’.Theycanbeaggressive,andcertainlyaremuchmoremobilethanthelargerbirds.Theyflymoreeasilyandgenerallyneedalotofroomfortheirsize.

Theyeatasimilaramountoffoodtoalargerbird,butgivesmallereggs.Ithastobesaid, theeggsaregorgeous!Theyarethickershelledandhavejustasmuchnutritional value in them as larger eggs, and are excellent fried and boiled. Incakes,youjustneedtousemoreofthem.

Theytendtodowellwhenmixedwithlargerbirds,andit isbetter if therearethree or four of them together. They tend to hold their own and are rarelybotheredbybullyinghens–partly because they are faster, andpartly becausetheygiveasgoodastheyget.

CHAPTER9

HOWTORECOGNISEWHENTHINGSAREGOINGWRONG

Designwise,hensaresimple.Thereisnotalotthatcangowrongwiththem,butwhenitdoes,theydodownquickly.Theyhaveahabitofgivingupwhentheyarereallypoorlyandtheyareeasytospotwhentheydo.

Themainthingabouthensistheyhaveasignalonthetopoftheirheadtellingyou how they are doing. Often the first sign of a bird being off colour is adroopy,palecomb.Wedonotintendtolistall thediseasesyourbirdscanget,noralltheremedies.

Oneofthebestthingsyoucandoisfindavetwhohashenexperience,justincase, and thenmaintainagood feeding,wateringandcleaning regime.This isthekeytosuccesswithhens:goodfood,cleanwater,lackofstressandplentyoffreshair.

APPLECIDERVINEGAR(ACV)Thisbrilliantsubstanceaidspoultry’simmunesystemsomuchthatitpromoteshealth.Youreallycanseeadifferencewhenyouaddittothehens’water.Theyperkupandactuallylookhappy.Itworksbothasanantisepticandanantibiotic;itreducesparasiteloadinthegutandpromoteshealing.

Allyouneedtodoisaddtwodessertspoonsperlitretotheirdrinkingwater.Dothiseverydayforaweekeachmonth.

OTHERADDITIVESThere aremany companies selling tonics for hens, often containinggarlic andothervitamins.Usuallytheydealwithinternalparasitesandareofsomeusein

thisrespect.Theyarenottobeusedinsteadofawormerbecausetheywillnotremovenorkillallthewormsinthehen.Theywilljusthelptokeepthemdown.

Garlicisalsoanantibiotic,alwaysbeneficialinkeepinghenshealthy.

HENSSITTINGINTHECORNER,HARDLYFEEDINGORDRINKINGThisisatypicalbullyingsituation.Hensarenotlikeus–theybullyandthereisa‘peckingorder’.Femaleswilloftenganguponaweakerbird,peckingatheruntil blood is drawn.When they taste blood, hens are encouraged to carry ondoingwhattheyaredoing,makingitworseforthevictim.Bulliedhenssleeponnestboxes,hardlyevergettotheirfood,orwater.Theysit,listless,inacorneroftherunandlookscruffy.

Thewaytodealwith thisproblemis toremove thehenfromtheothers intoalittlerunandhutchofherown.Shewillquicklypickupafterherordeal;afewgoodsleeps,andfeedingandwateringwillsetherright.Shemightneverbeabletorejointheflock,though.

Youmightfindthereisonehen,ormaybeacock,whoiscausingallthetrouble,andisolatingthatbirdcanoftenputthingsright.Itisaquestionofwatchingyourhens,knowingwhattheyaredoingandactingaccordingly.

HENSWITHFEATHERSMISSINGFrom time to time hens pluck feathers, and there is nothingwrongwith that.However,thiscansometimesbeduetoacoupleofproblemsthatneedtreating.

Whenhenspullfeathersfromaroundtheirbottoms,oftenwithenoughforcetocausebleeding,itcanbeduetotheirritationofchickenmites.

Youcanbuypowderforthebirds,andtreatmentforthehut.Youhavetoremovethebirdsfromthehutalsoallthebeddingandcleanawayanypoo.Makesurealltheinsideofthehutistreatedwiththepowder,anddustthebirdstoo.

Youmightwishtokeeptheaffectedbirdsinisolationuntiltheyhavehealedinordertoavoidpecking.Besureyoutreatallyourbirds.

Sometimesfeatherpullingcanbeareactiontostress,especiallyiftherearetoomanybirdsinasmallspace.Theremedyhereistomakemoreroomavailable,orremovesomebirds.

WHITEENCRUSTINGATTHEBASEOFTHEFEATHERSThisisthedebrisandtheeggsofthechickenlouse.Itreallyirritatesthebirds,leadingtofeatherpulling.Cleanoutthehutandapplylousepowdertothenestboxes,etc.andtreatthebirds.

BIRDSWITHSCALYLEGSHens’ legs should be perfectly smooth, but they can sometimes becomeencrusted and painful. This is a problem caused by mites that get under thescalesofthelegwheretheylayeggsandgenerallyirritatethebird.Inbadcasesthebirdcanhavedifficultyinwalking.

You can rub oil on the legswhichwill suffocate themites underneath. A vettreatmentalsodoesthesamething,butmoreeffectively.Ifyourhensgetscalylegitisprobablybesttoseekadvice.

LOTSOFDIARRHOEAANDHUNGRYBIRDSWheneggproductiondropsandthereisalotofdiarrhoeaitmaymeanthatyourhens have worms. They need to be wormed at least twice a year. Wormingpowder is sprinkled on their food and this does the trick.Moving the hens tofreshpasturealsohelpsreduceorpreventre-infection.

PALECOMBSANDREDUCEDEGGPRODUCTIONThiscouldbeduetoalmostanything,butthefirstcheckshouldbeforredmite.Thesepestsspendthedayhidingincrevicesandtheirnightsdrinkingthebloodof your birds. Bad cases will leave your birds anaemic and with scaly legproblems.

Checkforredmiteatleasteveryweekandkillthem.Therearelotsofwaysofkilling them, from powders to sprays to diatomaceous earth to blow torches.Checkallthecranniesinthehutch,anddon’tforgetthenestboxestoo.

WHEEZINGBIRDSThis can be due to a number of problems, but perhaps the most common isaspergillosis,afungusthatinfestshayandpoointhehutandwhosesporesarebreathed in by the hens. This can irritate the lining of the hens’ lungs. Theaspergillum fungus can also live inside thebird.There is no cure for this, butyourbirdscanbekeptgoingwithgoodfeed,cleanhutsandplentyoffreshairandcleanwater.

CHAPTER10

WHATMAKESACHICKENTICK?

We once had a ticking chicken. It ticked for about a day andmy grandfatherthoughthehadlosthiswatch.Itwastooloudatickforhisoldhunteranyway,and I later wondered if the chicken had eaten some largish pebbles, and onmovingitsmuscularsack,calledthegizzard,thetickingoccurred.Ihaveneverheardanotherhentick.

Theinsidesof thehenarefairlysimple,andyoudon’tneedtoknowthehen’sanatomy in order to keep them, but a little knowledge, apart from being adangerousthing,alwaysenhancesone’senjoyment.

THECHICKENGUTANDHOWITWORKSEveryoneknowsthathensdonothaveteeth.Theyhaveamarkeddrivetopeckat anything that looks like a crumb. The chicken’s digestive system iswonderfullyadapted toallow thebird toget themostoutof a little food.Theadvantageofbeingabletoflyhasmeantthatthechicken’sdigestivesystemhasto be lightweight. Hens really are more efficient digesters than most otheranimals.

Foodisswallowedandmakesitswaytothecropwhereitcanbestoredforsometime. Ifyouhandleyourbirdsyoucan feel thecrop,often fullof food,whichpassestotheproventriculusandthegizzard.

In the proventriculus enzymes are added to the food, starting the process ofdigestion, and fairly quickly the food is passed on to the gizzard.Here stonesenablethegrindingoftheenzyme-enrichedfoodfromtheproventriculus.Therearehard,hornyridgesinthewallofthegizzardandplentyofefficientmuscletochurnthemassinside.

From here food is passed into the small intestine, where the nutrients are

absorbed. The small intestine is a long, coiled tube containing many bloodvessels.Theremainderoftheundigestedmaterialpassesintothelargeintestineandfromthereintothecloaca,whichisacomplexchamberessentiallymadeupofthreeflapsinavoid.Oneoftheflapscomesfromthecommonegglayingandurinepathways,thesecondfromthegutitself,andthefinalopeningintotheventitself.

Theundigestedfoodismixedwithurineinthecloacaandcomesoutaspoo–lotsofit!Agoodchickenpooissolidish(softtotouch,butdon’tbother)withawhiteblobonthetop.Thisconsistsofuricacidcrystals–theurinepart.

Adjoiningtheintestine,aretwolongsacscalledthecaeca.Thesearenotunliketheappendix,andholddigestingmaterial.Sometimeslongfluffymassesofpooareproducedwhenthehensemptythecaeca.

The liver, likeallsuchorgans, is involved inchanging thechemicalsabsorbedfromthedigestivesystemtoothersneededbythechickenforitslifeandgrowth.And,ofcourse,itmakesbrilliantpate´!

HOWHENSMAKEEGGSThis isquitean important topicbecause there ismuch tobe learnedabout thehenbythestateofhereggs.Alsoyougetaninsightintothecyclesofthehen.

Henshaveastringofeggswhichtheylayissequence,approximatelytwoeggseverythreedays.Sometimestherearemorethanthis,othertimesless.Oncetheegghaslefttheovaryitundergoesanumberofchanges,onitspassagetowardstheoutsideworld.

Themembranesarelaidovertheyolk,andfilledout,andfinallythecalcareousshell is laid on top, producing the egg asweknow it.Your hens need a goodsupplyofcalcium in theirdiet,otherwise the shellswillbecomeprogressivelythinner.

As the egg reaches the end of its duct, the sheer size pushes closed the largeintestineanditexitsviathecloaca.

Conversely,when thehen is removingwaste themassof faecespushesclosedthe egg-bearing duct, stopping backwards movement of the material into theegg-layingorgansandpassage.

Hens are stimulated to produce eggs by sunlight, and therefore you get fewereggs inwinter than in summer.Somepoultrykeepersuseartificial light in thehutch to keep the egg production to amaximum, but I personally have nevertriedthis.

Henshaveafinitenumberofeggsinaparticularstring.Theirfirstyearistheirmost productive and a good layer will have about 300 eggs. Their egg yielddecreasesyearonyear.Whenaparticularstringisusedup,thehensgointothemoultbeforestartingtolayagain.Themoultisafoodholiday,achanceforthehen to rejuvenateherselfbeforehavingagain toundertake thearduous taskofproducingandlayingsomanyeggs.Itisoftenatimewhenahenwillgobroody.

THEMOULTThis is characterised by the loss of feathers, lack of comb colour, generallyscruffyappearanceandnoeggs.Thebirdis,however,eatingwell,andwithinafew weeks she looks fine. Having clipped the hen’s wing when she was ayoungster,youwillhavetodoitagainafterthemoultbecauseherflightfeatherswillhavebeenreplaced.

There is nothing you can do to speed themoult, and neither should you. ThehenshaveearnedthisperiodofR&R.

BROODINESSBecause of a genetic propensity, some breeds go broody at the drop of a hat,othersneverdoso.Youcandecidetoletahensitonaclutchoffertileeggs–assuming you have a cockerel. Hens store sperm, but get a regular supply insomecaseseveryfewhours,soyoucanbesurethatlayinghensinthepresenceofacockerelproducefertileeggs.

Youcanrecogniseabroodyhen.Shegoesflat,sitsoneggsandwon’tmove–peckingthehandthattriestomoveher.Itrytoremovethebroodyhen,nestboxandeggs,toabroodyboxandrunatthispoint,givingherpeaceandtherestof

thehensachancetogetnearthenestboxeswithoutbeingmolested.

Thehenwilltake21daystoincubateherclutch.Henshavetheamazingabilitytoallowtheeggstochillforashortwhileandtheywillnotstarttodevelopuntilthemotherhenwarmsthemup–thustimingthechicks’arrivalsallatthesametime–moreorless.

When the chicks start to hatch she will take a couple of days to leave theunhatchedeggs,andthenwillcontinuethetaskoflookingafterherchicks.

Thechicksneedawarmanddryplacetogrow.Mostofthetimethebroodyhenwillcontinuewithher taskofbeingagoodmother,but sometimesshesimplydecidesotherwise.Ifsheisnotlettingthechicksunderhertokeepwarm,theyneedtoberemovedtoanareawithalampforwarmth.

CRUMBSThechicksneedchickcrumbs toeat,and themotherhenwilleat them too. Ifyou add some hard-boiled egg, all the better. They also need plenty of freshwatertodrinksuppliedinsuchawaythattheycannotfalloveranddrowninit.Ihaveusedadishwithpebblesinit,butspecialdrinkersarealsoavailablewhichkeepthechicks’downyfeathersdry–animportantmatteriftheygetcold.Boththe drinker and the feeder will be messed in by the chicks, and even by themotherhen.Youshouldcleaniteverytimeyouseeitdirty–manytimesaday!

Whenthechicksareaboutaweekold,addsomechickgritsotheycangettheirgizzardsworkingproperly.Keepaneyeonthechicks–theygetthemselvesintotrouble, fallingover stuff,getting stuck innettingand theedgesof thebroodyhutch.

Whentheyareaboutsixweeksold,feedthemgrowers’pellets,aricherformulawithextraprotein,whichIkeepthemonuntilpointoflay.

WHATAREYOUGOINGTODOABOUTCOCKERELS?First,chicksdie.Despiteeverythingwedoforthem,theydie.Youneednottobeatyourselfupaboutit,learnwherenecessary,andmakesureyouareuptothetaskofdisposingofthechicksattheearliestopportunity.

More importantly, youwill get 50%cockerels, possiblymore than50%!Withmortalityataround20%,fromaclutchofadozenchicksyoumightloseafew,andonlyhavethreefemales.

Youneedtobeabletodealwiththemales.Itreallyisn’tfairtokeepthem,anditisbesttodecidefromtheoutsetwhatyouwilldowiththemall.

CARINGFORYOURHENSAROUNDTHEYEAR

WinterandspringYourhenswillneedcarefulattentioninthewet,shortdaysofwinter.Expecttofeedthemmoreandgetlesseggs.Theday’slengthgivesmessagestothehen’sreproductivesystem,tellingitthereisnopointinlayingbecauseanychickswillnotbeviable.

HandleyourbirdsearlyonIt isagoodideatohandleyourbirdssoyouget toknowhowtheirbodiesareworking. A plump fleshy bird is obviously doing well; a bird with its bonesstickingout isdoing lesswell. In late autumnassess thebirds–how theyaredoing,andifthereareanyneedingextracare.

GivethemalladoseofAppleCiderVinegarandwormthem.

Cutdowntheirongoinggardenactivitiesandmovetheruntothemostshelteredpart of the garden or provide shelter for them. Protect them from the rain –drivingrainkillsweakhens.

Cleanthehutsandusegoodbeddingand,asmuchaspossible,confinethebirdsto their run, which I fill with compost and clean out regularly. I also have anumberofpavingslabsalongtherun;thisistoavoidthemgettingmuddy.Mudcanbequiteharmfultothebirds.Itclogstheirfeet,sapstheirenergybybeingcoldandcanbefullofmicrobesnotbeneficialtohens.

Givehensextrafeed.Thiscantaketheformofvegetables–iftheyarepenneduptheygetbored,sothisisapsychologicaltreataswellasahealthbenefit.Infreezingweathergivethemsomecornatnight,andputglycerineinthewatertostopitbecominghard.

Ifyounoticeyourhenswheezing,makesurethisistreatedbeforethewinter,asproblemscanquicklyspreadaroundtheflock.Ifyoucan,househenspronetobullying separately.This isbecause theycancausehavoc ina crowded runorhut.

Hens are good at withstanding cold, not so good with wet and cold. If it isdrivingrainandsleet,highwindsandsoonleavethemindoorsifyoucan.Oneof thebestplaces is apolytunnel–where they scratcharound theemptybedsandpooonthecompost.Don’tforget,however,tobringthemin!

Asthedayslengthenyouwillfindyourbirdscometolife.Theyenjoythelightthatspringbringsandareseriouslyhappytobeinit.

Move therunoff thewinter landandgive themsomescratchingspace.Check

forliceandredmiteetc.,andtheywillbehappytorewardyouwithincreasedeggproduction.

SummerandautumnRememberanimportantfact:sunlightmakesforluxuriantgrowth.Astheplantsgrow, so do the animals that live off plants. Your hens will be chomping onweedsandallkindsofplantgrowth.As thehensgrow,sodo theanimals thatlive off the hens. There are more threats, hungry vixens with even hungrieryoungandhungrybadgersreadytodemolishyourmilitarystyledefencestogettoyourhens.Sobevigilant!

That said, it is not just thebig animals that increase innumber– just like thevarroamite in thebeehive,mice,rats,mites, liceandanynumberofparasitesareontheincreasetoo.

Summertime is a time ofworming, delousing, removing redmite and generalhealth control. Check particularly the bottom for mites – whiteness and eggcases, thehens’earsformites(youdon’talways thinkofhenshavingearsbuttheydo,behindsomefeathersoneithersideofthehead,belowtheeyes).

Provideshadeanddustyareasforthebirdstowallowinandplentyoffreshfoodoncetheyhavetakentheirdailyamountofpellets.

