SCHOOLCHILDREN in West Byfleet were left distraught after vandals wrecked a chicken coop, resulting in the disappearance of a prized pet.
Staff at West Byfleet Infant School in Camphill Road made the distressing discovery on Monday (October 10) when they arrived at work.
A specially-built cage, home to Lady Cluck Cluck, Sunny, Happy, and Dizzee Rascal, had been in place at the school for almost a year to allow the youngsters to watch the poultry as they developed from eggs to full-grown chickens.
The coop was tipped upside down at some point over the preceding weekend, according to staff, after being locked up on Friday (October 7), leaving headteacher Shirley James with the unenviable job of explaining what had happened to the school’s 200 pupils.
Year 2 class teacher Gemma Buckler, who is in charge of the chickens, said the youngsters were devastated when they heard about their feathered friends, to whom they had grown attached.
She said: “They were going to celebrate their first birthday on November 10, which is when they hatched last year.
“We’ve had chickens before and a fox got them, so we made a special coop for these ones.”
When teachers found the upturned coop, one of the chickens, Lady Cluck Cluck, was missing, and Miss Buckler believes she may have been a victim of a fox.
The remaining three chickens are safe and have temporarily been taken in by a parent of one of the pupils until money can be raised to pay for a new, more secure pen.
2011年10月18日星期二
2011年10月12日星期三
Talking chickens: Plastic v wooden houses
In recent years a new player has emerged onto the backyard poultry housing market: the plastic chicken house.
One of the biggest claims you will see in the advertising literature for these new plastic constructions relates to the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae).
For those that are not familiar with this little devil, it's a small ectoparasite that feeds on the blood of poultry and other bird species. In the right conditions it can complete its life cycle of egg to egg-laying adult in seven days, so populations can explode if they're not dealt with quickly and effectively. And they can survive without feeding for up to nine months. All this makes red mite the bane of the poultry keeper's life and something that is capable of killing your flock. For those familiar with it, you will no doubt be itching by now, in the knowledge that they are not opposed to trying out a human as a potential host.
I've seen one or two adverts that stake the claim that plastic housing is red mite-proof. Don't be fooled by this. The consensus is that red mite lives in cracks in the housing and come out to feed on the birds blood at night when they are roosting; but this isn't not the whole truth – red mite can and will live on the bird if the conditions are favourable.
Let's face it, the other widely-held belief is that wild birds transport red mite. Well if red mite are only present on birds when they are asleep, how can they be transported to poultry and poultry housing by wild birds - sleepwalking sparrows perhaps? Agreed, a house that minimises the cracks and crevices stands a fair better chance of not harbouring a red mite population, but that doesn't mean you or your poultry will necessarily be red mite-free: very little other than vigilance and good animal husbandry will stop the charge of the mite brigade.
Where plastic house construction does come into its own versus wood is when it comes to cleaning and annual maintenance. The cleaning of plastic houses is much easier than wooden housing, and maintenance is practically zero. Many of the plastic designs can be cleaned out, washed and dried in under 30 minutes, while wooden housing will take significantly longer to dry, especially in the depths of winter. This advantage should not be underestimated. In the height of summer your flock may not require the house for the whole day and so cleaning and drying times won't be relevant, but on bad weather days you won't want the house out of action for too long or for the birds to face roosting in a soggy house.
So what's to be said for wooden housing? The cost of a high quality wooden ones will be in the same region as the plastic designs (avoid the poorly constructed cheap and nasty wood built houses mentioned in my last post), so there's little in it from a price perspective. It boils down to design. Plastic housing represents a fraction of the market when it comes to available options. Wooden houses offer a far greater level of flexibility and modification with housing available not only to meet the specific needs of your specific breeds, but also the needs of your garden. They are also far easier to repair should the need arise.
Wood is a naturally breathable product and a well-designed wooden house will not suffer from condensation, which can be a problem in poultry housing. Inadequate ventilation coupled with a non-breathable material such as plastic will result in moisture running down the walls, resulting in a damp floor litter that leades to fungal growth and respiratory disorders in the birds.
The plastic v wooden debate has been going on in the poultry world for a few years now. I use both and they each have their pros and cons: in the end it can be down to personal preference. As long as the house is designed with both the keeper and the poultry in mind, and preferably designed by somebody whose experience of poultry extends beyond a visit to the butcher, then they both wooden and plastic housing serve their purpose in equal measure.
One of the biggest claims you will see in the advertising literature for these new plastic constructions relates to the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae).
