A Year In Redwood

Right from the start of moving to North Tipperary I wanted to have hens!  To me they were the iconic small holding symbol!

In 2004 my friend, Sheena, gave me a voucher for The Organic Centre in Leitrim which I used to attend a ‘Keeping Hens’ course.  I loved it!

However, it took another couple of years before I finally got to have my hens…. and ducks…. and turkeys!

Hens – I still enjoy.  We have laying hens and have had some for the oven (we need to stock up again on these).   Home-grown roast chicken is absolutely gorgeous, and there is absolutely nothing on earth that beats fresh eggs!   I am convinced that one of our brood of hens chats to me!  I swear everytime I go to the garden she comes along and starts her chatter!  We suspect that she is the one that I rescued from the pups ‘playing’ with her… and that she enjoyed the little drop of brandy she got then, so she wants more!

Ducks – they are OK…. noisy, lead their own lives and love nothing better than a supply of water to splash about in.  They give us eggs too and we’ve even managed to eat one or two and they were delicious.

Turkeys – well they have to be the most stupid of all birds!  I am truly not enamored with them!  They eat, make noise, and that’s about it!  OK so there meats quite nice too, but to me nothing compared to duck or chicken!

And the most recent addition to our feathered menagerie has been a rooster.

For those who didn’t hear the story previously…. during the recent election I was on my feeding round (which can be incredibly noisy!) when the canvassers arrived.  While trying to have some sort of ‘election’ type conversation was impossible, one canvasser asked if I’d like a rooster!  Of course, I said yes, and the very next day she arrived with a present for me.

Some have suggested that this constitutes bribery and corruption…. others feel it is fowl play….. one way or the other, he makes a great addition to life here – I love his noise not just at dawn – he goes on all day!