Henscangetsunstrokeinreallyhotweather.Ifshadeisn’tenoughandyouhaveapanting,collapsingbird,thebookssaytoplungeitincold(notfreezing)waterforafewseconds.Ihaveonlyhadtodothisonce,inabucket.Iheldherfirmlyandjustdunkedherexceptherhead,inabucketofwater.Shelookedshockedatfirst,butthencompletelyrecovered.

PARTTWODUCKS

CHAPTER11

INTRODUCTIONTODUCKS

Ihadafriend,well,heseemedlikeafriend,thoughInevermethim.Ididwritea book about him, and prettymuch inherited the use of all of his papers, hisfilms, hismusic and, of course, his pipes. JackHargreaveswas an interestingman.HewaseditorofPicturePostinthe1950sandinhisoffice–maybeitwasa joke – he built a gun punt. With it, he would sneak up on a flock ofunsuspectingducksandshootthemwiththehugegun.Thegunwassolargethatit would propel the boat backwards at an alarming rate, and he would thenpaddleofftocollecthisquarry.

The reason formymentioning this is to point out the difference between thepeoplewhoateduckandthepeoplewhoatechicken,traditionally,intheUK.

Thismightseemovertlyworkingclass,butitisageneraltruismthatsinceduckwas largely seen as game, ordinary people didn’t keep them. It is onlycomparativelyrecentlythatpeoplehavebegunenjoyingduckmeat.ThelikesofJackHargreavesandhistelevisionexecutivecomradesthoughtnothingofeatingduckwhiletherestofusstucktochicken.

However,therearemanyexcellentreasonsforkeepingducksinthegarden,notleastthattheylayeggsandtastesupreme.

GOODGARDENERSDuckswillnotscratchupyourflowerandvegetablebedsinthewayachickenwill.Sure,theywaddlearound,andtheypooquitealot,buttheydon’tscrabbleinthedirtforwormsandinsects.

Theydo,however, eat a lotof slugs, and theywill keep thepopulationdown.(By theway, this isagoodreasonfor thecorrectcookingofducksallowed toroamfreelyaroundthegarden.Slugscarryparasitesthatcaninfecthumans,and

undercookedduckmeatcanbeawayofpassingthemon.Makesure,ifyouaregoingtokillandeatyourducks,thattheyareproperlycooked.)

WHATYOUNEEDTOKEEPDUCKSEverythingsaidaboutchickenkeepingappliestoducksalso,unlessspecificallymentionedinthissection.Ducks,likehens,mustbeallowedtowander,andyoushouldmovethemtofreshgrassregularlytokeeptheirparasiteloaddown.Theyneedwormingtoo.

Ducksare,alongwithotherbreedsofbirds,calledwaterfowl.Thismeanstheirworldiswater.Theyloveit,arehappiestwheninit,andwillalwaysprofitfromit.Apondisanidealsituationforducks,especiallyifyoucankeepitclean.Ariver,however,mightfindyourducksfivemilesawayinanhour,unlessyoucanfenceitoffdownstreamsuccessfully.

Theimportantthingaboutwateristheducksneedtoregularlywashtheirfaces.Theireyesinparticulargetstickyandneedwashing.Evenifyoucannotprovideenoughspaceforapond,youcanstillkeepducks.Ihaveusedanoldbabybath(thebathwasold,notthebaby!)sunkintothegardenandfilledwithwater.Ofcourse, please do be careful if you have young children and keep them awayfromthewater.

Ducksdon’tjump,theywaddle,sotheycannothandlestepsverywell.Theywillrarelybotheryourraisedbedsbecauseofthis.Theyarehappytoflip-floptheirwayaroundthegarden.

HOUSINGYOURDUCKSHousing can be very simple. Ducks will happily live with hens, though it isimportant theyarekept fromhavinghens’droppings fallon them.Youneedawider door if youkeepducks – they race for the exit, and since theywaddle,theycanhurtthemselves.

Theyalsoneedaramp,becausetheycannotmanagestepsorladders.

Likehens, theyneedanestboxarrangementsotheycanlay,whichtheydointhemorning,before9a.m.(ish).Idon’tletthemoutuntilafterthissotheydon’t

layalloverthegarden.

Ifyouwanttoconfinethemtoarun,thenthisispossible.Captiveducksrarelyfly,andafenceaboutfourfeethigh–justoverametre–isadequate.

Thehouseshouldberoomyandwell-ventilated,andhaveespeciallygoodaccessfor clearing awaybedding andpoo.Duckpoo iswetter and smellier thanhenpoo,andcoulddowithbeingcleanedmoreregularly.

FEEDINGYOURDUCKSDuckscanfindcertainhoppersdifficulttoeatfromandIhavetendedtouseanopen feeder.However, theydomakeamesswith their food. It is important tokeepyourwaterawayfromthefeed,too–ducksdonotlikewetfoodatall.

Duckswilleatchickenpellets.Indeedtheywillcleanupallthepelletschickensleavearound in theiruntidyeating. It ismuchbetter,however, tobuyspecificduck feed.Youcanalsobuyduckpellets, specially formulatedparticularly forgrowingmeatbreedsorlayingbirds.

Like chicken pellets duck feed comes in different regimes and textures, fromcrumbs for ducklings to mash and pellets for adult birds. You can even buyspecialfloatingfood,butthereisn’treallymuchuseforthisexceptforattractingtheduckswhenyouneedthem.

Althoughducksdoeatbread,itisnotparticularlygoodforthem,andyoushouldsticktoordinaryfeedingandallowtheduckstoforagefortheirextras.

Foraging is an important part of the ducks’ lifestyle. They spend their dayshooveringthegardenforfood,andthisshouldnotbedeniedthem.

USINGYOURDUCKSFORMEATANDEGGSClearly, oneof the reasons for keepingducks is for theirmeat.This is a hardchoice, and should be an experiencedone.Killing a duck is not easy, for tworeasons.First,theyarephysicallydifficulttokillbyneckdislocation,oneofthemethodsallowedforone-offdispatching.Theothermethod,byafreebullet inthefield,isnottheeasiestthingtoarrange,andimpossiblefortheordinarytown

gardenduckenthusiast.

The other reason why it is difficult is because ducks are so cute, endearing,funny and all round good eggs (forgive the pun).Ducks are fun and youwillbecomeasattachedtothemasyourdogorcat–ittakesaspecialkindofpersontobeabletokilladuckandeatit.

It is physically hard to kill a duck, and you need to be shown rather than betaughtbyabook.Consequentlythispartofduckcarewillnotappearhere.Isay‘duckcare’because,aswithchickens,duckssometimesgetsickanditisbotharesponsibilityandakindnesstobeabletoputthemoutoftheirmisery.

Duckeggsarewonderful.Usuallylargerandtastierthanheneggs,manybreedsproducealmostasmanyeggsasahen,which is remarkablewhenyousee thesize,andtheyarefullofflavour.

Duck egg shells are more porous than chick eggs, and therefore it is best tocollectthemassoonaspossibleafterlaying.

HANDLINGDUCKSThis isn’t as easyashandlinghens.Duckswill be all over theplace, running,scattering,callingandmakingafuss.Theydon’tcometoyouaseasilyassomechickenswilland,consequently,youcanincreasetheirstressaswellasyoursbychasingthemabout.Itismucheasiertopenthemcloselytogetherandthentakethebirdsonebyoneforinspection.Thiswaytheycannotmoveaboutsoeasilyand if you are firm, confident but kind, youwill have no problems.A duck’speckisratherfunny,nothingassevereasastonkingkissfromacockerel,whichwilldrawblood.

DUCKLIFEDrakesandducksareoftenattached,singlyorinsmallgroups–somewhatlikehens,butwithagreaterdegreeofattachment.Oneoftheproblemsisthedrakesaretoorandy.Theywillforcefemalesintomatingseveraltimesaday,andifyouarenotcarefulduckscanbecomequitedamaged.

There is a pecking order among ducks and theweakest ones get very shoddy

treatmentfromthedrakesindeed,somuchsothattheyarefrequentlydamaged.Itisagoodideatohavesomekindofquarantineforhard-done-byducks.

CHAPTER12

FEEDINGYOURDUCKS

Ducksarebrowsers,inthattheylovetoeatfromarangeofsources.Everyoneknows ducks dabble. They up-end in the pond and loosen insects from understones.Theylovetoeatslugsandsnailsandwilleatvegetablemattertoo.

However,thegardenduckdoesnothaveenoughroomtogetitsdietinthisway.True,therewillbeextrasforthem–importantextrasatthat,bothnutritionallyandsocially.Butithastobesaidthatducksgettheirfeedfromus,anditisourresponsibilitytoensuretheyhaveagooddiet.

Modernduckshavebeenbred tobe ready for table inas littleas twomonths.They are not, however, able to do this by foraging for their own dinner. It isimportanttorealizetheseanimalshavebeenbred(callitgeneticengineeringbyold-fashionedmethodsifyoulike)tobefedanadequatedietofgrainandothercarefully-measuredmaterials.Deniedthistheduckgetssick.

Aduckdoesnotlivebycornalone,butbyacarefullymanageddietpreparedbyman.

ORGANISINGYOURDUCKS’DIET

StartercrumbsItisnotunusualforpeopletorearducksfromchicks,boughtnineweeksbeforetheyareneeded.Thisallowseightweekstogrowthebirds,onetokill,dressandhangthem.Consequently,thebirdsarefirstfedstartercrumbs.Obviously,asthebirds grow very quickly they need a lot of protein. Thiswill give them goodbones and solidmeat. Starter crumbs, a balanced feed in chick-friendly crumform,arefedforthefirstmonthtofiveweeksoflife.

Growers’pelletsInweeksix,pelletsareused,withagrowers’pelletwhichhasreducedprotein.Toomuchproteingivesthemgutproblemsandotherailments,suchasstuckoutfeathers. These are the general pellets used for the bird’s life, unless you putthemonlayers’pellets.

ImportantDuckswill live quite happily, and lay lots of eggs on chickens’ layers’ pelletswithoneimportantproviso:theyshouldneverbefedanyfeedthathaschickenmedicationinit.Thecoccidiant,forastart,ispoisonoustoducks.Youcancauseyour ducks all kinds of difficulties if you feed themmedicated chicken food.However,youwillfindthatifyoukeephensandduckstogether,theyeateachother’sfood–sodon’tbuymedicatedfeed.However,ifyoukeepchickensandturkeys,youneedmedicatedfeed,sokeepyourducksaway.

FINISHERPELLETSIfyouaregrowingducksformeatthenyouwillusetheseforacoupleofweeksprior tokilling. Itgives themabitof extra fat, theyarehealthier, and there issomethingfinalaboutit–preparingyouforthedeedstocome.

PROVIDINGWATERTry to give your birds two lots of water, one for drinking and the other forsplashinginthoughtothemitwon’tmatterwhichtheyuseforwhat.Ifthereisabowlorglugfeederfordrinkingwater,allthebetter.Theirsplashingwatercanbe separate. However, they will mess in both with equal abandon, and youshoulddoyourbesttokeepthewaterclean.Ihaveuseddripfeederswithducks.

ALLOWINGYOURDUCKSTOFORAGEAswehavesaid,foragingisimportantforducks,nutritionallyandsocially.Theyaregoodatitandyourgardenwillbenefitsomuchmorethanwithchickenswhoarealittlemoredestructive.

Butchickensaregreatatfightingdogsandcats–somethingwhichducksarenogood at really. Foxes, howeverwill kill both hens and ducks, so you need to

protectthem.Youreallymustprotectyourducksfromalmosteverything.Maketheirruncat-proof,orbesurethegardenisasfreefromcatsanddogsasyoucanmakeit.

OFFERINGOYSTERSHELLIt’snotalwaysoyster,butyoucanbuymixedseashellsinabagwhichtheducks(and hens)will use to supplement their calcium intake. This in particularwillgivethemgoodeggshells.Imagineallthatcalciumleavingthebodyeveryday–ithastobereplaced.Theirgeneraldietgivesthemmostofwhattheyneedbutshellhelpsenormously.

Allyouhavetodoispopitintoatrayandthebirdswilldotherest.

MAKINGGRITAVAILABLEThebirdsstoregritintheirgizzardandusethistopastetheirfoodwithmuscularaction.Whentheyareforagingtheypickupsomegrit,butiftheyareconfinedtoarunorforsomeotherreasontheycannotgetgrit,itisagoodideatohavesomeavailableforthem.Youcanbuyspeciallygradedgrit,whichisleftoutinadishortrayforthemtotakeastheyfeellikeit.

PROVIDINGEXTRASWhenyouaresureyourduckshavefedwellonpellets,itisagoodideatogivethemsomeextras.Theyarefondof tomatoes,choppedgreensandcorn.Don’tgivethem(actually,it’sillegal)thescrapingsfromyourplate;nomeatoranimalproductsexceptforchoppedboiledhens’eggs.

Ducksdon’tlikesloppyfood,andgenerallyIdon’tgivethemthingslikemash

in the sameway as Imightwith hens. I don’t, for example, give themboiledpotatotoooften,preferringtousedrierfoods.

CHAPTER13

HOUSINGDUCKS

Itispossibletokeepduckswithhens,butIwouldsuggestyoudonotrunthemwith geese. Geese are big birds, and while they are fine out in the field, aprotectiveganderwillattackanythinghefeelsisathreat,andafewpeckswillfatallydamageyoursmallerbirds.

Ideally, ducks should have their own house, and most of what has been saidaboutchickenhousesholdstrueforducks.It ispossibletohousechickensandducks together,but theyneed room. Ihavedone it ina shed, and the roostingbarsthechickensusedwereprotectedfromtheducksbyalargesteptheycouldnotclimbonto.Thisservedtostopthehensaccidentallypooingonthesleepingducksbeneath.

Peoplewhokeephensandduckstogetheroftenhaveanarcforeachspecies,oraseriesofarcs,particularlyiftheywishtobreedtheirbirds,whichyoucandobyplacingbirdsofthesamespeciesorbreedintoarkstogetherwiththeappropriatemale,togetaclutchoffertileeggs.

Thehousesthemselvesneedtobewaterproofandairy.Ducksspendthewholeof the day outside and usually only use the hut for roosting. They will takethemselvesofftobedintheeveningandshouldbelockedin.

MAKINGTHEHOUSINGSTRONGThe duck housing has to be strong. Inmy experience, foxes find ducksmoreeasilythanhens,thoughitisprobablyaclosecallastomoreofwhichiseaten.Butthehousingisyourresponsibility,partofyourdutyofcare,somakesureitisstrongenoughtowithstandtheanticsoffoxes,badgersanddomesticdogs.Ifyou can,make thehousing secure fromcats anddogs in theneighbourhood–theypeeontheframesandit isn’tall thatpleasantfortheinhabitants,andcanputthemoffusingit.

WATERPROOFINGTHEDUCKHOUSEAplastichenhut isalwayswaterproof–andprettymuchvermin-proof too. Ifthehutiswooden,itshouldatleasthavegood-qualityroofingfeltasprotection,preferably all around, so nothing can get inside. Ventilation should be, as forhens,highupandadequatetoallowaconstantchangeofair,withouticyblasts.

Anyone lookingatmallards in icy riverswill realise thatducksarequitegoodwith cold, possibly better than hens, but they do not like wet and windyconditions, and having suffered the elements all day, they dry out and makethemselveswarminthehutatnight,soventilatewithsomefeelingfortheducks–don’tmakeitintoawindtunnel!

SITINGTHEDUCKHOUSEPlace the hut in a sheltered spot, preferably not overhungby trees, sincewildbirdsroostinginthetreespoointothehutandrun,andthiscanspreaddisease.Protect the hut from cold, wet, icywinds in thewinter and excessive heat insummer. I place an awning over the hut in the really hot days of summer toprovidesomeshade.

LIFTINGTHEHUTIf possible, lift the hut by about six inches so that there will be no nestingrodentsbeneath.Thisleadsontothequestionofanentrance.Duckswaddleorwalk(runnerstobeabletorun,ratheramusingly),buttheydon’thoporjump.Sotheywillnotcopewithladderentranceslikehensdo.

Ducksneedarampthatisatleastafootwide(30cm)sotheycanslowlymaketheir way into the hut. A step of only a few inches will cause ducks a realproblem, so make sure the entrance and the ramp are continuous – they cansimplywaddlerightintotheirroostingpositions.

Don’tfeedyourducksinthehut,asthey’llonlymessitupcompletely.

ROOSTINGDucksdonotroostonpoleslikehens.Iliketoprovideagrillforthemtorooston,sothatpoowillfallthroughandcanbecleanedawaybeforethereisabuild-upand itdoesn’t settle (moreor less)on their feet.Thenatureofduckpoo ismore liquid and possibly more corrosive than hens’ poo. It is important toremove it as soon as possible. Very frequent cleaning of duck houses isnecessary.

NESTINGThis is a real problem.You provide a nest box and they don’t use it, or theymight one day but not another. They often prefer a cornerwhere the beddinglooksattractive.

It is good to provide a nest box, but you have to keep it clean, regularlyremovingbeddingandalways,everyday,removinganyeggs.

Itisagoodideatowatchyourbirds–probablythemostimportanttip,actually.Trytofindout,overtime,whichducksarelayingwhicheggs.Thiswilltellyoualotaboutwheretheylayandyouwillseetheirroutines.Sometimesaduckwilllayjustbecausesheisready,othertimesshewillsettledownhavingchosenherspot.

Wehavealreadysaidtheylayintheearlypartofthemorning,unlikehenswholayalmostanytime.Itisbesttokeepthemlockedupuntilaround9a.m.Ifyouhavetoleavebeforethentogotowork,thenconsideratriphomeatlunchtime

tocollecttheeggs.

FUMIGATINGDuckssufferfromthesamesetofmitesaschickensarebotheredby,thoughyoudon’t getmuch in theway of redmite, although it is possible inmixed huts.TheydogetNorthernFowlmites,soyoushouldchangethebeddingregularly.Watch out for aspergillosis (wheezing birds) if you use hay. I clean out everycoupleofdays,becauseIdon’tlikethesmellofammoniafromtheirpoo,andIamprettysure theydon’t like iteither.Youcanfumigate thehutby lightingawell-protected(nodraughts,etc.)sulphurcandleearlyintheday,aftercleaningthedroppingsandbedding.

THERUNAswithhens,ifyouareconfiningyourbirdstoarun,andthismakessenseinwintermore thansummer, thenmovethemaroundevery threemonths tokeeptheparasiteloadingaslowaspossible.Donotreturntothesameearthwithinsixmonths.Ducksneedabigrun,and,tobehonest,prefertherunofthegarden.

Youcankeepducksinplaceusingonlyalowfence,aroundametreorsohigh,but thiswill not do to keeppredators out. It is best if your perimeter fence issecurefromfoxes,etc.Agoodhedgeisbest,buttheweakspotsaregatesandsoon. If you are at all worried, make the run fox-proof, which usually meanshavingburiedmeshandaroof.

CHAPTER14

KEEPINGDUCKSFOREGGS

Duckeggsaredelicious,possibly themostwonderfulofall eggs,everywhere.Theymakethebestcakes!Theyareabout20%biggerthanthelargesthens’egg,butasvolumeisafunctionofthecubepower,thereisanawfullotmore‘stuff’inaduckegg.

Consequently,alayingduckhastobewellfedandwatered,freefromstressandingoodhealth.Ducksputalotmoreintotheireggproductionandarehungrierbirdsbecauseofit.

CHOOSINGDUCKSFOREGGPRODUCTIONLayingducks,ofwhichthestarhastobetheKhakiCampbell,arecalled‘lightducks’.TheKhakiCampbellwill produceupwardsof 300 eggs ayear. ItwasproducedbyAdeleCampbellwhocrossedanIndianRunnerwithaRouenduck.Theresultwas,moreorless,theKhakiCampbellweseetoday,althoughshedidsomeothercrossingtoenhancethecolour.

You can see themallard in the strain, it is a lovely shape and the duck is anexcellentconverteroffoodintoeggs.

Most ducks, like chickens, come into lay at around 20 weeks, but ducks canoftentakesomewhatlonger,thoughtheycanbeforgiventheirtardinessbecausetheylaysowonderfully.

TheKhaki Campbell is an excellent duck for anyonewanting eggs. They aretolerantofbothcoldandheatandarereadilyavailable.Theiradultweightisjustunder2kg–theyareveryactivebirdsandgreatforagers.Pure-bredbirdscomeinanumberofshadesofkhaki,butlookouttoavoidexamplesthathaveeitherunusualstripesorseemveryheavy.

The IndianRunner is the funniest of ducks – completely charming; they havesuchshortlegs,setfarbackinthepelvissothattheyhavetoleanbackwardsatanangleinordertomoveatall.However,youwillnotbesurprisedtolearnthat,becaue theKhakiCampbell is such aprolific layer and is descended from theRunnerthatthisbreedisalsoagoodlayer.

IndianRunnerslayabout200eggsayearandthey,too,areexcellentconvertersofslugsandgardeninsectsintoegg.MuchlighterthantheKhakiCampbell,theyweigharound1.5kg(that’sabigone!)anddonotfly.Theydorunfastthough,andcanoftenbeseenrunningacrossthelawnemittingabarkingquack.

Runners are less fastidious aboutwhere they lay their eggs, and you can findtheseallovertheplace(moreaboutthislater).ItissaidtheseduckscamefromBombay,buttheyhavebeenbredallovertheworld,particularlyinAmerica.Ifyouarekeepingducksforeggs,yourlifewillbeconsiderablylightenedofyoukeep IndianRunners, ifonly for the funof it.When they first appeared in theUKtheywerecalled‘PenguinDucks’,forobviousreasons.

WHAT’STHEEGGLIKE?The shells are porous, thick and strong. They come inmany colours –white,blue,greenorasortofdirtycreamthatsomepeopledescribeasbuff.

Theduckegghasmorefatinitthanahen’seggandtheyolkisthereforeveryyellow.Afresheggsitsupwhenopened,thewhiteisnotrunnyandyougettheimpressionsomethingisholdingittogether–asthoughithasspringsinside.

WHEREYOURDUCKSLAYDuckswill lay in the hut, in a nest box,most of the time. Increased sunlightcauses themtostart to layand thereforemosteggsare laidbetweendawnandabout 9 a.m. For this reason, keep them locked in, if you can, until afterbreakfastandyoushouldfindtheeggsinside.

Whatgoesforchickensaboutpooingontheeggsalsogoesforducks.Theycanmessonthem,orhaveasmallproblemwiththeegg-layingapparatusinside(justthesameashens)andtheeggmaybesmearedwitheitherpooorblood.Thisisparticularlysoforbirdsthatattracttoomuchamorousattention.

Keepthehutclean,regularlychangingthelitterandmovingmanure.Thereneedbeno foodorwater inside, andyourbeddinghas tobemuchcleaner than forchickensbecausetheducksarejustaslikelytolayinthemiddleofthefloorasinanestbox.

Manybreedsareapttolayatanytime,anywhere,andyouhavetheproblemofwhattodowiththeseeggs.Besuretocollectthemasquicklyasyoucan.

First, the shells are more porous than hens’ eggs and poo can seep through.Second,mud(iftheeggsarelaidoutside)cancontaminatethem.Also,whenyouwashtheeggyoucansometimes‘push’contaminantsintotheinterior.

STORINGDUCKEGGSFirstofall,haveagoodrota,don’tjusthaveapileofeggsandeatthemwilly-nilly.Theporousnatureoftheshellmakesthemdifficulttostopfrombecomingtaintedif,say,theyarestoredwithonionsorgarlic.Second,keepthemoutofthelightandstackthemwiththepointedenddown.

Keepthemawayfromanythingthatmightcontaminatethem,suchasrawmeatandcheese.

Keep them chilled, out of the light, which can cause the eggs to warm up,increasingtheopportunitiesformicrobialgrowth.

Duckeggsfreezequitewell.Onlyfreezebrandnewfresheggsbycrackingthem

intofreezerbagsorevenusingramekins.OnepersonIknowusesicecubetrays.

THEGOODDUCKEGGGUIDEKeepeverywhereclean,especiallythehut.Keepduckslockedinuntilwellintothemorning.Collecteggsassoonaspossible.Storeinastrictrota,inadark,coolplace.Discarddirtyandbadlysoiledeggs.

COOKINGWITHDUCKEGGSTobehonest,Iprefertobakewiththemratherthanhavethemboiled.Idonotwish toprovide recipes,but ratherunderline theprecautionofeating theeggs,perhapsmoreimportantwith‘home-grown’duckeggs.

Becertain tocookthemproperly–unfortunatelynorunnyyolks–andaduckeggcantake7minutestocook.Thereisnodoubtthatcakeswillturnoutbetterwithduckeggsbecauseofthehigherfatandproteincontent,andforthisreason,ifyoudoalotofbaking,keepingducksforeggsisanexcellentidea.

HOWDODUCKSLAYEGGS?Themethodisverysimilartothatofchickens.First,likehens,theydonotneedamale in order to lay.Unlike hens, however, ducks seem to be sad and theydon’tdosowellwithoutamaleabout.Ducksseemmorecosyandsettledwhentheyarewithadrake,howeverharshhemaybewiththem.

Theduckovaryworksexactlylikethatofachicken,releasinganeggduetoanimpulseinitiatedbysunlight.Thelengthofthedayisalsoimportant.

Thepassageoftheeggfromtheovarytotheoutsideworldisexactlythesameforaduckasforachickenandtheterminalportionofthegutandreproductivesystemworkjustthesame,too.

Duckshaveanumberof eggs strung together andwhen theseare finished thebirdwillmoult.Themoultismuchquickerwithducksthanwithchickens,overin almost aweek,when they can become all but bald in some cases and then

growanewsetoffeathersinaveryshorttime.

Obviously,ducksgobroody,too.Therearemanystoriesaboutducksbeingbadmothers,butthisisprobablyalittleoveremphasised.Certainly,ifabroodyduckisdisturbed toooften,she is indangerof justgivingup,abandoninghereggs.However,shouldshebeleftalone,somewherequiet,shewilldoacreditablejob!

Abroodyduckiseasiertohandlethanabroodyhen:justputheroutofthewayand shewill soon come round.One of the bestways of keeping a duck frombroodiness is to constantly remove the eggs. An accumulation of eggs istantamounttoinvitingtheducktotryandhatchthem.

CHAPTER15

DUCKBREEDS

Thereareover200breedsofduckaroundtheworld,andobviously,youdon’tneedthatmanyinyourbackgarden.Theducksthataregenerallyusefultothesmall-time,ornew,duckenthusiastarecalledUtilityBreeds.

Thesecanbegoodforboththetableandeggproduction,butsomeofthebirdsin this list are prolific egg layers, too. Their names will be familiar to manybecausealmosteverycounty in theUKhas itsownutilitybreed.Butmanyofthem,liketheagriculturalshowsthatencouragedthem,aredyingout.

HOWTOBUYDUCKSInessencethisisverysimilartobuyingchickens.Thereareanumberofroutes,sometobeavoided,othersbeingquitesafe.Themainpoint is, ifyouhavenoexperienceofducksthendonotthinkyoucanjustreadwhatfollowsandthengostraightoutandbuysomebirds.

To begin with, you should have everything ready for them before you startbuying. This might sound obvious but in my youth I was buying rabbits atauction and cominghomewithducks instead, because I just fancied them.Ofcourse, itwas terriblydifficult accommodating them.Moreover, theywereoldducksanddidn’tlayasingleegg.Buttheywerepretty.Isupposenew,pointoflay,duckswouldhavebeenequallypretty,andfarmoreprofitable.

Ifyoulackexperience,talktosomeonewhohasit,andgetasmuchadviceandinformationasyoucan.Formostofusthismeansbuyingducksfromaspecialistsupplier, and therearemanyof themon the internet.Goandvisit them,and Iwould suggest theones thatgiveyou thebest informationare theones tobuyfrom.Don’tbetooembarrassedtoaskquestions,anddon’tbuystraightaway.

Tomymindthisisthebestwayofbuyingducks.Avoidtheauctionsuntilyou

arecompletelyconfidentaboutwhatyouaredoing.

Joining a smallholding association is often another way of getting bothinformation and birds. Finally, don’t think that because you know about hens,you automatically know about ducks.You don’t, though there are similarities.Makesureyoupreparewellbeforeyoustarttocareforthem.

BUYINGINTRIOSWehavementioned the fact that domestic poultry are social birds.While it ispossibletokeephenswithoutacockerel,ducksdopreferamate.Itisstandardtobuyatleastatrioofbirds,preferablyadrakeandtwoducks.Ifoneofthemdiestherewillstillbeanotherforcompany.

If your drake dies there is no hurry to replace him unless you really wantducklings. Two ducks will waddle round the garden very happily for a fewmonths.Introduceamaleverycautiously.Placeallthreeinapenwheretheycanbe seenandheard.Take steps to separate them if thenewmale is tooviolent.You’retheboss,notthedrake.

Introducingducksintoanestablishedcolonycanbedifficult,sotaketimeoverit.Puttheminseparatepensifnecessary.Keepaneyeonhowtheymixandthenbring them together.Listen out for trouble in the hut andkeepmore than onefeedingstation.

CHOOSINGYOURDUCKS

AylesburyIcanalwayshearMrToadremarking,‘AnAylesburyDuckling?’whensomeoneaccusedhimoflookinglikeoneinthesnow.ThesearethewhiteducksthathailfromAylesbury inBuckinghamshire, but the truth is, thismallard-basedbreedcomesfromallaroundthemidlands.

At one time these animalswere bred as true utility birds, giving a reasonablecarcassandeggproductionofaround150ayear.Unfortunately, thisbreedhassuffered due to indifferent breeding, so if you are going to buy them, ask thesellertoshowyouhowgoodtheyare.Goodoneswillbeexpensive.

Thesebirdseatquitealot,andagoodonewillgainweightatanalarmingrate.If you keep them as free range as possible, at least theywill be able toworksomeoftheexcessoff.

PekinThis is anotherwhite type,baseda coupleofhundredyears agoonaChinese(surprise,surprise)duck.Thisisanotherdual-purposebreedthatiseasytokeep.Theyhavetastymeatandlayaround160eggsayear.

Theyarepleasantducks,withlaughingfaces,andareslightlymorerunner-likethantheAylesbury.TheyarealsoslightlysmallerthantheAylesbury,andalittlebusieraboutthegarden,somewouldsay‘flightier’,andcertainlytheyareableto fly,butonly in shortbursts. (Youhardlyever see theAylesbury take to thewing.)Pekinsarecertainlynotaslazyandconsequentlydonotgrowsolarge.

Theyarenotgoodmothers,sodon’ttrybreedingfromthem.

KhakicampbellWehavealreadylookedatthisbreedbriefly.Sheisanegglayerparexcellence.

Oneofthethingsabouttheseducksistheyareproudlooking.Theyseemalmostaristocraticwiththeirheadsheldhigh.However,theymakepoormothers.Theywill sit on the eggs, but usually a week and a half into the incubation, theybecomeboredwiththewholeprocessandleavetheeggs.

Increasinglydifficulttofind,thesebirdsmakegoodfirst-timers,butyouhavetobe sure they are good layers, otherwise they are just one of themyriad cross-breeds andyouendupwith littlemore than slug-eatinggardenornaments.Ofcourse,thereisnothingwrongwiththat,ifthatiswhatyouwant.

MuscovyMostduckshavebeenbredfromthemallard.NotsotheMuscovy,possiblytheleastattractivebirdbearingthenamepoultry.However,whattheylackinlooksthey certainlymake up for in character and friendliness. The name,Muscovy,means‘fromMoscow’,butthesebirdsarereallyfromSouthAmerica,andhavenolinkswithRussiaatall.Tobehonest,theylooktooRussianformytaste.

They have clawed toes and are sometimes referred to as the perching duck,becausetheywillgraspaperch.Theyarelargebirds,comparatively,andoftenkeptformeat,thoughtheywilllay100eggsorsoayear.

Thankfully,ifyoulikethatsortofthing,Muscovieshelptorefutethereputationofducksbeingpoormothers.Theygobroodyoftenandmakeexcellentmothers.You will get at least three broods a year with a trio, and soon have duckseverywhere. Removing the eggs straight away is important if you wish topreventthembeingbroody.

Theyarealsoexcellentfliers,sodon’tforgettoclipawing,doneexactlyinthesamewayasforachicken.

IhavefoundMuscoviestolikewaterrathermorethanmostbreeds,andifyoucanprovidea larger splashbath–orbetter still abitofapond– theywillbeveryhappyindeed.

IndianrunnerIfyougetawinebottleandsticksomefunnylegsatoneend,youmoreorlesshavearunnerduck.TheycamefromtheFarEast,broughtbackbysailors–theywereprobablykeptonboardbecausetheyproducedsomanyeggs.

Thesearecomicbirds, fullofcharacter, that runveryrapidlywithanamusingsway.Theydon’tgetverybroodyandrarelysitoneggs,sotheymakeexcellentbackgardenbirds.

Generally,runnersarehealthierthanmostotherbirds,possiblybecausetheyareable to preenmost of themselveswith ease. They lovewater, andwill splashmuchoftheday.Iamnotsuretheirbodiesaresuchthattheycannotfly,butyoucertainlyrarelyseethemonthewing.

Ifyouweregoingtostartoffwithatrioofanything,runnersaretheones!

CallducksThese are so small they are almost teal. They are pleasant little ducks whichhaveallthehabitsofthebiggeronesbutneedlessspace.Theyareverycuteandexcellentinthegarden–especiallywherespaceisatapremium.

They are not terrific layers and are too small to beworth eating, but they aregreatfirst-timers.Youcertainlygetalotofduckinasmallparcel.

Theywereusedoriginallyasdecoystobringdownlargerbirdsforshooting.Thebigproblem is theirnoise. It is acoincidence that theyarecalled ‘call’ducks.Theactualnamecomes fromaDutchword thatmeans tetheredor caged.Buttheydocallquitealot.Somedescribeitasbeingchatty,thoughyourneighboursmighthaveanothernameforit.

RouenThisisthenearestyoucangettoamallard.Theyarebig,theyfly,theydon’tlaymany eggs – less than 100 a year. They are kept for three reasons: they arebeautifulbirds, theyare reasonablemothers,and theyhavegreatmeat.Maybemore than this, theyhavebrilliant liversandyourpate´willbe thebest in theworld.

KEEPINGBANTAMSBantamhens,smallversionsofthemainbreeds,needalmostasmuchroomastheirlargercounterparts.Butthebantamduckismuchlessflighty,anddoeswellinasmallgarden.Oftencrossedwithacallduck,theyarecalm,reasonableegglayersandcertainlydon’tpadthegrassintosubmissionlikealargerduckwould.

Bantams produce eggs, smaller ones, of course, but full of fat and protein –whichcertainlymakegreatcakes,andyougetareasonablenumber–150ayearfrommanyofthem.

Everything said for large ducks holds true for bantams.They are fed, housed,wateredandmedicatedinthesameway–they’rejustsmaller.

ThemajorbantambreedsaretheBlackEastIndianandtheSilverAppleyardandyouwillhavegreatsuccesswitheither.

CHAPTER16

DUCKDISEASES

Onthewholeducksareahardylot,anddonotsuccumbtomuchinthewayofdisease.Perhapsthemostimportantpointistowormyourducksregularlyandtodelousethem,becausetheyarepronetoNorthernFowlMite.

Idon’twishtogiveyoualonglistofdiseases;they’donlyscareyoutodeathatany rate. The simple rule of thumb is to watch and learn what is normalbehaviour for your birds and then, if in doubt, call the vet.Normally, for 999times out of 1000, your ducks will die either of old age or something moreviolent,followedbypluckingandSundayLunch.

Keepingduckshealthyismoreamatterofroutine

TIPSFORHEALTHYDUCKS

GoodbeddingThis should be preferably of the non-spore-bearing type such as straw,newspapers (shredded). It is important to change this very frequently so thatyourducksalwayshavegoodbeddingtoroostinandlayeggsin.

GoodfoodThismeans abalanced ration.Don’t let them relyon foraging for food, neverfeedmedicatedchickenfood,breadorcornasamainfeed.

SafetyandprotectionDuckssufferfromstress,andwhentheyarestressed,theystarttogetill.Keeppredatorsawayfromthem,inparticular,domesticcatswhichmightnotactuallyattackyourducksbutwillworrythemjustbyhangingaround.

WaterAlwayshavegoodqualitywateravailable,bothfordrinkingandsplashing.Thismightmeanchangingitacoupleof timesaday.Ducks, likehumans,don’tdowelliftheirdrinkingwateriscontaminatedwithpoo.

WormingWehave alreadymentioned this, but it deservesmentioning a dozen times.Aduckwithwormsdoesn’tgrow, layor resistdiseaseaswellasaduckwithoutworms.Thepowderissimplypouredoverthefeed–readthepacketfordosinginstructions.

AwatchfuleyeThisisthebestwaytokeepanylivestock.Watchthem,enjoythem.Lookoutforsluggishness,limping,shyness,excessivesittingandanythingthatyoucometolearnasunusualbehaviourforthatbird.

YoungducksAlways try toputneworyoungduckson freshpasture,one thathasnotbeentouchedbyotherducksorhensforatleastsixmonths.

AgoodvetIt is not always possible to find a vet that really knows about ducks. Askquestions as towhether theywouldwelcomeducks,or if theywouldprefer ifyouwentelsewhere.Itcanbedistressingandexpensivegoingtoavetwhoisnotaufaitwiththisslightlyspecialisedbird.

HumanhygieneWemustbesurewearenotindangerfrompotentialdiseasefromducks.Alwayswash your hands after cleaning out duck bedding, during which you shouldpreferably wear rubber gloves and an overall, all of which which should bewashedanddisinfectedafteruse.

Whenchildrenhavehandledeithertheducks,bedding,water,feedoreggs,makesuretheyalsowashtheirhands.Getyourselfandyourchildrenintothehabitofwearingoveralls,preferablyglovesanddefinitelyboots,wellingtonboots, thatcanbewashedafteruse.

Youwon’twantalwaystobewearingprotectiveclothing.Besensible,andwhenactuallyhandlingtheducks,weartheappropriategear.Ajumperfullofpoocancontaminatealotofpeopleoveraday!

BumblefootThisisthemostcommonproblemwithducks.Ifaduckgetsasmallcutonthefoot,bacterialinfectioncansetin.Thiscausesaswellinginthefoot–oftenpus-filled,oftenhard,andtheskinofthefootcancrack.Oneofthewaysofavoidingthisistohavesmooth,grassyruns,thusavoidingcutstotheirfeet.Thetreatmentforsuchcutsisantibiotics,forwhichyouhavetogotothevet.

ViralenteritisThis isadiseasecausedbyoneof theherpesviruses. Itcomesmore inmixedflocks; geese and swans get it, too. If your ducks wander, they can come incontactwith a host of other ducks, andpossibly catch thedisease.A rangeofsymptomsoccur,fromlossofappetitetodropineggproduction,andtiredness.

AspergillosisThis is a fungal infection which produces wheezing in birds. It is more of aproblemwithyoungducksbecause it is slightlyharder toclean thehutch,andtheycatchthefungusfromthesporesintheair.

The birds gasp and find breathing difficult, and they can quickly becomedehydrated.

Make sure the litter and feed are always clean. Never allow them to becomemouldy.Constantlyrefreshinglitterandfeedwillkeepthisproblematbay.

Coccidiosis

Likechickens,ducksgettheseprotozoanparasiteswhichcausethemtohavealarge number of splashes of blood in their poo.This problem is dealtwith byusing an appropriate treatment only available from the vet.The treatments forchickensaredangerous forducks, soyouhave to treat themseparately. It is agoodideatochangepasturetoo,insuchcases.

WormingMostofthefollowingwormsarecommontobothhensandducks,andaregularwormingtreatment(sixmonthly)andmovingtherun,willkeeptheseatbay.

GapewormThis is a worm that builds up in the trachea. If you get a bird, hen or duck,gasping, treat all yourbirdswith theappropriatewormingpowder in the feed.Theywillsoonclearup–butitisagoodideatomovetofreshpasture.

GizzardwormThewormsarefoundinthemuscularpartofthealimentarycanalwherefoodisground.Ifyougetredbitsofbloodinthepoo,treatbyworming.

RoundwormsYougettiredbirdswithpointsofbloodinthepoo.Thebirdsbecomegenerallyrundownandcanfallpreytootherdiseasesbecausetheirimmunityisimpaired.

ExternalparasitesExternalmites and lice suck theduck’sbloodand lay eggs at the featherbed.Thiscauses the birds to scratch and then the skin can be damaged, leading toother problems. Always treat mites, always clean out nest areas, bedding,houses,etc.sothereisnobuild-upofproblems.

Itisnotuncommonforduckstobekilled(oldandyoung)bymites.Ifyourduckissittingoneggssheisparticularlysusceptible.

FliesThis is a commonproblem in sheepbutducks suffer from it, too. Ifyouhaveloose-featheredduckswhosebottomsaremessy,flieswilllayeggsinthemess,andthemaggotswilleatthroughthepooranimal’sbottom.Youcangetpowderforthis,butalwayscleaningtheanimal’sbottom,andeventrimmingthefeathersisagreathelp.

RemovalofeggsWhenyoutreatyouranimalsyouwillsometimesberequiredtodiscardtheeggs.Thiswithdrawal period is important to keep themedication out of the humanfoodchain.Alwaysreadthepacketandasktheadviceofyourvet.

PARTTHREEBEES

CHAPTER17

BEEKEEPING

Thereissomethingaboutthebeekeeperthatneverstruckhometome.Ofalltherural activities, beekeeping is the most difficult to fathom. Not because it isdifficult–onthecontrary,itiseasy–beeswanttoliveaseveryorganismdoes,and theywillcreate theirownlittleworld inaseriesofboxesyouprovideforthem.

Isuppose thebigproblemispeople.Firstofall, there is thedentistsyndrome.We don’t like little needles, and the same fear thatmakes the average Britonavoid thedentistkeepshimfrombeesalso.Thebeekeeper isheldwithalmostmedievalrespect,aman(orwoman)intouchwithdarkarts,secretsandspecialknowledge.

In my capacity as a trainer of beekeepers I have come across many tales ofpeoplewantingtogetthemselvesintobeekeepingonlytoberebuffedbythoseintheknow.Many is the timewhennovicebeekeepershavecome tome reelingfromcommentsbysomebeekeepersthatthereisnoroomforsuchnovices,thattheyareunwelcome,thattheymightonlykillbeessowhat’sthepoint.

Letmemakeonethingclear,welltwothingsactually,butoneofthemshouldbeobvious. First, anyone can keep bees. It is absorbing, sometimes taxing, butneveroutofreach.Oneoftheaimsofthissectionistopointoutthatbeekeepingisnotdifficultandifyouwanttodoityoujollywellshould.

TheotherthingIwanttomakeclearisthatthisbookwillnotmakeyouintoabeekeeper. No book can. The idea behind this section is to give you enoughinformationtoseeifyoumightatsometimewishtokeepbees.Hopefullyitwillencourageyoualongthepath,helpyoutolookatwhateverspaceyouhaveanddecideifbeeswillfitin.

Soyouwanttobecomeabeekeeper.

It isoneof thefashionable things todo–keepbees.Aroundthecountry localbeekeepingassociationsarestrugglingtogetpeopleontocourses,withdemandoutstrippingsupplymanytimesover.

How many of the would-be beekeepers will end up with bees is not reallyknown, but if you are one of those thinking about bees here are some of thethingsyouneedtoknow.

But, and it’s a big but, there is aworld of difference between reading a bookaboutbeekeepingandactuallykeepingbees.Youmightnot,oncesurroundedbyathousandbees,beabletocopewithsuchalargecrowdofstinginginsectsandforgetallthesimplestuffyouhaveread.

Again, it isonethingknowingthedifferencebetweenaworker,aqueenandadrone,butit’sanotherthingaltogetherrecognisingthedifferenceinreallife.

Youwillneedsomeone toholdyourhand, to lookatyourspaceandhelpyoufinetuneit.Youwillneedtobeshownratherthanjusttoldhowtouseasmoker,whatisgoingoninthehive,howtodothenecessarytasksandtreatfordisease.Howtohelpyouwhenyougetstung,howtopreparebeesforwinterandhowtotakehoney.

Inshort–it’sonethingreadingabook,it’sanotherthingactuallydoingit.Butthedoingofitisn’tthatdifficultwhenyougetdowntoit.

CHAPTER18

BEEANATOMY

Thischapterisn’t‘everythingyouneedtoknowaboutabee’sinsides’.Mostofitisabout thebee’soutsides!Youdon’tneed tobeanexpertonbeeanatomy tokeepbees,butsomeunderstandingisuseful.

Allinsectsaresortofinsideoutinthatthestructurethatkeepsthemtogetherisontheoutside,theexoskeleton.Therearemillionsofspeciesofinsect,andthisshows the success of the design. For example, bees have been around a longtime,over100millionyears,althoughthesocialbeespossiblyalot less,butitshowshowsuccessfultheinsectformis.

However, there are somemajor design problemswith the insect form,which,should nature ever produce a solution, will doubtless bring bewildering lifeformsinthefuture.

THERESPIRATORYANDCIRCULATORYSYSTEMBeesdonothavelungs.Insteadasystemoftubestakeairfromporesinthesidesof the insect.Theholesarecalledspiracles,and the transportofgasses inandout of the insect is very inefficient. The tubes end deep in the bee and aresurroundedbybeeblood,alsoknownashaemocoel.Oxygenenters the tissuesandcarbondioxideleavesviathesetubes.

Thisinefficientsystemisthesinglereasonwhythesebeesarenotmuchbigger,likethoseyouseeinsomecomics.

Thesetubescanbecomeblockedandconsequentlythebeecannotbreathe.Youseethemwalkingaroundwiththeirwingsina‘K’shape.Thediseaseacarineisonesuchcase,amiteentersthespiraclesandlayseggs.Thegrubsgrowtofilltheporesandthebeedies.

Equally inefficient is thecirculatorysystem.There isadorsal (alongtheback)bloodvesselthathasanumberof‘hearts’alongitslength,andafewbranches,buttherearefewcapillariesandoftenthetissuesaresimplybathedintheliquid.Thecirculationisverysimpleandoftentooslowtoprovideenoughoxygenallaroundtheanimal.

Sometimes, after a flight, bees will simply sit and expand and contract theirabdomensasbesttheycantogetasmuchairandbloodflowaspossible.

THEEXOSKELETONThis is a marvellous array of plates that overlap at the edges. The platesresembleaRomansoldier’sshield,overlappingandhinged,andarecalledterga.Theyarelinkedtogethertoformascutellum,orshield.Eachplateiscoveredinwaxandmadefromthehardprotein,chitin.Inthiswaythebeeisencasedinanarmouredsuitwhich,becauseofitswaxcoating,doesnotdryout.

Theexoskeletonformsagreatdefence,althoughthebeescanbestungbyotherbeesandwaspsatthejointsoftheplates.

Theplatesmoveinrelationtoeachother,butdonotgrow.Onceabeeisadult,itisstuckinitsbodyandwillnotgrowanymore.

The (internal) muscles are attached to the plates, so movement comes fromwithintheskeleton,unlikeinhumans.

WINGSANDLEGSObviously the bee has the typical insect architecture of head, thorax andabdomen.Thethoraxismadeofthreesegments,theabdomenofnine.

Thethreesegmentsofthethoraxhaveonlytwopairsofwingsbutthreepairsoflegs.

The legs are really important because they are more than just organs oflocomotion.Theycontainsensorstochemicals,soundandvibration.Beeshearthroughtheirlegs.

The final pair of legs, the backmost, has a comb that collects pollen and isknownasthepollensac.Youseebeescomingintothehivewithpollenattachedtotheirbacklegs.Eachbeecollectsthesamepollen,puttingitintothesamecellinthehive.Youthereforegetdifferentcolouredhoneys,eachintheirowncell.Itlooksquite remarkable,all thevariouscoloursofpollen fromcreamywhite todeepyellowandalmosteveryothercolouryoucanthinkof.

Thebee’swingsareamazing.Theyact likeaverycomplexhelicopterand theorientationofthewingscanmovetheanimalinanynumberofways.Theouteredgesofthewingtipsarecoveredinhairsandallowthewingstoactsinglyorinconjunctionwith its partner.Quite clearly insects inventedvelcro a long, longtimebeforeus.

THEHEADThereasonforacomplicatedbrainintheheadissimple–that’swheretheeyesare.Theinformationpassedfromthecompoundeyeisprocessedintheganglia

ofthehead.Theeyesaremadeupofthousandsofcells,eachcreatingasingleimage, often only of one point of light. On the whole the bee responds tochanges in light. As a cell sends its message to the brain, the bee can actinstantly.Therearealsosomelittleeyesonthetopoftheheadcalledocelli.Allinsectshavethem(spidershavemore),butinbeestheyareusedtodetectquickchangesoflightsuchasashadowfallingoverthebee.Thesearetriggeredwhenyouopenthehive,orstandoverabee.

Theheadalsohasthebeetongueandmouthpartswithwhichthebeenibblesatwax,throughflowersifitcan’tgettothenectar,throughpaperinthehivewhenyouare joining twocolonies,at thewoodof theframesand inmakingwaxorlayingdownpropolis.

Thetongue,orproboscis,actsasasponge,drawingupnectaroncontactandisshieldedbysomespecialmouthpartswhichmakeitalittlelikeastraw.

Theantennaearecollectionsofhairsand tissues loadedwithchemoreceptors.Onceacertainchemical‘fits’intoitsrespectiveplace,itsendsamessagetotheganglia.The bee knowswhere it is largely by tasting. Special receptors allowhormones from the queen tomaintain the bee’s physiology. For example, thequeenreleasesahormone(strictlyspeaking,hormonesmeantforoutsideofthebody are caller pheromones) that stops the bee from having the urge tomakequeencells.

The bee’s head is full of glands. There are hypopharangeal and mandibularglandsthatproduceroyaljellyandbeefood.

INSIDETHEBEENectar is transferred into a portion of the alimentary canal called the honeystomach. Here, enzymes are mixed with the nectar, converting some of thecomplex,disaccharidesugarsintomoresimpleones.

Whenthebeereturnstothehiveitregurgitatesthematerialintoacell,andtheotherbeesworkonit.Inaway,honeyisbeevomit.

Someofthenectarpassesthroughtherestoftheintestine.Thebeeintestineis

amazing.Inthewinterthosebeesinthehivewiththequeencanstoreuploadsofwastesotheydon’thavetogooutsidethehivetopoo.

The waste produced by the bees is collected into kidney-type organs calledmalpighiantubuleswhichemptyintothegut.

THESTINGThisisamodifiedovipositor(forlayingeggs)whichhasitsownbloodsupplyand its own ‘heart’.Thewhole thing ends in a sharpneedlewith a barb in it.Whenthebeestings,theactofflyingaway(orofbeingknockedawaywithanexpletive)causesthewholemechanismtobepulledout.Youcanseethevenomsackpulsating.Ifyougrabatitwithyourfingersyouarelikelytosqueezeallthevenomintothewound.Thethingtodoisslideitoutwithyourhivetool, thuslesseningthedose(seepage123).

DIFFERENCESBETWEENTHECASTESOfcourse,therearedifferencesbetweenbees.Thequeenhasbigovaries,andaplace tostoresperm.Howshekeepssperm throughouther life isdown toherabilitytofeedit.Shecanreleaseasinglespermatatime,somethingIfindtrulyamazing.

Thequeenalsohasasting,butneverusesitonhumans,onlyonotherqueens,anditisnevertornfromherabdomen.

Oneofthetrulyamazingthingsaboutbeeorganisationisthatdronesdonothaveasting!Wehavealreadysaidthattheworkersexpeldronesbeforethewinter–iftheyhadstings,theywouldfightback!

CHAPTER19

GETTINGSTARTED

It takesa littlenerveforsomeonenewtobeekeeping tosetoutalong thepaththatleadstoyourownfirstfulljarofgoldenhoney.Butit’sanexcitingpathtotread,whereyouwilllearnalotaboutthewonderfulworldofthebeeandnotalittleaboutyourselfintheprocess.

ASKINGFORADVICEFROMEXPERIENCEDBEEKEEPERSPerhapsthemostimportantadviceanyonecangiveanaspiringbeekeeperistomeetwithothersalreadyinvolvedinthehobby.Thiswayyouwillbeabletogethands-onexperienceandgetafeelingforhowyouwillreactwhenaroundbees.Beekeepingsocietiesaretobefoundinalmosteverytown,andyouwillbemostwelcomeattheirmeetingsanddemonstrations.

Icannotoveremphasisetheimportanceofgettingsomeexperiencearoundbeesbeforeyoutaketheplunge.Iwouldliketotellyouaboutmyself.

Myfirstbeeswereaswarm.Afriendbroughtthemtome–hewasabeekeeper,and plonked them in a box for me. I was watching from the safety of mygreenhouse,withallthewindowsandthedoorfirmlyshut.

Myfriendclosedthehiveandwentaway,pattingmeonthebackashewent.Ididn’thaveabeesuit,butImadeformyselfasmockoutofaNorwegianArmysnowsuit,thehoodofwhichIsewedinwithsomenetting.Itwasverythickandveryhot.UnderneaththisIworeathickjumperandtwopairsoftrousers.

Iboughtasmokerand tookhours lighting the thing. Iopenedmyhive for thefirsttime,lookinglikeaMichelinManandIwaswearingthethickestglovesIcouldfind.

I inspected the frames and found myself covered in bees, my arms and

particularlymy back. I was breathing heavily and very hot. After only a fewseconds,Iunceremoniouslydumpedtheframesbackintothehive,plonkedthelidonandran.IwasscaredofnotknowingwhatIwasdoing,notunderstandingwhatIsawbeforeme,ofbeingstung,ofkillingthebees,ofbeingsickrightintothebroodbox(Iwonderwhatthatwouldhavedoneforvarroacontrol?).

Itisquitenaturaltobefeelingallthesethings,butitisprobablybest–definitelybest–ifyoucangetovernightmaresofbeekeepingwithsomeonewhoknowswhatheisdoing.

WEARINGPROTECTIVECLOTHINGWhenever you think of beekeeping the picture of someone dressed in awhitesuitwithanetovertheheadtokeepthebeesoff.Youcancoverupasmuchasyou like and the addition of a good pair of beekeeping gauntlets keeps youtotally safe from stings unless you catch a bee in a crease somewhere and itstingsyouwhenyougetundressed.

It is the ubiquitous bee suit that everyone buys, and they do protect. By allmeanswear gauntlets, but youwill find, after going into the hive a couple oftimes,theyareabitcumbersome.Astoutpairofwashingupglovesdoesthejobjust as well (an expensive pair, not the cheap ones). But even then you willeventuallyfindyourselfusingjustyourskin.

Thereissomethingtobesaidforgettingstung.It’spainful–yes.Butwhenyouhavehadafewstings,itisnotsobad.Actuallyit’sOK,yesithurts,butnotthatbadly.

Always wear boots and never go into the hive without a veil. You are notprovinganythingbyit,and(asIcantestify)abeeintheearisarealpaintogetout–andastingintheeyeorupanostrilisjustanightmare.

USINGASMOKERAnother important piece of equipment, the smoker, burns grass, moss, peat,newspaper, bark and cardboard slowly; almost anything that can burn – andprobablythebestmaterialtoburn,ifyoucangetit,isoldsacking.

Beesevolvedinwoodlandandyoucantrickthemintothinkingthereisafirebysmokingthem.Whentheydetectsmoke,firstofalltheymoveawayfromitandthentheygorgethemselvesonhoneyinpreparationtoescape.Whenyouusethesmoker,mostofthebeesfilluptoburstingpointmakingitdifficultforthemtosting.

Itdoesn’tstopthemfromstinging,asyouwillfindout,butitdoeshelp.

Thebestuseforthesmokerissimplytomovebeesaway,astheywillretreatintothe body of the hive. This ismost importantwhen reassembling the hive andputtingthecrownboardinplace.Youkillfewerbeesifyouhavesmokedthemaway.

LightingthesmokerItisdifficulttostartafiredownatube!Ipersonallyusesomepaperandalonggas-poweredlighter–thekindusedforlightingcookers.Gentlypuffthebellowsandgetthepaperalightthenpopmorepaperontopofthisuntilyougetagoodblazegoing.Ontopofthisaddyourcombustiblematerial,whilepuffingaway.Prettysoonitwillallbealight,andyoucanclosethelid.

Remember, the smoker is hot! Pick it up carefully and only buy one with aguard. It will also need replenishing, so don’t let it go out. There is nothingworsethanreachingforyoursmokerandfindingithasgoneout.

Sackingwillburnforages–keepgivingitalittlepuffnowandthentobesureit’sgoing.

Ifyouonlyhaveonehive,itwilllastthetenminutesorsoyouareinthere–butmorethanonepresentsfuellingproblems.Alwaysmakesureyouhaveenoughsmokeforthehivebeforeyouopenitup.

UsingthesmokerYoualwaysonlygiveonepuff–youarenot JohnWayne, flame throwing thebaddies ina film.Begentle.Beforeopening,givea littlepuffat theentrance.Thistellsthebeesthereissomethinghappeningandmanywillgethoney.

Removethelidandgiveanotherpuffunderthecrownboard.

Thenonlysmokewhenyouhavealotofbeesaround,otherwiseyouwillhinderthe process. Smoke with a sweeping movement using a single puff of thebellows.Don’trepeatedlypullatthesmoker;itgetshotandyoucangetflamesfiringoutofthefunnel.Allyouneedisgentlesmoke.

Whenreassemblingthehive,usegentlesmoketomovethebeesfromtheedgesofthehive.

Idon’tlikeusingsmoke.ItmakesmythroatdryandIamsurethebeesarealsoaffectedbyit.IuseitonlyifIreallyhaveto.

BUYINGAHIVETOOLThislookslikeachisel.Youuseittomoveframes,liftingthemoutwhentheyaregluedtightbythebees,andtoremovequeencells.Itisthemostorganically-shapedtoolinthefarmingworld.

There are various jobs that the hive tool is important for. There are manydesigns, too.Iprefer theonewithacurledend–itallowsmetogetunderthelipsoftheframesandleverthemout,thebeeshavinggluedthemtogether.

Anotherjobistheremovalofcombsfromthebarsofthehive.Beeswillmakealot of wax on the frames, which I always remove because it can glue up thewholehive,affectthequeenexcluder,allowingthequeentowrigglethroughifitisbent.

Theotheruseofthehivetoolisthecollectionofpropolis,whichthebeesuseforgluing.Propolis is awonderfulmaterialwhich thebees collect from trees andadd enzymes to. It is their glue, and it has fantastic antiseptic qualities. Asolution in alcohol keeps viruses at bay – no more sore throats. A word ofwarning–itstainssobadlythatyouwillnevergetitoutofyourclothes!

Usingthebladesideofthehivetool,thereisoneproblem.Ifyouhavenotmadeyour frames properly then any pins protruding from the top of the framewilltakeachunkoutofyourhivetool–oryourfingercometothat!

USINGBUCKETS

AbucketfordisinfectingyourtoolsIfyouhavemorethanonehiveyouneedawayofcleaningyourutensilsbeforeyougo into thenextone.Yes,beesrobfromeachother,andconsequentlycanspreaddiseasefromonecolonytoanother,butyourhivetoolsandhandscandothismoreeffectively.

Abucketofwaterwithahandfulofwashingsodaandsomedetergentinitwilldoforbothhandsandtools.

AnotherbucketforcollectingwaxThisoneisforallthosebitsofwaxyoucollectfromthehive.Don’tjustthrowthemaboutonthefloor,keepthemapartandtakethemhome.Getintothehabitofbeingcompletelycleanaboutthehives.Otherbeescansmellwax(andsocanwasps) andwill thencomeand robyourbees. It canbe aproblem if a strongcolony robs from a weak one, as the weak one can die as a result. Almostuniversally, however, robbing bees bring disease, viruses and a lot of otherproblems.

Neverleavebitsofhiveproducts,waxandsoon,honeyordeadbeesaboutthehive–alwaystakethemaway.

BLOWTORCHThis is an important tool for removing germs and infectants inwooden hives.

The wood of an old hive is made suitable for use for another colony byblowtorchingit.Theheatkillseverythingthatcouldcauseproblemsinthenewcolony. You have to flame all the surfaces of the hive, melting the wax andpropolisuntilitboils.

FEEDERSWhenyoutakehoneyfromthehive(andIalwaysleaveasuper(seepage129)fullofhoneyforthebees)youshouldfeedthem.Afterfeederisausefultoolforbeekeepers,andtherearemanydesignsoffeeders.Theycanfitinthelidofthehive,orinasuper,andyoufillthemwithordinarywhitesugarsyrup.

Theconcentrationofthesugarisimportant.Ifyoumake1:1syrup,thatis,1kgsugarto1litreofwater,itwillencouragethebeestofly.Forautumnandspringfeeding,whenyoudon’tparticularlywantthemtofly,makea2:1syrup–2kgsugarto1litreofwater.

Inthewintermake(orbuy)somefondant.Thisisplacedonthetopbarsoftheframesand thebeeseat into it.Youmake fondantabit likemaking jam(wellonlyabit)byusing4partssugarto1partwater.Ateaspoonofvinegarperlitreofwaterwillhelpbreakdownsomeofthesugar.

Fondantrecipe

Poursugar,waterandvinegarintosaucepanandbringtotheboilstirringconstantly.

Coverandgentlyboilupforaboutfiveminutes.

Removelidandchecktemperaturewithcookingthermometer,continuetoboilwithlidoffuntiltemperaturereaches112ºC/(234ºF).

Removefromheatandcoolto93ºC/(200ºF).

Whipwith amixer (preferably electric) until themixture begins to turnwhiteandcreamywithairbubbles.

Pourintoshallowsettingpans.

Allowtocoolundisturbed.

Tofeedbees,placeinvertedpanontopofframes.

Feedersallowtheintroductionofmedicineintothehive,byaddingittothefeed.Fumidil B is a case in point, which is used for treating the protist infectionnosema.

VARROACONTROLREQUIREMENTSYouwillneed tobuydifferent treatments forvarroacontrol.Weareno longerallowed to treat with insecticides, as the mites are becoming immune to it.However,Thymolstripsareoftenusedinthewinter,oxalicacidpouringinthedeadofwinter.Icingsugarisusedinthemiddleoftheyear.Moreofthislater.

CHOOSINGTHEHIVETherearelotsofdesignsofbeehives.Whenyouthinkofthetraditionalbeehive,ithas lappedsidesand isalmost invariablywhite.These,calledWBCafter itsdesigner,WilliamBroughtonCarr,areactuallymadeof twoparts.Theoutsidehoopsofwoodconcealaninnerboxhivethatisusedtodayalone,astheBritishNationalHive.Thehoopsarelittlemorethananuisance,havingtoberemovedbeforethehiveitselfcanbeexamined.

TheBritishNational is largelyonlyused in theUK,andall kindsofdifferentsizesofhivesexist–usuallynotinterchangeablewitheachother.

Most commercial beekeepers use a large hive called the Langstroth, anAmericandesignnamedafter itsdesigner,aneminentVictorianbeekeeper, theReverendLangstroth.

Youcanbuyhivesmadefrompolystyreneandanumberofplasticdesignsareavailable. For the most part this section will concentrate on British NationalHives,madefromwood,butmostofwhatissaidappliesequallytoplastichives,

excepttheneedforflaming.

Plastichivescannotbeflamed–theymelt!However,theycanbefumigatedbyusingdisinfectant–Domestos,forexample,worksbrilliantly.

Amodern,productivebeehiveconsistsoftwoormoreboxes.Thelowerbox,orbroodbox,sitsonwhat isreferredtoasavarroafloor.This issimplyanopenmesh,throughwhichvarroamitesfallhavingbeenknockedoffbycleaningbeesorsimplybychance.Astheyfalloutofthehive,theycannotclimbbackagain.The varroa floor accounts for a reasonable reduction in mite population.Yesteryearbeekeepersusedasolidfloor,butthemiteswerefoundtoclimbbackinsideagain.Awhiteplasticsheetbeneaththefloorallowsyoutokeepacountonthenumbersofmitesfallingthrough.Thisthenwillgiveyouanestimateastohowmanymitesareinsidethecolony.

Thisfloorprovidesanentrancetothehiveforthebeesatthebottom.Thefloorsticksouta littleat thefront, formingan‘alightingtable’,where thebees landandtakeoffwhenforaging,thoughthekindofalightingtablesyouusedtogetwhensolidfloorswereinusearelonggone.

The entrance to the hive is usually about a centimetre across, and is used forventilationaswellasgettinginandoutofthecolony.

Unfortunatelyotheranimalsuse theentrance.Waspsaregood fightersand thebeescannotdefendafull46cmgap,so theentrance isconstrictedfor the latesummer and into the autumn to about 3 cm – giving them a fighting chanceagainstwaspattack.

Similarly, in thewinter,micecan rob thehive, soamouseguard isused. It isamazinghowsmallaspaceamousecancreepthrough.

THEBROODBOXThisformsthelargestpartofthehive,andholdsanumberofframesthateachhaveahoneycombofwaxonthem.Thequeenisrestrictedtothisareaandlayshereggsinthecellsthattheworkersproduceandcleanout.Shewouldhappilylay all over the hive given the chance, but is prevented from doing so by a

specialgrill,calledthe‘queenexcluder’.Thequeenexcluderfitsontopofthebrood box. Fat with eggs, she’s unable to squeeze between the wires of theexcluderintothehigherboxes,althoughtheworkerscaneasilypassthrough.Astheyfindthecellsinthehigherboxesfreefromeggs,theysimplystorehoneyintheminstead.

Theframesinthebroodboxaredeepand,havingbeenmadeupbytheworkers,arereadyforthequeentolayhereggsinthecells.Agoodpatternoflayingisindicativeofhowwellthequeenisdoing.Normallyaconsistentlayingpattern,withfew‘pepperpot’emptycells,andabandofhoneystoresaboveiswhatyouarelookingfor.

The brood box in a National hive holds 9, 10 or 11 frames – you decide.Sometimes the frames simply rest on a runner in the box, and are set at thecorrect space by the shape of the frames. Other arrangements have metalcastellationsatthetopofthebox,intowhichtheframesslot.

REARRANGINGTHEFURNITUREWhen you go into the brood box, first, you have to be gentle: don’t bash theframes around – you might kill the queen. Second, brood boxes have to bereturnedinthecorrectorderandinthesameposition.Mixingthemuporputtingthembacktheoppositewayroundislikesomeonebreakingintoyourhouseandchangingthewalls,theroomsandthefurniture.Itconfusesthebees.

THESUPERSThesearetheboxesthatarepiledontopofthebroodbox,separatedbyasinglequeenexcluder.(Youonlyneedonequeenexcluderperhive–mostofthetime.)Theremay be asmany as four or five supers, but usually there are two. Theframesinthesupersaresmallerthanthoseinthebroodbox.Whenthehoneyhasmaturedinthecells,matureworkerscomealongandcapthemwithwax.

Whenasuperisfullofhoneyitweighs15kg,andyoucanremoveasuperfromthebeeshavingremovedthebeesfromthesuper.

Aboard,calledthecrownboard,isplacedontopofthesupers,closingoffthetopof thehive.Thiscanhaveabeetrap,calledaPorterBeeEscape,allowing

beestogetoutbutnotin,forcingthemtoreturnviathebottomofthehive.Inthiswayyoucanempty thebees from the superbox ifyouputablankboardbeneaththeboxandacrownboardfittedwithabeeescapeatthetop.

THELIDOn top of the hive is a substantial but loosely-fitting lid that’s completelywaterproof. Pitched roofs are more waterproof than flat ones, but less usefulwhen itcomes tostacking.Youcanup-turna flat lidandplace thesupersandbroodboxesonitasyouinspectyourhive.

THESTANDThehivestandisanimportantpieceofequipment.Firstofallitallowstheboxestobeatthecorrectheightforeasymanoeuvring.Beekeepingcanbeheavyworkandtheboxesaremoreeasilymovediftheyareatasuitableheight.

Second, it is good to be able to attach the hive to something solid. This isespeciallyimportantifthehivesbecomedisturbedbywildlifeorhumans.

Thewholehive is held togetherwith a tensionbelt, the kindusedbyhaulierswhen transporting goods. If you have fixed your stand to a solid surface, orburieditintheground,youwillthenbeabletosecurethewholestructurewiththebelt.

Makesurethebeltiswell-oiled.Theycanrusteasily,andbecomeimpossibletoundo!

AMENTORTo avoid problems, and to help you through the process of keeping bees youneedsupport–abeekeepingmentor.Oftenonecanbefoundbygoingfirsttoalocalbeekeepingassociation.Manyofthemhavecourses,butyouwillprobablyfindmany of them are booked up for some time. However, ask to become amember.Itbringsnotonlyinsurancebutalsoexpertise,friendshipandhelp.

Youwillgo intoahiveundersupervisionmanytimesduringyour trainingbutyouwillfindatimewhendoingitbyyourselfwhenyouneedhelpandadvice.

Youmightneedsomeonetocomealongandtellyou(orremindyou)whattodo.Andwhenyoucan’tfindaqueenandtherearequeencellsontheframes, justwhatshouldyoudo?Youneedafriendlymentortohelpyouthrougheverything.

RACESOFBEESPeoplewhodonotknowthedifferenceamongbeesregardthemallasbeingthesame.Theyconfusehoneybeeswithbumblebees.Theybelievebumblebeesgivehoney. They think honeybees live underground. Most interestingly, you findphotographs of bumblebees illustrating honeybee articles in newspapers andmagazines.

