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1st Apr 2011
Hi Alison
Thanks for sorting the half pig out for me. I enjoyed butchering it on Sunday and I have to say that the joint I cooked on Sunday night was fantastic.
The leg is swimming in a cider brine ready for a gammon feast for some friends in May and the shoulder and back fat are just waiting for me to find the time to re-stock my meat safe in my birch tree with fresh salami and chorizo. I will have to do this again . I really fancy having an air dried ham in my safe for a year or two to see how it develops but that needs to be put in salt in September. Will you have any pigs available then?
Regards,Kevin
Home > Courses > Chicken Keeper Course
Chicken Keeper Course £50

This Chicken Keeper course is aimed at anyone wanting to keep chickens for the first time and will give you the confidence to start on a very rewarding hobby. With simple and thoughtful care your chickens will be a pleasure to keep, with the wonderful bonus of all those delicious eggs. Even if you have kept some hens for a while you will also benefit from the course as it provides helpful tips on making hen keeping easier and answers to those questions which inevitably crop up.
This course makes an ideal birthday present with a difference, and we can send you a course voucher (with no price) to tuck into their birthday card.
The course runs for 3 hours with a maximum of 6 people to ensure that it is tailored to each delegate’s needs. You will be inspired to picture your set up at home and be given the confidence to go shopping for hen houses, or indeed build your own, in the secure knowledge that you know what to look for and how to plan your exciting new hobby. You will enjoy meeting other people with the same excitement in keeping chickens and previous delegates have made some firm friends on the course!
The objective of the course is to provide you with all the information you need to keep your chickens happy and healthy. It is a practical course and discussion is actively encouraged! Keeping a few chickens can be the first step towards self-sufficiency and those delicious eggs will encourage you further!
The following topics are covered:
- Housing
- Predators and Pests
- The Best Chickens for You
- Meat Chickens
- Getting Home
- Feeding and Routine
- Eggs, to include selling eggs
- Children & Chickens
- Health Check
- Problem Solving
Our day will start at 9.30am with an eggy breakfast and a chat about the course to come. If you had doubts before coming, fresh tasty eggs will do the trick. We then have a practical look at housing outside, reinforced by an informal and friendly classroom session. That is followed by a practical session on wing clipping, applying louse powder and how to handle a hen close up. After a break for a drink and home made lemon curd tarts, the session closes on hen health and lots of information on eggs and egg formation. If you have any queries or problems after the course you can phone or email Alison and she will research the answer if she doesn’t know it on the spot.
The cost of the course is £50, to include breakfast and a book detailing what you have learnt and a whole more besides. You don’t need to bring anything with you for the course except a pair of wellies or old shoes that don’t mind mud. Further people from the same household will only be £35 each as you will only need one book.
We also supply hen houses, point of lay chickens and equipment, together with a number of food supplements. Any or all of these can be pre-ordered for collection on the day, ordered on the day, or at any other time to suit you.
The next course dates are on the right hand side.
Email us from the Contact tab below to check availability and book your place. If you are on the Smallholding Skills website you can book online using the link under the course date on the right hand side. If you aren't on the Smallholding Skills website, but want to book online, click on the link and it will take you to the booking page.
We very much look forward to seeing you on a course soon.
Course Dates
- 3.06.12 | 9.30am - Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ
- 10.06.12 | 9.30am - Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ
- 24.06.12 | 9.30am - Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ
- 8.07.12 | 9.30am - Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ
- 22.07.12 | 9.30am - Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ



