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Hello,
It's hard to believe that it's already that time of
year again when frying pans get oiled up, batter is
mixed and the height of a ceiling is measured in the
International Unit of Flips. Yes, we are talking
pancakes and Omlet will be running a competition to find
the 2006 Pancake Person of the year with marks awarded
for the highest toss, number of complete flips and the
most convincing accidental pancake in the shape of a
chicken!
It's on the 28th of February this year and to enter
all you have to do is send in your pictures or video
clips to johannes@omlet.co.uk
( a fully qualified pancake judge having trained with
the celebrated French specialist Philipe Filop) The
winner will take home an Omlet apron and there will be
two runners up prizes of Good Life DVD's. All
entries accepted until Thursday the 2nd of March.
Flipping good luck to everyone!
A Big Thankyou! Jane Howarth from the Battery Hen
Welfare Trust has written to say that the money raised
from the Omlet Christmas Cards is going to be put
towards improvements to the hospital wing at the rescue
centre which will make sure poorly chickens are given
the best possible treatment. Jane asked that we
pass on her thanks for all your support, they have
already rescued 500 chickens this year with many more
rescues planned for the rest of the year.
With spring just around the corner, the Omlet tour
bus is undergoing final checks before setting out on the
road again. After a sold out tour last year the
Omlet team have added more dates in 2006 (complete list
of venues to follow soon) and the opening event will be
at the One
Life show in London on the 3rd of March. It's
going to be a great show for anyone interested in
getting the most out of life. We'll also be
unveiling Omlet's Hen Parties as well as it being an
opportunity to see an eglu and talk to the eggsperts so
come along, we'd love to see you there.
In the rest of the newsletter Barbara has found an
ideal solution to her fear of maggots and the forum chat
is about how to make your chickens love you (a little
hint - it's just a question of finding the right bribe!)
We hope you enjoy the newsletter,
The Omlet team |
Have you got what it takes to
compete in this years Pancake competition?
Proof has arrived that men
really are henpecked (looks like we quite enjoy it
though!) |
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Star Photos
The first image in the gallery of
guinea pigs in an eglu deserves a special
mention!
Rolf's experiments with the hair dryer
proved quite successful !
Rabbits also ponder the meaning of
life. |
Barbara's
Diary!
No longer a
wriggly problem!
My girls go absolutely mad
for maggots to the point where they will mug me for them
and leave little chicken footprints all over me in the
rush to get to the bait box. I can't stand the things
though. They make my flesh creep and it's always been a
case of get someone else to feed them or throw the
maggots out of the bait box towards the girls and run in
the opposite direction in case any crawl towards me!
Well not anymore as I've
discovered a non-wriggling way to keep the girls and me
happy - dried mealworms! I found some in our local pet
shop where they are sold for the wild birds. Apparently
Robins go crazy for them too so I like to put a few on
our bird table for my little friends whenever the hens
will let me. The mealworms I buy come in a re-sealable
pouch so no danger of accidental spillages to scare the
living daylights out of me and the girls think they are
the best thing since……maggots! They are very high in
protein so make a really good, healthy treat for them
and once the packet is opened, it should last for ages -
given half a chance!
I'm a little embarrassed
to say that my buying habits have gained me a reputation
in the pet shop and whenever I go in, I am now met with
the greeting “Hello Mrs Mealworm - how are your
chickens!” To which I reply "My chickens are very well
indeed, thank you!"
Barbara
Remember that Barbara is always on hand to answer
your questions about chickens - just pop her an
email at barbara@omlet.co.uk
If you have any questions
about rabbits or quinea pigs then you can email our
resident expert for advice at penny@omlet.co.uk
If you're wondering were all the
pictures of chickens have gone maybe this little chap
knows...
You can see more photos in the
gallery |
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Love thy
chickens!
TwoLadies joined the forum recently and asked
the rest of the regular members for a little
advice…
- Hi there! Got my lovely ladies two
weeks ago, still no sign of eggs but not really
expecting any just yet....bit concerned that they sleep
and poo in the nesting area and Florence always seems to
have a mucky tail (actually, her tail feathers look oily
but I'm assuming it's poo, she hates me looking at her
bum!!). Also Emily absolutely hates being picked up,
have tried several times but she seems to get very
stressed and I don't want to frighten her. Should I keep
trying? I lure her over for a quick stroke with treats
which always seem to go down well!! Must say, they are
beautiful and I do love that soft clucking noise they
make when I get them up each day, also the way they
squeeze through the door together!!