Around theworld thereareanumberof racesofhoneybees.Eachhas itsowncharacteristicsand thebeekeepers interbreed themtoproducebeessuitable fortheir local climate and predominant floral conditions. It’s likely that any beesyoukeepwillbehybridisedtosomedegree.

TheoriginalbeeintheUKwastheBritishBlack,whichdiedout100yearsago.Ithasbeen replacedbyhybrids, suchas theBuckfastBee,bred to replace theBritishBlack.There aremanyother races fromaround theworld, perhaps themostcommonintheUKbeingtheItalianApismelifferalinguistica.

CASTESOFBEEBee society is fairly complex and consists of three types of bee: the queen,femaleworkersandmaledrones.Thebees live togetherasacolony.Inaway,thecolonyisasingleorganicentityandtheindividualbeesonlyapartofthis.

QueenThequeencontrols thehiveinonlythisrespect.Sheemitshormonesthatgivethe colony its owndistinct aromawhich all the bees recognise, so they attackany bees coming from a different hive. The hormones give the colony itsidentity, and the strengthof thehormones isproportional to the fertilityof thequeen.Whenthequeenis failing,due toageorperhapssicknessor injury, theworkerswillreplaceherbyfeedingroyaljellytoasuitableegg.

It’sthequeen’sjobtolayeggs.Overhershortlifeshewilllaymanythousands

ofeggs togive thecolonyachance tocollectenough food for thewinter,andmake enough bees to reproduce in the spring. Apart from these importantfunctions,itistheworkersthathaveoverallcontrolofthecolony.

Queensaremadeincellscalled‘queencells’.Dependingonthestateoftheoldqueen these cells are usually found at the bottom of a brood box frame – inwhich case they are calledReproduction or Supersedure cells. If the queen issickorinjuredtheworkerswillproduceemergencyqueencellsinthemiddleoftheframe.

Eitherwaythequeenhasproducedherownreplacementandtheegg,afertilisedegg, is fed royal jelly todevelop itsovariesand fertility.Theyoungqueen (orqueens inaswarminghive)willemerge tobematedbydrones.Shewillmatewithadozenorsomales,acourtshipthatwilllastpossiblyacoupleofdays.

Anoldercolonywillproduceseveralqueencells,andbeekeepershavetodecidewhattodoaboutthem.Ifallthequeenshatchthecolonymayswarm,somethingofadisasterintheearlysummer.But,atsomepointtheoldqueenwillrunoutofeggstolayandanewqueenwillthenbeneeded.Aqueenneverlastsmorethanfiveyears,andusuallyisonlyallowedtoliveforthreeatmost.Re-queeningisastraightforward process, which allows the colony to be replenished. Moreimportantly,partofthebeekeepingprocessisaboutincreasingyourstock.

Usually,whenyoubuyacolony,or ifyoubuyaqueen, shewill comewithamarkonherback,paintedbytheoriginator.Thecolourof themarkrepresentstheyear shewasproduced.The colour represents the endingof theyear, so awhitemarksaysthebeewasproducedeitherin2011or2006,butsinceweneverkeepqueensformorethan5years,shewasproducedin2011.Therewillnotbeanotherwhitequeenuntil2016.

Thesequenceis:

White:1or6Yellow:2or7Red:3or8Green:4or9Blue:5or0.

WorkersTheworkerbee(aninfertilefemale)isbyfarthemostnumerousmemberofthehive.Theyliveforaround66daysandstarttheirlivesasafertilisedegginanareainthehivecalledthe‘broodbox’.Whentheyemergeasabee,around22days after hatching they start their brief but productive life by cleaning theframes and then progress to other duties as they grow older. These includeventilating,guardingandcleaningthehive,andfeedingthequeen.Thistakesupthesecondperiodof22days,andwhentheyarereadytheyspendthefinal22daysforaging.Theyliterallyworkthemselvestodeathflyingthousandsofmilescollectingnectartobeconvertedintohoney.

Attheheightofsummer,ahivemaycontain40,000bees.It’stheworkersthatcollect nectar, water and pollen. When they return from finding a new foodsource, its position is communicated to the other foraging bees by theperformance of a dance, called a ‘waggle’ dance. The workers make manydecisionsaboutforaging,aboutprotectingthehiveandthelifeinthehive.

They also act as nursemaids, feeding the grubs, and storing pollen and honey.And,whentheyareolder,theysecretethewaxfromwhichhoneycombismade.Foragingbeescollectasubstancefromtreesandplantscalledpropolis.Theyusethis to glue up the hive – they love glueing! Propolis has really powerfulantiseptic properties and is used to keep the hive free from many bacteria.Possiblythemostimportantthingaboutitisthatitkeepsoutdraughts!

Workers also make new queens by feeding them ‘royal jelly’, a substancesecretedfromtheirhypopharyngealgland.Thisoccursinresponsetotheageorthehealthofthecurrentqueen.

DronesTherearealsoarelativelysmallnumberofmalebees,calleddrones,whoonlyhaveonejob:tomatewithanewqueenwhenshegoesonhernuptialflight.InMayorJune they flyoff to locationswhere theyare joinedbyavirginqueen.Thequeenwillmatewitharoundtendronesduringthisflightandthespermshecollectswilllastallherlife.

Dronesarelargerthanworkersandalittlesmallerthanthequeen.Theyhavenosting.Theystartlifeasanunfertilisedegg.

Havingmated,thesuccessfuldronediesandalltherestreturntothehivewheretheworkersthrowthemoutattheendofthesummertodie.Nomatterhowhardthey try togainaccess, thedronesare forciblyevicted timeandagainuntilallhavedied.

Dronesaresacrificedbybeekeepersinordertocutdownthenumberofvarroamitesinthecolonies.Ifyouallowworkerstomakedronecombs,varroamitesprefer to enter the larger drone cells. When these cells are capped by theworkers, they can be removed by the beekeeper, taking a large proportion ofmiteswiththem.

HOWTOBUYBEESMyfirstbeescametomebecauseofthebeekeepingassociationofwhichIhadbecome a member. I made friendships, and good beekeeping is aboutfriendships.TheassociationhadanapiaryandinthelatespringIwasofferedaswarm,whichcostmenothing,andIgotamentoratthesametime.

Thisiswithoutdoubtthebestwaytoacquirebees.Ofcourse,youcanalsogotoall kinds of lengths to buy colonies,mostly in the spring,mostly supplied asnucleii.

ThenucleusThisisasmallboxthatholdsfiveframesofbrood.Rightnowyoucanpayupto£200fora‘nuc’.Theframesfromanucshouldbeplacedinthecentreofahive,andtheyshouldbefedwith2:1syrupthatistwopartssugartoonepartwater.

There are many companies who will sell you starter kits or actual bees. Youshouldhavenodifficultyinraisingthesebeesaslongasyougetthemearlyintheseason,andmakesuretheycollectplentyofhoneyforthemselves.

Youwillnotknowanythingabouttheoriginofthesebees,socheckforvarroaand,atthesametime,addsomeFumidilBtotheirfeed.Itwouldbeagoodideatoinviteyourlocalbeeinspectortohavealookatthem,too.

BuyingaqueenManypeoplesellqueens,whichcomeinlittleplasticcageswithafewattendantworkers.Ifyoucanbeg/borroworbuythreeframesormaybefourofbeesinanucleusbox,youcanadd thequeencage to them.The first intent theworkershaveistokillthequeenbecausetheyarenotherworkersandtheydon’tsmellthe sameas shedoes.However, thebottomof thequeencage ispluggedwithcandy.Bythetimetheworkershaveeatenthroughthecandy,theysmellofthenew,introducedqueenandtheyusuallyaccepther.Thereisachanceoffailure,butatonly£25perqueen,thisrepresentsacheaperoption.Inordertopersuadesomeonetogiveyouthreeframesofbroodusuallymeansjoininganassociation:Icannotstressthistoomuch–joinanassociation!

CHAPTER20

THEBEEKEEPINGYEAR

Beekeepers talk about cycles, which is essentially how long it takes bees toemergeforforaging.Youcantakethisas22days.Ayoungbeewilltake22daystoemergefrombeinganeggandgrubandafurther22daystoemergetoforage.

Thiscanbesaidtostartinthespringwhenthequeenbeginstolayeggsandthenumberofbeesinthehivebuildsup.Remember,ittakes44daysforeggslaidtostart to forage for food. This means the bees have to time the increase innumbersas flowsofnectar andpollenarrive in the spring.Often, apple is thefirstpolleninthespring.Beeswillcollectpolleninordertofeedgrubs,andifthereisnoneavailableinthehivethebeescanhaveapoorstarttotheyear.

Asmoreplantscomeontap,thebeenumbersincreasetotakeadvantageofthenectarthatisflowing(itsoundsalmostlikethebrewerytap!).

Thequeenlaysanincreasingnumberofeggseachday.

ByMarchthereisfrequentlyalargenumberofnewbees,eachconsumingfoodthatisnotnecessarilybeingreplaced.Inthiscase,youneedtobesurethecolonydoesn’tstarve.Makesomefondant(seepage126)orbuyitandpopit intothehiveveryquicklysoyoudon’tchillanyyoung.

InAprilthecolonyisgrowing.Chooseawarmday(around15ºC)andmakesurethereisspaceinthehivefortheexpandingcolony.Addafeederwith1:1sugarandwater,whichwillnotonlyfeedthecolony,butwillencourageworkersreadytofly.

ByMay you are not only hoping the colony is growing, but that it also hasplentyofroomtoexpand.Youmayfindalotofdronesandaqueencell,andyoumustbepreparedtodosomethingaboutit.

You should inspect the colony weekly and check for swarming possibilities.Moveoldbroodframesattheoutsideoutofthehiveandreplacethemwithnewones.Trytoreplaceatleastfourframeseachyear.Donotreusetheoldframes–pullthemapart,harvestthehoneyandflametheoldwoodbeforereassemblingitwithanewfoundation.

Addasuper,especiallyifthecurrentoneisfull.

Wewilltalkaboutswarminginthenextchapter,butatthispointthehivewillbereadytoreproduceitself.

Thereisanoldpoem:

AswarminMay’sworthabaleofhayAswarminJuneisworthasilverspoonAswarminJulyisn’tworthafly.

May and June are the most important times for swarming, and you shouldconsiderhavingsomethingavailabletocatchswarms,e.g.abaithiveonashedroof,evenifyouhaveundergoneartificialswarming.

ByJuneandJulyyoursuperswillbefillingwithhoney.This isanexciting, ifscary,time.Thebeenumberswillbepeakingaroundnowandyouwillhavethelargestnumbersofvarroamites, too.Wewill lookatvarroainChapter22,butthebroodboxshouldbeas fullaspossible,and themitenumberswillalsobehigh.Considerdronebroodsacrificeortheuseoficingsugar.Youmightbeabletotakeacropofhoney,eitherafewframesorevenafullsuper.Remembertoreplaceframesastheyaretaken.

InAugust you can remove supers of honey for extraction. You need to leavesome for thebees, and I normallygive themawhole super for themselves. Iftherewasonesuperofhoney,andyouhave removed it,put theempty framesbackonceyouhaveextractedthehoney.IfyoudothisinearlyAugust,theywillprobably have completely replaced it by themiddle of September. If not, addframesoftheirownhoneytomakeupafullsuper.

InlateAugustthebeesaretreatedforvarroaagain.Youmighthavedustedthem

with icing sugar in July orAugust and used drone sacrifice again too. In lateAugust, Thymol is used. In the middle of winter, when the bees are at theirlowestnumber,atreatmentwithoxalicacidisoftenusedtogetthevarroamitesdowntotheirlowestnumbers.

After the harvest and the varroa treatment, the bees are prepared for winter.Hopefullytheywillhaveafullsuperofhoneyandsomefeed–2:1feed–whichcancontinueuntilearlyOctober.Afterthatusefondanttofeedthebees,whichisplacedintheshallowtinyoumadeitinorwithout,sothebeescaneasilygettoit. You can add Fumidil B to the September feed to treat the colony againstnosema.

Themouseguardsarefittedtotheentranceandwithplentyoffoodthebeesarelockedup.

WARMWAY/COLDWAYTheboxescanbearrangedsotheframesfaceeitherparallel to theentranceorperpendicular to it. Imagine framesperpendicular to theentrance– there isnoresistancetodraughts,andthisisknownasthecoldway.Ifyouarrangetheboxso the wind is stopped by the first frame, this is known as the warm way. Ialwaysarrangetheboxesthewarmwayinwinter.

Thebeesshouldbe leftundisturbeduntil themiddleofwinter,whenyou treatwithoxalicacid.

Remember,otherproblemscanarise,thehivemightbepushedoverbypeopleoranimals, so secure it. They might be attacked by woodpeckers and badgers.Makesurethehiveisassturdyaspossible.

Keepsomefondantavailableforemergencyfeeding.

THEDEVELOPMENTOFBEESWe will look at the worker bee and call her typical. The queen is quite anexceptionandisdealtwithinthenextsection.

Worker bees, infertile females, live for 66 days on average, except those that

overwinter in the hive, who have a torrid time keepingwarmwith dwindlingfoodresources.

Thefirstdaysarespentasanegg.Thisisverticalinthecellonday1,lesssoonday2andbyday4theyareflatonthebaseofthecell.Withinafewdaystheyhavebecomeagrubandare feda substancecalled ‘beebread’by thenurseryworkers,plusafewenzymesandhormones.

Fromday4toaboutday9thegrubsareopeninthecellsandtheyareattendedbyotherbeesuntilitistimeforthemtopupate.Aroundday9thebeesputawaxsealonthecellsandinsidethebeespupate,emergingonday22.

Forafewdaystheyfindtheirwayaroundthecolony–wherethefoodis,wherethewaterandqueenare.Theylickthequeenandmakethemselvesfullyapartofthecolony.

Theyemergewithhairsalloverthemwhichgetrubbedoffastheybumparoundthebrood.

Duringthissecondperiodof22daystheworkerbeedoesn’tleavethehive.Shefirststartstofeedgrubsandthequeen,tidiesuparoundthebrood,removesdeadbees–generalhousekeeping,sotospeak.Shethentakesonboardthedutiesofwaxsecretor,andmakesup thecombandcells.Thentheworkerbeesbecomeventilators and guard bees at the entrance. This is the last of their householddutiesandtheysoonmakethemselvesreadyforthenextstage.

ORIENTATIONFLIGHTSWorkerbees,44daysold,flyoutofthehiveandtakeamemoryphotographofwhere they are. They do the same at differing heights and this builds up amemoryofwheretheylive.Havingworkedthisouttheyareembeddedwiththisinformation. Theywill fly up to 2miles, always returning to the hive. If youmovethehivemorethanafewfeetthebeeswillreturnonlytowherethehivewas.

Theruleis:movethehivelessthan2feetormorethan2miles.

Duringthislastperiodof22daysthebeewillflythousandsofmilesinpursuitofnectar,water,pollenandpropolis.Shewillwearherselfoutcollectingenoughnectarforjustateaspoonofhoney.

CHAPTER21

BEEKEEPINGTECHNIQUES

Therearenotalotoftechniquestomasterwhenyouarethinkingaboutkeepingbees. Probably the most important technique, and this relates to all animalhusbandryonasmallscale,istodeveloptheabilitytolikeandenjoywhatyouare doing. Consequently, gaining an empathy, a feeling for your bees is animportantpartofbeekeeping.

Second,theabilitynottopanicisimportanttoo.Youwill,atsomepointinyourcareer,becoveredwithbees,havethemflyingaroundyourheadandnotreallyknowwhatyouaredoingorlookingfor,buttheabilitytokeepcalm,reassemblethe hive and walk away from your bees is all you really need in suchcircumstances.

Youneedtohavetheability todealwithastingwithoutfuss–keepcalmandcarryon.

WHATAREYOULOOKINGFORINTHEHIVE?Whatyouneedtolookforinthehivevariesaccordingtothetimeofyearanditwill takeexperience tomaster.Whenyoufirststartyouseemto juststare,butwithinafewdaysofopeninghivesyouwillgetplentyofpracticeatlookingforthings.

FindingthequeenThemostimportantthinginthehiveisahealthyqueen,soyouneedtoseeher.This isn’t alwayspossible,but there areplentyof clues, suchas eggs in cells.Thequeenlaysaneggandduringthefirst24hoursitremainsuprightandtakes3daystofalloverpriortobecomingagrub.

Ifyoucannotseeaqueenyoucansurmisesheistherebyfindingeggs,andthe

positionoftheeggindicateshowlongagothequeenwaslaying.

ESTABLISHINGWHETHERTHEREISROOMFOREXPANSIONIn thespringandearlysummeryouneed toknowthere is roomforexpansionwithinthecolony,somakesurethereareemptyframesinthebroodbox,andifyoucannotfitanymorein–anunlikelyevent–considerhavingasecondbroodbox.

Tesameapplies tohoneystores.Besure therearealwaysframesavailable forthebeestofillwithhoney.Iftheycannotstorehoneytheycannotforage,andarelikelytoswarm.

QueencellsKeep an eye out for queen cells. These are obvious: they look like peanutshangingfromthebaseofaframeorfromthemiddleofaframe.Theyindicatethepreparationofacolonytoswarm.Ifyouhaveacappedqueencellyoumayonly have a day to do something about it, andwewill go into this in greaterdetaillater.

BracecombandpropolisBeeswill oftenbuild combbetween the frames, called ‘brace comb’, andyoucan remove this. It isn’t always necessary to do so as far as the bees areconcerned,but it alwaysmakes itdifficult to inspect the frames. Ialways takecomboffthetopbarsoftheframestooas, inanotherweek,itwouldbereallydifficulttoclearallthewaxawaywithoutmakingacompletemess.

