Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

Lavender eggs?

Cool - I'd pay more for lavender eggs, and I suspect others would too. Why aren't they available at Waitrose or something? I've never even seen one for sale.

Bet you'd do a roaring trade around Valentine's Day.

You can get greeny blue eggs at most supermarket (really identical to mine, but mine are better...seriously, mine are better). You can buy mixed boxes of special eggs of arious sorts (usually from Clarence Court), and people DO pay more. Clarence court is not without controversy, but they have opened the eyes up. I just asked DH an he says the special egg box is (goose, pheasant, ) £8/9 ish. In Fortnums/selfridges. Some organic food shops....

Pobby

Being mse we only shop at Waitrose as a treat. Mind you, some nice stuff. Their eggs are out of this world. Much closer to the eggs that Dads chickens laid for us.

lostinrates

Pobby wrote: »

Being mse we only shop at Waitrose as a treat. Mind you, some nice stuff. Their eggs are out of this world. Much closer to the eggs that Dads chickens laid for us.

Its a pervrse pleasure for me to crack eggs from leading places into the same bowl as one of mine when we are low on eggs. Mine are always prettier and yummy. But lots of home eggs won't be...its about free range partly, not just fresh and happy...the quantity and quailty of greens the chickens eat...and of course having lots of space: lots of home chicken rearers are forgetting the parasite risk of keeping eggs on the same patch in the same small garden.

carolt

I adore Waitrose too, Pobby - my favourite shop in the world. Yummy treats at kind of everyday prices. (Maybe that should be their slogan?)

Not tried/spotted their eggs - do they do different couoloured ones there?

I know Tesco & Sainsbury's don't - or at least our local superstores don't, unless they hide them in a 'posh' bit I've not discovered yet.

Are your local supermarkets just (effortlessly) posher, lir?

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

I adore Waitrose - my favourite shop in the world. Yummy treats at kind of everyday prices. (Maybe that should be their slogan?)

Not tried/spotted their eggs - do they do different couoloured ones there?

I know Tesco & Sainsbury's don't - or at least our local superstores don't, unless they hide them in a 'posh' bit I've not discovered yet.

Are your local supermarkets just (effortlessly) posher, lir?

Nope, less posh, bar waitrose which is normal waitrose posh.

Clarence court eggs are pretty widely available i think.

the thing is that the common egg laying breeds are common for a reason...the ''pretty eggs'' often have the pay off of being less frequent layers, and often smaller eggs. one of my hens,legbarr blue layer chicken Bang bang, makes such a performance, its almost a full version of Cosi Fan tutti, when she lays...she comes to the door expecting reward for the special and most inconvenient service she has rendered.

the maran eggs, bg and dark brown, are as beautiful imo. I find eggs pretty lovely things to look at.

you all have got me looking at self turning incubators now....:o

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

Its crazy; always too wet or too dry! I'm gutted, I planted up our pots b the front door and it looks like I was far too early and they might perish in the frosts. and all my lovely outdoor lanterns smashed in the wind:(

I love bantams, but have never kept them, I live the millefleur ones with trousers, and some of those feisty little Japanese fellas...I knew a really dear and hilarious tiny Japanese cockerel...he would have made a cute indoor bird, so tiny!..I can't remember ones lay lavender eggs? I don't want to get another coop set up here.....but when me move I'll get some little birds. And quail, I really want quail, and guinea fowl. In fact if I go into commercial poultry its unlikely to be chinckens...they are just for us really. I'll see how my little hybrids work out.


Both your choices are dual purpose breeds in 'big' chickens. why choose? Get a couple of each...its nice to have a mixture. the wyandottes have brown eggs and the light sussex are paler, so get birds in difference colour to easily tell them apart, and often you'll know who has laid what. Its handy to know with little or no investigation who isn't laying so you can check to make sure they are ok...and for record keeping.


i almost set up an incubator this morning for those eggs, but decided there is plenty of time yet...I might do it at the weekend....I'll see. I'm not sure I want to commit to egg turning....I might forget and not turn or over turn

Please please please find time to write your book - I'd buy it. Have you read Diary of A Provincial Lady? - I mentioned it before as I'm a big fan and heartily recommend it to anyone (female, certainly), who hasn't.

Your style and gentle humour reminds me very much of hers, though the subject matter is different - hers was about life taking tea among the upper-middle class county set in the 1930's; yours is more James Herriot on a tiny scale (chickens rather than large Yorkshire cows...).

I await the next instalment eagerly - a diary format would be easy to write, and it needn't be updated daily; just as and when would do. To use an over-used word, your writing is 'charming'.

Or how about a blog, given we have the advantages of technology not enjoyed in the 1930's?


I foresee a Christmas-present-type hit; a bit of nostalgia for all those of us would-be-good-lifers...

Pobby

In Waitrose they have different eggs by different breeds of chicken. Also, I like `um, duck eggs.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

Please please please find time to write your book - I'd buy it. Have you read Diary of A Provincial Lady? - I mentioned it before as I'm a big fan and heartily recommend it to anyone (female, certainly), who hasn't.

Your style and gentle humour reminds me very much of hers, though the subject matter is different - hers was about life taking tea among the upper-middle class county set in the 1930's; yours is more James Herriot on a tiny scale (chickens rather than large Yorkshire cows...).

I await the next instalment eagerly - a diary format would be easy to write, and it needn't be updated daily; just as and when would do. To use an over-used word, your writing is 'charming'.

Or how about a blog, given we have the advantages of technology not enjoyed in the 1930's?


I foresee a Christmas-present-type hit; a bit of nostalgia for all those of us would-be-good-lifers...

I'd do a book happily, but the trauma of hundreds of rejections could be a bit galling. anyone know any publishers who like chickens.
also, isn't the dairy of ECL illustrated. I can draw a stick man,,,but that's it! and i'll have you know I DO have tea with th upper class country set (but more often booze). and the lower class country set, who drink more tea.

A blog would be cool, but only if I could make money from it, and i don't know how to do that:o MSE is more fun for a hobby, more interactive. and my spelling etc is getting better, even i can see that now. I know its not perfect but i think it probably will be as good as average soon.

edit: just realised I'm picturing a different book than the one you recommend...I'll have to check yours out. I'm having difficulty with concentration and reading, which is a huge regret for me, and have been thinking of some chick lit or teen lit to make it easier...how embarrassing, i love childrens literature but not because is easy usually!

lostinrates

Pobby wrote: »

In Waitrose they have different eggs by different breeds of chicken. Also, I like `um, duck eggs.

DH loves duck eggs, and all eggs really: if it lays an egg dH wants to try it.

fedupfreda

lostinrates wrote: »

I love bantams, but have never kept them, I live the millefleur ones with trousers, and some of those feisty little Japanese fellas...I knew a really dear and hilarious tiny Japanese cockerel...he would have made a cute indoor bird, so tiny!..I can't remember ones lay lavender eggs? I don't want to get another coop set up here.....but when me move I'll get some little birds. And quail, I really want quail, and guinea fowl. In fact if I go into commercial poultry its unlikely to be chinckens...they are just for us really. I'll see how my little hybrids work out.

Thanks for the tips, lir. TBH the reason we want bantams is because they are going to be pets really - pets with eggy benefits and the eggs are so lovely. A mate of my DH keeps them, and quail too. Now quail - theres a thing - if you want cute, see the day old chicks - guaranteed to bring the smile out on anyones face.:) And the eggs are just the best. We were given some last year and made mini scotch eggs with them. Such delicate morsels.