- It does get easier to pick your
girls up when they start laying - they will squat when
you approach (ready for 'a good time' if you see what I
mean!), and then you can scoop them up! Also, keep
trying to hand feed them - it all helps! My lot all
sleep and poo in the nesting box - the only drawback is
that you really need to change the straw (or whatever
you line the box with) every morning once they start
laying or else you end up with pooey eggs. -
Chookiehen
- Hi, and welcome twoladies, nice to
have you on the forum. This was my first, and is still
my fave, forum, it's so friendly here, so don't worry
about being new to forums, plenty of reading and posting
and you'll very quickly be in the swing of things, And
we have a great team of moderators and site admin who'll
quickly put you right if you have any problems. The
chickens, much like any pet do take time to become tame,
and they all have different personalities, so some will
become supertame and cuddly whilst others prefer to
remain a bit aloof. You'll soon get to know yours very
well. I'd advocate trying to stroke and handle them as
much as they will tolerate, treats work very well as a
form of bribery, mine will do anything for a handful of
sweetcorn. - Alpefamily |
- This forum is great, everyone here
is so helpful and friendly don't be afraid to ask
anything however silly you may think it is, someone on
here will have an answer or know of someone who will. As
for the picking up, they will get used to you
eventually, bribery goes a long way, mine will mug me
for sweetcorn and pasta. - LadyLucan
- Thank you for the warm welcome!
Tried the girls with sweetcorn today and they seem to be
rather partial, Florence is desperate to get out of her
run and explore but haven't plucked up courage yet to
let her roam in case I can't get her back! Strangely
enough there was no poo in the straw today so maybe they
have decided to use the roosting bars instead, hopefully
they are building up to the great lay! Anyway, thanks
again for the welcome, sure I will be back with some
more daft questions soon! - TwoLadies
- Hi we have had our new girls for
about 3 weeks after a terrible disaster. They have just
started to be friendly it takes time and perseverance. I
go out get a chair and sit in their area and put food
around me. They now trust me and come rushing over to
feed. We are now managing to cuddle them all except Aunt
Sally who protests so much you would thing I was hurting
her! I think you will be ok to let them out now they
must be going stir crazy. I let mine out within 2 days.
Obviously I hung around them and watched what they were
doing but they are as stupid as people think. Hope you
have as much pleasure as we do. They have been the
best money I have ever spent. Oh we got out 1st egg
yesterday it soooo exciting when you do. Take lots of
piccies!! Good luck - TheSmeeeths
If you aren't an egluowner then you can
still access the forum. You can have a weeks trial
access by clicking this link here ->
forum
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Jazz's chicken impressions are
so much better now she has the real
thing.
Name: Jazz
Basma
Age:
28
Occupation: Science
Teacher
Where do you
live? Bristol
What pets do
you have? Cats, Tatiana, Iris and
Miko
Chickens, Penny, Peggy, Milly and Martha!
A
loach called Flash.
4 goldish in the pond...no fixed
names.
If you were stranded on a
desert island what luxury item would you have?
My pets!
What breeds are
your chickens? 2 Pepperpots (Penny and Peggy)
and 2 Gingernuts (Milly and
Martha)
How old are they?
24 weeks...approx...
How many eggs do you get a week
and what is your favourite way of cooking them?
None so far (still!)...but the first will be fried sunny
side up! :)
Do your chickens have a
party trick? Chasing grapes down the garden
like they are hockey pucks entertains me massively.
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The chickens soon get used
to the idea of being photographed...
... now they are positively
posing for the lens!
Would you like to be egluowner of the
week?
Each week we will be featuring an elguowner of
the week. If you would like to be featured then read our
questionnaire here
and emailyour answersto james@omlet.co.uk.
Photos will increase your chances! |
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Meal
Worms
Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are the number
one choice for treating your chickens. They are the
larvae of the Flour Beetle, a native British insect
which eats flour, meal, grain and other related crops.
Their bodies are made up of over 48% crude protein and
40% fat making them an excellent, proven food for all
insect eating garden birds.
You can order them
live (still wriggling) or dried (still tasty but without
the wiggle).
Three 40g tubs of live worms costs
£5.50 inc del
click
here to order
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