Iharvestthepropolis,whichlookslikeabrownstainonthewood.Bothwaxandpropolisarecollectedusingthehivetoolasascraper.Waxisstoredinabucketforlateruse,propolisisscrapedintoajamjarfordissolvingingin–anexcellentgargleiscreatedfromthissubstance,buttrynottoswallowit.

FEEDINGAtvarioustimesoftheyearyoumightwishtofeedyourbees.Inthespringand

summeradd1:1syrup toa feeder thatsitsdirectlyon topof theframesof thehighestsuper.

Youmakethissyrupbydissolvingakiloofsugarinalitreofwater.Itisalwaysbesttowarmthewaterbeforeyoudissolvethesugar.Stirallthetimeandthenallowthesyruptocoolbeforeuse.Inautumnyouneed2:1syrup,whichis2kgofsugarto1litreofwater.Thedifferenceisthissecondsyrupismuchclosertothe concentration of honey, and the bees can usually store this by the end ofSeptember,ifitisaddedinlateAugustafterhoneyistaken.

Winterfeedisusuallyfondant.Thisis4:1syrup.(Seerecipeonpage126.)

HEFTINGThe brood box plus a super of honey should be enough to keep your beesthrough the averagewinter.The only problem is there are very rarely averagewintersanymore.Getusedtofeelingwhatyourhiveplusasuperofhoneyfeelsliketolift.Then,wheneveryouarecheckingonthebees,heftagain.Ifitfeelslightergivethebeesafeedoffondantasanemergencymeasure.

USINGOTHERFEEDSANDAPPLICATIONSThereareanumberoffeedswithnutrientsofvarioussortsavailableforfeedingbeesinsteadofjustsugar.Theyarenotalwaysnecessary,butmanybeekeepersdoswearbythem.Youwillfindallkindsofadvertsfortheminthebeekeepingpress.

Somehive treatments such as ‘HiveClean’ aremade fromorganic substancesandarecompletelysafetouse.Inparticular,‘HiveClean’causethebeestocleaneachotherandsignificantly reducesvarroamite infestation,aswellasmakingthehiveamoredisease-freespace.

Beesuseagreatdealofwater.Theyshouldhaveawayofcollectingwaterthatdoesn’tentailthemdrowning.Iusuallykeepatrayofpebbleswithsomewaterinitsothebeescanalightonthepebblesanddrink.

SWARMINGANDSUPERSEDURE

Bees reproduce themselves, and the way they do it is called swarming. It isintriguingtothinkithassomethingtodowiththeageofthequeen,butinsomeyearsevenaone-year-oldqueenwillhavehercolonyswarm.Beesknowwhenitisimportanttoswarm.

Swarmingisnothingtodowithabsconding,whenbeessimplyleavethehiveinsearchofabetterhome.

Swarmingstartswithqueencells,andthereareoftenmorethanoneinacolony.Thequeeneither laysanegg in thecells if thecolony is reproducing,or inanemergency,anexistingeggischosentobecomeaqueen.Previously,almostasamatter of course, the colony will have started to make drone cells in largenumbers,oftenapreludetothemakingofqueencells.

Thequeencellisabout1.5cmlongandtheyounggrubisfedroyaljellywhichis a fatty substance ladenwithproteinsandenzymes thatmake thegrubgrowmorequickly,anddeveloptheovaries.

Thevariousqueensdevelopandbeforereleasestart tomakeapipingsound,asort of screamwhose purpose is not fully understood. Some say it is towarnother,stillunhatchedqueens,theyarecomingtogetthem–personallyI’mnotsosure.

Whatistrueisthatthefirsthatchedqueenwilltrytokilltheothers,butisoftenprevented from doing so by the workers. A swarm might have a number ofqueensamongtheirnumbers.

NuptialflightsOnce she is ready, avirginqueenwill fly, sometimesover a fewdays, amongdronesinordertomate.Shewillmatewithadozenorsomalesandthenshehasherfillofsperm,whichshestoresforever.Itwilltakeuptoamonthbeforethequeenstartstolayherfirsteggs.

Whatcanyoudoaboutswarms?Intheworstcase,thereisnothingyoucando–ifacolonywishestoswarm,it

will,regardlessofwhatyoudotostopit.

Firstofall,givethemroom.Thecolonywillswarmifthereisnotenoughinthehive, soyoucaneliminate thiscausalagentbymakingsure theyhaveenoughspace, both in the brood box and above. You can add another brood box,probablya superplacedbeneath thequeenexcluder.Sucha set-up iscalled ‘aoneandahalfbrood’.

Ifyourqueenisnew,youcankillalltheotherqueencells.Withoutanewqueentherewillbenoswarm.Butyouhavetobefastidiousaboutit,anditiseasytomissthem.

ArtificialswarmingYou can alternatively artificially swarm the bees, quite a simple technique,which involves another, empty hive or nucleus box. This is done in earlysummer.

Takethreeframes–fourifyoucanmanageit–ofbeesfromyourparenthiveandputtheminanotherhiveatleast10maway.Makesurethereareeggs,grubsandcappedbroodinthere.Shakethebeesoffanotherframefromtheparenthiveintothenewhive.

Replacetheframeswithnewones,placeafeederontopandnowyouhavetwocolonies. One with a queen, one without. Both colonies will think they haveswarmed. If therearequeencells in theparentcolony theneitherkill them,orkillyourqueenifsheisold,alongwithallbutonequeencell.

In the new colony, allow only one queen cell to develop. But if there are noqueencellsinthenewcolonytheresoonwillbe.

All the flying bees in the new colony will return to their old hive.Within amonthyouwillhavetwo,fullyfunctioningcolonies.Youmustcontinuetofeedthe colonies with 2:1 syrup until they have grown in number to make themviable.

ShookswarmThis isamethodofchanging theframes inacolony thatwillalso think ithasswarmed inmost cases.The importanceof exchanging all the frames in thesetimesofdiseaseisimportant.

Movetheexistinghiveafewmetresawayandbuildanewoneinitsplace.Placethequeenexcluderunderneath the broodbox and fillwith new, clean frames.Thenremovethecentrefourframes.

Intheoldcolony,findthequeenandcollectherinaqueencageordryjarwithalidforsafekeeping(makesureaircangetin).

Carefully shake all the bees from the old colony into the hole left when youremovedtheframes.Replace theframesand thenadd thequeen.Coverwithacrownboardandfeedthroughthecrownboardholewith2:1syrup.

In aweek the beeswill havemade up the cells and the queenwill be layinghappily.

HowtocollectaswarmBees thatareswarmingaregreat fun.Forastart theyaresofullofhoneyandhormones they hardly sting – however, still make sure you are covered!Sometimesswarmscanbeluredbyplacingahiveoraboxhighup.Beesalmostinvariably climbwhen swarming.They areusually in a tree, or on agutter orsomewhere out of theway, so be careful, know how to use ladders and havesomeonetohelp.

Usuallytheswarmissimplycutoff(asonabranch)andplacedintoacardboardbox,branchandall.Theswarmcanthenbetakentotheirnewhive.

Atthehive,placeaboardfromtheentrancetotheground.Ontopofthisplaceawhitesheet.Besurethereareframesinthehiveandaqueenexcluderifthereisasuper (not reallyneededat thispoint).Pour thebeesonto thesheetand theywillwalkuptheslopeintotheirnewhome.Shakeanybeesthatarestucktothebranchontothesheetalso.Feedthebeesstraightaway,andwithinaweekorso

youwillhavealayingcolony.

SwarmetiquetteYoumightthinkyourselfluckytofindaswarm,butthetruthisthatsomeotherbeekeeperhaslostone.Beekeepersarehonour-boundat least toreturnswarmstotheirrightfulownersshouldtheybecomeknown.

MARKINGAQUEENWhenyoubecomeexperiencedenoughyoucanhandlethequeeneasily,anddabherbackwiththeappropriatecolourfortheyear.However,youcanuseatool,called a crown of thorns. It is a circular grillewith spines all around. This isplacedoverthequeenoncefoundandgentlymanoeuvredsoshecannotmove.Youcanthenmarkherthoraxthroughthegrille.

COLLECTINGHONEYThisisthegoalofbeekeeping,thereward.Straightawayyouareathief–beesdon’tmakehoneyforyou,somakesureyouleavethemwithsometoo.Youcancollecthoneyatanytime,andifyoumoveyourbeesaroundyoucangetseveralharvestsofdifferenttypesofhoneyinaseason.

Themainhoneyharvest is in the first fortnight ofAugust, givingyou time totreatforvarroaandsetthebeesreadyforwinterbytheendofSeptember.

Itispossibletoremovethesupersonebyone,shakethebeesoffeachframeandpop them somewhere out of theway, but this is a really cumbersomeway ofdoingit.

CrownboardIt is much easier to set a crown board underneath the super and one on top.Porterbeeescapeswillallow thebees toescapeandnot return (assumingyouhave them the right way round). The bee escape is an obvious piece ofequipmenttouseandyouslotthemintothepre-drilledholesinthecrownboard.

Itwill takeaboutaweek forall thebees toexit thecrownboardandyoucanthen(havingcheckedforbeesontheframes)removethewholesuper.

Itisatthisstageyouappreciatethebeehivestandbecauseasuperfullofhoneyweighs15kg,andyouneedtobecarefulaboutyourback!

Removethehoneyfromthebees,preferablytoasealedboxorroom,otherwisetheywillonlyfinditagain.

Decapping

Thehoney is capped, so itwill last, andyouhave todecap.This canbedoneeitherwithatoolthatlookslikeasteelcomb,adecappingtool,orahotknife.Use the frameas a cuttingguide and trynot to let thebladedig in toomuch.Savethecappings.

Ifyouhaveone,arotaryspinnerisagreatwayofgettingallthehoneyoutofthecells.Thisisbasicallyaspindryerwithaspecialframeworkforthehiveframes.Spinallyourframesandthendispensethehoneyintojarswiththespecialtapatthebottom.

UsingaplasticboxFormanyyearsIusedafoodgradeplasticboxthatallowedthehoneytosimplypourout of thedecapped cells. It takes a lot longer, but itworks. It is harder,however, toget thehoney fromhere into the jarsand ifyouwant to sellyourhoney,youneed340gjarswithlabels.

Youneedagoodtaptogetthehoneyintothejarswithoutmakingamessofitandruiningyourproduct.

ProducinggoodhoneyLocalhoneytastessomuchbetterthanthestuffyougetinsupermarketsthathasbeenboiledandhasastrongflavour.Itshouldbeclear,withnowaxorairinit,andthereshouldbenofrothorashatthetopofthejar.Youcanfilteryourhoneyifyouneedto–Ihavefoundthathoneyjudgesinshowsalwaysknowwhenyouhavefilteredit!

RETURNINGTHEFRAMESWhenyouhavefinishedyourharvesting,puttheframesbackforafewdaysontopofthebroodbox,andthebeeswill lickouttheresidueandre-storeit.Thecappings can be placed on a warming table (you can buy special beekeepingtables)where the residual honey ismelted off thewax. This then is added toyourstock.

Alternatively, the cappings canbe put inmuslin and soaked inwater ready tohavemorehoneyaddedtothemtomakemead(probablythebestwayofdealing

withitanyway!).

CHAPTER22

BEEDISEASES

Thereisadifferencebetweenadiseaseandaninfestation.Yourbeesmighthavea lot ofvarroamites, anorganism that is currentlydestroying colonies aroundtheworld,andhavemajorproblemsbecauseofit,buttheremightstillbehealthybeesinthehive,untouchedbythemite.However,varroasisisnowclassifiedasa bee disease because, sooner or later, the colony as a whole will showsymptomsspecifictotheinfestationofvarroamites.

Thisinfestationwillexacerbatediseaseproblemsandwillpresentsymptomsofitsown.Youmighthavesmallhivebeetle(thankfully, it isn’t in theUKat thetimeofwriting),andtheresultswillhaveenormoussignificancetoyourcolony,butthebeesthemselves–apartfromthechewedupones,andthemessandthedamage to the frames and the loss of honey –will be relatively unharmed asindividuals.

Diseases,however,affect theindividualbeesdirectly,makingthemsick,eitheraseggsandgrubsorasadultbees.

Therearethousandsofdiseasesandinfestationsahoneybeecolonycanacquire,just like people.Theirmajor protection against disease iswax– a hard,waxyexoskeletonkeepsmostproblemsatbay.Buttherearetwomajorproblemsforadultbees:oneconcernsthegutwheretheytakeinnectar,whichcansometimescontainviruses,bacteriaandprotists(awholegroupofsingle-celledorganisms);theotherconcerns theirbreathing tubesorspiracles,which leaddirectly to theorgansandtissuesinsidethebee.

A fair amount of disease is harboured inside the hive. Eggs and grubs do nothavethesameprotectionasadultbees,andtherearemany‘brood’diseases.Thetwo most common are the foul broods known as American foul brood andEuropeanfoulbrood.

PROBLEMSWITHBEEGENETICSGeneticallyspeaking,beesarenotparticularlygoodatreactingtoenvironmentalchange.Compared to bacteria, bees have a low turnover of geneticmutations,andconsequently, forananimalwithaverysimple immunesystem, itdoesn’tkeepupwiththefasterbreedingpathogenicorganismsoutthere.

For example, a bacterial agent in a colony will double in number every 20minutes. The average colony replacement time is two years, and although aqueenwillmatewithtenorsodrones,eachhavinggonethroughgeneticchangesinitsgenesis,thisrepresentsaverylowturnaroundofpossibleusefulmutations.Consequently,diseaseorganismsrespond toourattemptsof removing thembybecomingimmune.

Varroa isacase inpoint.Weused to treat themwithasubstance,apyrethroidinsecticide,thatcontrolledthemitenumbers.Intime,themitesbecameimmune,andothermethodswereneededtocontrolthem.

Assoonasoneproblemissolved,anotherquicklyreplacesit.

WHYBEESCONTRACTDISEASES

TheimportanceofcleanlinessThereareanumberofelementstobeediseases.Thebeekeeperhasaroletoplayinkeepinghisbeesashealthyashecan.Itreallyisimportantyouarehygienicinyour beekeeping.Don’t leave bits ofwax or comb around the hivewhen youhave beenworking in the hive and don’t spill honey all over the place either.Thisisespeciallyimportantwhenyouareshakingbeesofftheframesbecauseifthereisuncappedhoneyinthecells,itwillsplasheverywhere.

Thereasonforcleanlinessaroundthehiveistodeterstealingbyotherbees.Thisis a dangerous source of transference of disease from one colony to another.Beesstealhoneyfromeachotheronaregularbasis,andifyouhaveleftapieceofhoney-soakedcombat thehiveentrance, it simplyacts as abeacon toalertanyotherbeesandinsectsand,indeed,mammals,thattherearebeesnearby.

Alwayshaveabuckethandytosaveyour‘offcuts’.

Thesecondaspectofcleanlinessisyourhivetool.Workinginonehive,wherethe invisible spores for some disease may be lurking, you can easily movecontaminantstothenexthive,consequentlyinfectingyourwholeapiarywiththedisease.

Whenworking,alwaysdisinfectyourequipmentbetweenhives.Ifyouareusedto wearing gloves, cover these with neoprene ones that you can discard andreplacebetweenhives.Don’t leanonorover theframes,and trynot tohandleindividualorgroupsofbeestoomuch.

Youcandisinfectyourhive toolbywashing it ina liquidmadeof50percentwashingsoda,and50percentdetergentinwarmwater.Washitthoroughlythendryitandchangeyourneopreneglovesbeforeyouopenthenexthive.

Don’tusedisinfectants:thearomasendsthebeesintoattackmode.Theyarenotgoodwithstrongsmells.

VARROAThevarroamiteisprobablythemostsignificantproblemhoneybeecoloniesfacetodayandhasbeenaround for a long time. Its evolutionandbehaviourmatchperfectlythehoneybeelifecycle,butonlyintherecentgenerationhavewehadsignificantproblemswithit.Beekeeperswilldowelltorememberthelikelihoodthat varroa has been around for many tens of thousands of years in probablebalancewithhoneybeepopulations,andthatthechangeinthewaywekeepbeesis the most likely cause of current problems. That and transport, because wehavemanagedtomovebeecoloniesfararoundtheworld.

Makenomistake,varroasis is aconsequenceofhumanactivity.That said, the

varroa mite is a serious problem for beekeepers, and has to be dealt with,otherwiseyourbeeswilldie.

The treatmentofvarroamiteshaschangedover theyears.Miteshavebecomeimmune tovarious treatments,but theuseof chemicals that arepoisonousnotonly to the mites but the bees themselves leaves an opportunity to mentiondifferentialtreatment.

Whydoesoxalicacidpoisonbeesandmites,butthebeessurvive?This information is valuable not only about varroa treatment, but because itholdstrueformanytreatmentsinthehive,andisrelatedtomathematics.

SurfaceareatovolumeratioIfItakeacubeandcutitinhalf,thevolumeofeachpiecehashalved,whichisobviousbecausewenowhavetwosmallerpieceswherewehadonelargerpiece.Butthesurfaceareaofthecuboidshasnotreducedproportionately,becausewehaveanextraface(thecutface)thatnowmakesthesurfaceareainrelationtothe volume a little higher.Repeat the operation and the surface area is biggeragain, and repeated divisions mean the smallest pieces have a comparativelylarge surface area in relation to their volume.This iswhypowders, like flour,explodesoveryrapidly.

Now,apply thisprinciple tobeesandvarroamites:beeshaveacomparativelysmallersurfacearea,whenyoutakeintoaccounttheareaofallthespiraclesetc.,thanvarroamitesdo.Thevarroamitegetsabiggerdoseofpoison,morequicklythanthebees,andconsequentlydieswhilethebeesurvives.

Becarefulwhenyouare treatingyourcolonies,because, ifyouoverdo it,youwillkillyourbeesaswellasyourmites.

ThevarroafloorThiswasoneofthemajorchangestothehivethat,whenitbecamepopular,wassuchashock.Wewereallconstantlytoldthehivehadtobekeptwarm,butinfact,thebeesdothatbythemselves.Coloniesinthewildaresometimesopentotheelementsandconsequentlyfeelnoantipathytoanopen-meshfloor.

Whenthemitesfalloff thebees,either throughdeath,ormorelikelybybeingbrushedorcleanedoff,theyescapethehivethroughthefloor.Thisthenmeans,eitherway,theycannotgetbackinandreinfectthecolony.

However, theopenfloorhasadrawback in that thebeeshaveadraughtgoingthroughthehive,sothetopneedstobeblockedoff.

The varroa floor has a tray at the bottom to collect the mites as they fall,allowingyoutocountthem.Thereisadirectcorrelationbetweenthetimeoftheyearandthenumberofmitesinthehive.Itispossibletoestimatemitenumbersandtakeactionaccordingly.

CalculatingthenumberofmitesThiscanbedoneatany timeof theyear,butJune isprobably thebest for thesummer,andwilldoasanexamplefornow.Putthetrayintothevarroafloorandoveraperiodoffivedays,collectthemitesthatfalloutofthehive.Thengetanaveragedailymitefallbydividingthetotalbythenumberofdaysyoucollectedthem for. Multiply this number by 30 (to represent a month) to estimate thenumberofmitesinthehive.Afigurelessthan1000ismanageable.Over1500requiresurgentandimmediateattention.

Thefigureof30isaruleofthumbforJuneonly.Thevarroamitenumbersvaryaccording to the numbers of bees in the hive, so yougetmore in the summerthaninthewinter.

Calculatingmite-fallisnotthateasywhenyougetolder–youneedsharpeyes!If you miss a couple of mites the calculation can be affected to a noticeabledegree,soitisallonlyaguide,andifyouhave1001mitesinthehiveitisn’tanautomaticindicationyourcolonyisgoingtocollapse.

There are a number of calculators on the internet which give an accurateindicationofvarroanumbers.

It’sprobablyjustasimportantyouunderstandtherearemitesthereandthatyoutreatregularlyandappropriately.Thetimestotreatareinthewinter,duringlate

spring,latesummer/earlyautumn.

ThymolThymolisanaturalsubstancemadefromtheherb,thyme,whichispoisonoustoinsectsandmites.However,whenthedosageiscorrect,themitesarekilledandthebeesremainunharmed.

Thismakes forasmellyhive,andwill taint thehoney,soyougenerallyuse itafterthehoneyhasbeentaken,inlateAugust/earlySeptember.Thelateryouuseitthelesseffectiveitbecomes.

Thymolisusuallysimplyplacedonthebroodtopbarsandleftforacoupleofweekstoamonth.Individualinstructionswillbefoundontheparticularproductyouuse.Besuretoweargoodglovesasthebeesdonotlikeitandattack.Ihavebeenparticularlybadlystungwhiledeliveringthistreatment.

Sometimesthetreatmentisinbiscuitform,othertimesitcomesonafoiltray.IfI have a double brood (two brood boxes – or indeed a brood and a half) thetreatmentisputrightinthemiddleoftheboxes.

Acrownboardisagoodideainordertomakesurethevapoursarehighinthehive.Sometimes I have replaced the varroa floorwith a solid one to decreaseventilationinthehivefortheperiodofthetreatment.

Ifthymolisadministeredcorrectly,itwillkillabout95percentofthemitesinthehive,soifyouhad1000mitesinthehiveinAugust,youwouldbeleftwith50. This number could easily reinfect the hive, so further treatments areimportant.

OxalicacidOnce the mites are inside capped brood, no chemical can get to them andconsequentlytreatmentsneedtolastformorethanone22-daycycleofbrood,orshouldtakeplacewhenthereisnobroodinthehive,whichisusuallywinter.

Usingoxalicacidisacaseinpointwhereonlythemitesthatareactuallyonbees

are killed. Consequently, in mid-winter there is very little brood about, andtreatingthebeestoadousingof5ml3.2percentoxalicacidsolutionperframeofbees,pouredfromasyringe,isadequatetokill90percentofthemitesonthebees.

Ihavemostlydonethiswithsugarsolution,1kgsugarinalitreofwater,with75gofoxalicacidadded.Butyoucangetthisreadymadeup.

Oxalic acid is a poison to humans too –wear gloves and always discard anysurplusaftertreatmentaschemicalreactionsinthebottlerenderitunsafe.

So, in the autumnandwinter youhave takenout about 95–99per cent of themites out of the hive, which is the major mite clearance time. However, thisdoesn’tmeanthetreatmentsshouldstopduringthesummer.

DronebroodsacrificeThis isunpleasant for thoseofyouwhodonot like tokill beesbut it isquiteeffective.Ifthebeesareallowedtomaketheirowncombinthehive,theywillproducea lotofdronebrood,especiallynearEaster time.Putasuperframeinthebroodboxandtheywillmakeitup.Oncethisbroodislaidandcapped,therewillbeasignificantnumberofmiteslockedawayinthebroodandthereforeyoucantakethemawayanddestroythem.

Thisisahardpriceforthecolony,whomadethewax,thegrubsandfedthem,thereforeItrytodothisonlyonceayear.

DustingwithicingsugarIfyoucancause thebees tocleaneachother, theywillknockoffmites in theprocess.Adustingoficingsugarcanremove15percentofthemitesfromthehive. Use a fine sieve to dust the sugar lightly so you are not causing anavalancheofsugarwhichwillsimplykillbees.

NaturaloilsandHiveCleanThereisamovementtousenaturaloils,wintergreen,patchouli,andothersinthehive. These have not yet been tested properly. They may work but we don’t

knowhoweffectivetheyare.However,theproduct,HiveCleanwhichissimplypouredoverthebeesinmuchthesamewayasoxalicacid(whichitcontains)isproventobeaveryeffectivewayofreducingmitenumbers.Youuseitoveracoupleofbroodcyclesandyougethighmitemortality.Thisproductcausesthemitestobecleanedoffthebeesandhasachemicalactiontoo.Itcanbeusedatanytimeoftheyear.

FOULBROODThis is a bacterial infection of the brood, one which smells and is ratherunpleasant. The cells usually remain uncapped and the grub is found rottingaway inside. It is a notifiable disease so you must inform your local beeinspectorifyoususpectyouhaveit.Thebeeinspectorwillcomeandcheckyourstockand,shouldheconfirmit,yourbeeswillbedestroyed.

Allyourequipmentwillhavetobedisinfectedandtreatedandyoumightdecideto simply burn affected hives to make sure the bacteria is not lingeringsomewhere.Bleachiseffectiveforplastichives,ablowtorchforwoodenones,andyoumustbescrupulouslythorough.

Therearetwotypesoffoulbrood,American(AFB)orEuropean(EFB),andinprincipletheresultsarethesameforboth.

Thesimplesttestwaytotestforfoulbroodistopushamatchstickintoacell,twistitacoupleoftimesandslowlydrawitout.Thecellcontentswillhangoffthematchsticklikemucousfromyournosewhenyouhaveabadcold.

THESMALLHIVEBEETLE(AETHINATUMIDA)ThisbeetleoriginatedinAfricaandhasspreadaroundtheworldbecauseofthemass distribution of bees for commercial reasons. Itwas found inAmerica in1996andhasnowspreadtomanystates.CurrentlythereisnosmallhivebeetleintheUK,buttherehavebeenmanyscares.Ifwecontinuetoimportqueensandbees from around theworld it is only amatter of time before the beetle doesappearintheUK,sobevigilant.

The beetles have most commonly been transported in hives. Commercialbeekeepers in the USA have moved their bees in huge numbers to pollinate

crops.

However, there have been reports of beetles being transported in boxes andpackets–mostlyduringthepurchaseofqueens.

Theadultbeetle isveryheavilyarmedand isdarkbrown incolour. It looksalittlelikeavineweevil,onlymorerobust.Itisquitesmall,about5mmlong.

Beetleslayeggsinthehiveandthelarvae,whiteincolour,eatpollenandhoney.Thisactivitycausesthedamagefoundinthehive.Theadultsliveforhalfayearand lay many eggs, which become grubs that burrow through the frames,damagingandspoilingstoresandframes.

Inahivetherecanbeasmanyas6000beetles,whichcanbekilledbypouringsoapywateroverthem.Thehivethenneedstobetorchedortreatedwithbleachtokillanyeggs.Thewoodworkmustnotbeusedforanotheryeartobesurethatnoegg,secretedaway in thenooksandcranniesof theboard,canget into thefraytostartagain.

Thebeetlepupatesinsoil,leavingemergingadultstoreinfecthives.Thiscanbeavoided by drenching the soil around the hives.Although I obviously haven’thadtodothismyself,thedrenchisastrongsoapysolutionwithsomethinglikeJeyesFluidorbleachdissolvedinit.IfweeverdogetthispestIimaginepeoplewillbemovingtheirbeesaroundtonewsitesveryregularly.

ControlIn the States a series of pesticides has been used, similar to those once usedagainstvarroa, instrip form.Theyareusedon thefloor,because this iswherethebeetlesaremostlyfound.Thestripsarestucktoapieceofcardboard,andthebeetles and larvae congregate beneath it and are killed by the vapours off thetreatment.

NOSEMATherearetwoformsofthisdisease,oneinwhichthebeespooalloverthehiveandgetsickanddie,andtheotherwhentheyjustgetsickanddiewithout thepooing.Nosemaapis is the dysentery form,nosema ceranae is the other. The

latter form comes from the FarEast and is treated in the samemanner as theformer.

The disease used to be called bee dysentery,which describes the pooing. Thebees do get very sick. The agent is a single-celled organism which scientistshavebeenunabletodecidewhetheritisanimal,fungalorsomethingelse.

Thetreatmentremainsthesame,andisdonebyaddingFumidilBtothefood,preferably in late August, so the bees that remain after the autumn declinereceiveapowerfuldose.

Generally speaking, the colony doesn’t dowell, and it would be advisable tosendasampleofyourbeestoyourlocalbeeinspectorforanalysis.

WAXMOTHSIn thiscountry,beescanbeaffectedbywaxmoth.This insect layseggs in thehive, in amass ofwebbing, and the grubs attack the comb.They canmake amessinsidethehive,butgenerallythebeesareabletocopebythemselves.

Agoodfewdaysoffreezingweatherkillsthemoth,thegrubsandtheeggs.

Ifyouhaveaproblemyoucanuseparadichlrorobenzene,whichkillstheinsect.

CHALKBROODThisisafungalinfectionoflarvae.Thefungusappearsmostlyinwetconditionsandwillcompletelyconsumethelarvae,leavingthemwhite.Thebeeswillclearout themess,but the removalof the frame is agood idea. If you increase theventilationinthehiveyouwillusuallydealwiththeproblem.

Goodfeedingofthebeeswillalsohelp.

STONEBROODThe fungus that causes aspergillosis inmammals also devours larvae, turningthemblackandmakingthemhard.Thebeeswillclearoutthedeadbeesandthecolonywillpossibly recover,dependingonhowhealthy it is.Youcan remove

theframeifpossible,andoften,withgoodfeedingthebeeswilldowell.

Preparingashookswarm,whenbeesareshakenintoanew,cleanhive,canalsohelp.

TRACHEALMITESThereareanumberofmitesthatenter thespiraclesof theadultbeeandblockthemup.IsleofWightdiseaseisonesuchproblemwherethepopulationofapismelliferamelliferaallbutdiesoutintheUK.

Youcansee thebees struggling,holding theirwings ina ‘K’ shape.Often thebees themselves can cope, but theuseof bothgreasepatties left on the frametopsandmentholaresaidtohelp.TheBuckfastbeeissaidtobeimmunetothisproblem.

VIRALINFECTIONSTherearesomanyviralinfectionsthatIdon’tintendtogointothem,astheyareofftheradarfornewbeekeepers.However,AcuteParalysisVirus,BlackQueenVirus, Kashmir Bee Virus and a dozen others are associated with (possibly)colonycollapsedisorder.

Fortunately,thereisnocolonycollapsedisorderintheUK.Itmightbetemptingto blame this if your bees have starved, or succumbed to nosema withouttreatment.

SACBROODThisisadiseasecausedbyavirusyoumightwellencounter.Thelarvaedieataround thecappingstageandare therefore found incappedcells.Thebodyofthelarvaturnsblack,andifremovedseemstobefullofliquid.

It rarelycausesaproblem,disappearingwhen thebeesareable to forage.Theadultsarenotaffectedatall,andtheyremovelarvaewhendetected.

Likeallviruses,thereisnotmuchtreatment,butitisalessontousalltokeepourcleanlinessuptoscratch.

CHILLEDBROODThisisyourfault.Openingthehiveandexposingthelarvaetocoldtemperatureswillkill them.Adultbeesarecapableofwithstandingquitecold temperatures,butlarvaearenot.Onlyexposelarvaewhenthetemperatureisatleast15°Candalways keep the exposure to a minimum.Workers will collect over brood inordertokeepthemwarm,sobecarefulandpatient.

INDEX

General

BrambellReport,1

Cobbett,William,1

composting,1,2

CottageEconomy,1

FarmAnimalWelfareCouncil,1

FiveFreedoms,1

Hargreaves,Jack,1

knowledge,1

money,1

philosophy,1

Picturepost,1

plan,1

runnerbeans,1

Hens

AppleCiderVinegar(ACV),1,2,3

BritishHenWelfareTrust,1

breeds,1

Ancona,1

Australorp,1

Bantams,1

Barnevelder,1

BlackRock,1

hybrid,1

Orpington,1

PlymouthRock,1,2

RhodeIslandRed,1,2

Sussex,1

Wyandottes,1

broody,1,2,3

bullying,1,2

buying,1

calcium,1,2,3

carryboxes,1

chickensseehenschicks,1

cleaning,1

clippingwings,1,2

cockerels,1,2,3,4,5

combs,1,2

diarrhoea,1

digestivesystem,1

eggs,1,2

ex-batteryhens,1,2

feathers,1,2

missing,1

feeding,1,2

fighting,1,2

fun,1

garlic,1

gravityfeeder,1

gravitywater,1

handling,1,2

hens,1,2

housing,1,2,3

buildingyourown,1

introducinghensto,1

siting,1,2,3

hutchseehousing

immunisation,1,2

killing,1

lice,1

litter,1

meat,1

moult,1

needs,1

nestingboxes,1,2,3

parasites,1,2,3

perches,1

permission,1,2

POL(pointoflay),1

poo,1

PoultryClubofGreatBritain,1,2

poultryparks,1

problems,1

protein,1,2

RaisingHensandRabbitsonKitchenScraps,1

rats,1

redmite,1,2,3,4,5

run,1,2,3

scalylegs,1

sickness,1

sunstroke,1,2

temperature,1

ventilation,1

vets,1

wheezing,1

worming,1

Ducks

aspergillosis,1,2

bedding,1,2

breeds

Aylesbury,1

Bantams,1

CallDucks,1

IndianRunner,1,2

KhakiCampbell,1,2

Muscovy,1

Pekin,1

Rouen,1

broody,1

bumblefoot,1

buying,1

calcium,1

cleaning,1,2

coccidiosis,1

diseases,1

drakes,1,2

ducks,1,2

eggs,1,2,3

breedsfor,1

cookingwith,1

removalof,1

storing,1

feeding,1,2,3

flies,1

foraging,1,2

foxes,1,2

grit,1

handling,1

housing,1,2

siting,1

hygiene,1

killing,1

meat,1

mites,1

moult,1

nestbox,1,2

oystershell,1

parasites,1,2,3

pellets,1

poo,1

ramp,1,2

roosting,1

run,1,2

slugs,1

startercrumbs,1

vet,1

viralenteritis,1

water,1,2,3,4

worming,1,2,3

youngducks,1

Bees

anatomy,1

beekeepingassociations/societies,1,2,3,4,5

bees,1,2

castes,1

blowtorch,1

broodbox,1

buckets,1,2,3

buyingbees,1

chalkbrood,1

chilledbrood,1

clothing,1

crownboard,1,2

crownofthorns,1

decapping,1

diseases,1,2

disinfecting,1,2

drones,1,2,3

expansion,1

experience,1

feeders,1,2

feeding,1,2,3

fondant,1,2,3

foulbrood,1

hives,1

hivetool,1,2

honey,1,2,3,4

collecting,1

medicine,1

mentor,1

mouseguards,1,2

nosema,1

nucleus,1

propolis,1,2,3

queen,1,2,3,4,5

cells,1,2,3,4

excluder,1,2

marking,1,2

royaljelly,1,2

sacbrood,1

siting,1

smallhivebeetle(aethinatumida),1

smoker,1

sting,1,2

stonebrood,1

sugarsyrup,1

supers,1

swarming,1,2

artificial,1

collecting,1

shook,1

trachealmites,1

treatments

dronebroodsacrifice,1,2

FumidilB,1,2,3

HiveClean,1,2

icingsugar,1

oxalicacid,1,2,3

Thymol,1,2

varroamites,1,2,3,4,5,6

wasps,1

water,1

wax,1,2,3

waxmoths,1

workerbees,1,2

year,1

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