For those that are not familiar with this little devil, it's a small ectoparasite that feeds on the blood of poultry and other bird species. In the right conditions it can complete its life cycle of egg to egg-laying adult in seven days, so populations can explode if they're not dealt with quickly and effectively. And they can survive without feeding for up to nine months. All this makes red mite the bane of the poultry keeper's life and something that is capable of killing your flock. For those familiar with it, you will no doubt be itching by now, in the knowledge that they are not opposed to trying out a human as a potential host.
I've seen one or two adverts that stake the claim that plastic housing is red mite-proof. Don't be fooled by this. The consensus is that red mite lives in cracks in the housing and come out to feed on the birds blood at night when they are roosting; but this isn't not the whole truth – red mite can and will live on the bird if the conditions are favourable.
Let's face it, the other widely-held belief is that wild birds transport red mite. Well if red mite are only present on birds when they are asleep, how can they be transported to poultry and poultry housing by wild birds - sleepwalking sparrows perhaps? Agreed, a house that minimises the cracks and crevices stands a fair better chance of not harbouring a red mite population, but that doesn't mean you or your poultry will necessarily be red mite-free: very little other than vigilance and good animal husbandry will stop the charge of the mite brigade.
Where plastic house construction does come into its own versus wood is when it comes to cleaning and annual maintenance. The cleaning of plastic houses is much easier than wooden housing, and maintenance is practically zero. Many of the plastic designs can be cleaned out, washed and dried in under 30 minutes, while wooden housing will take significantly longer to dry, especially in the depths of winter. This advantage should not be underestimated. In the height of summer your flock may not require the house for the whole day and so cleaning and drying times won't be relevant, but on bad weather days you won't want the house out of action for too long or for the birds to face roosting in a soggy house.
So what's to be said for wooden housing? The cost of a high quality wooden ones will be in the same region as the plastic designs (avoid the poorly constructed cheap and nasty wood built houses mentioned in my last post), so there's little in it from a price perspective. It boils down to design. Plastic housing represents a fraction of the market when it comes to available options. Wooden houses offer a far greater level of flexibility and modification with housing available not only to meet the specific needs of your specific breeds, but also the needs of your garden. They are also far easier to repair should the need arise.
Wood is a naturally breathable product and a well-designed wooden house will not suffer from condensation, which can be a problem in poultry housing. Inadequate ventilation coupled with a non-breathable material such as plastic will result in moisture running down the walls, resulting in a damp floor litter that leades to fungal growth and respiratory disorders in the birds.
The plastic v wooden debate has been going on in the poultry world for a few years now. I use both and they each have their pros and cons: in the end it can be down to personal preference. As long as the house is designed with both the keeper and the poultry in mind, and preferably designed by somebody whose experience of poultry extends beyond a visit to the butcher, then they both wooden and plastic housing serve their purpose in equal measure.
2011年4月24日星期日
Best fried chicken in Charlotte? It just might be Price's Chicken Coop
It’s not the best location. The building itself leaves a lot to be desired. Though there’s a large lot in the back, parking can still be a challenge.
It’s crowded nearly all of the time, with the lines waiting to order at the counter often 6-7 people deep. (and there’s 5-6 lines)
Most importantly there’s nowhere to sit. We mean that literally, nowhere. Price’s is take-out only. Take your box of goodies to your house, to your office, or eat it sitting on the bed of your pick-up like I did recently, just don’t plan on eating in the restaurant.
Call it soul food, southern food, comfort food or any other food, we’ll just call it southern fried goodness.
Price’s menu contains many items such as burgers, fried shrimp, fried shrimp and more. For us though, the reason to eat at this Charlotte staple is chicken, fried chicken, and it’s as good as it comes.
You’ll pay $6.25 for a quarter chicken (white meat) The all-white meat ½ chicken meal runs $8.75. You’ll receive cole-slaw, tater rounds, hush puppies and a roll with your meal. The service at Price’s is brisk and concise but friendly and your meal will be packaged in a carryout box with condiments and utensils.
It’s crowded nearly all of the time, with the lines waiting to order at the counter often 6-7 people deep. (and there’s 5-6 lines)
Most importantly there’s nowhere to sit. We mean that literally, nowhere. Price’s is take-out only. Take your box of goodies to your house, to your office, or eat it sitting on the bed of your pick-up like I did recently, just don’t plan on eating in the restaurant.
Call it soul food, southern food, comfort food or any other food, we’ll just call it southern fried goodness.
Price’s menu contains many items such as burgers, fried shrimp, fried shrimp and more. For us though, the reason to eat at this Charlotte staple is chicken, fried chicken, and it’s as good as it comes.
You’ll pay $6.25 for a quarter chicken (white meat) The all-white meat ½ chicken meal runs $8.75. You’ll receive cole-slaw, tater rounds, hush puppies and a roll with your meal. The service at Price’s is brisk and concise but friendly and your meal will be packaged in a carryout box with condiments and utensils.
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