Welsh Welsummer to the rescue

Over to the poultry, very important residents of the farm. I'm Les, a Welsummer cockerel hatched and reared in West Wales. I fully intended to spend my days there, it was a beautiful spot - fantastic views, fresh sea air - a little too fresh sometimes maybe - but lovely friendly people. So how come I'm now in sunny Gloucestershire I hear you ask?
Well, a call came from Wick Court, a whole flock of hens newly arrived and needing some guidance and support. Damsels in distress as it were, no gentleman, certainly no Welsh gentleman, would refuse, so I came straight down and I've been here ever since.
The ladies are good as gold, once I'd get them into some kind of routine. Columbian Blacktails they are, little beauties, very quiet and well-mannered. We have a lovely home in the orchard - real trees all around, something I'd only heard about back in Wales. Ever since the summer they've been dropping fruit on us, at first I was very excited and tried it all - trust me they don't taste good. Really dry and sour and they soon make you feel ill. But the children seem to spend a lot of time picking them up - bucketfuls have been collected and taken away so they must be good for something.


So life here is good - it would be perfect if it wasn't for one thing - the neighbours. It's typical isn't it, you travel all this way and end up right next door to the hens from hell. A small flock of Buff Orpingtons with their bird-brained, fluffy-bottomed cockerel. When I first arrived they weren't so bad, kept themselves to themselves. But ever since we had the honour of a visit from HRH the Princess Royal who happened to mention they were her breed of choice and told a few amusing anecdotes about them....well since that day they've been unbearable, if I hear them mention it one more time....

Let's face it we know who the real workers are here, just check those egg charts, it's my girls who are keeping the children in breakfasts while those "Fluff Orpingtons" are just "too posh to push".


We do have some other neighbours, across the way are the Light Sussex, no problems there, polite, friendly and no airs or graces - and I believe they do their share of egg-laying.





Anyway, the sun is still shining, Windy the Fell stallion passes by each morning and evening on his way to and from the field and brings news from the stable yard. He has a few new foals who need keeping in their place but otherwise all good. And there's work hapening in the big barn, ready for the cows to come in for the winter apparently.









And we even get the occasional visit from those piglets who have become very bold in the last week - even setting off to visit the neighbours over at Oldbury. Or perhaps they're just busy trying to sell some pumpkins for Halloween.










Anyway, mustn't get distracted - got to keep those girls busy laying.