2. Second hand hutch that is £45, giving a good saving on the new price of £99. It is in very good condition.Testimonials
31st Oct 2011
May I take the opportunity to thank you for the meat chickens course. Both Jean and I feel confident that when we raise our own birds for the table next season that we'll be confident and capable of dealing with them humanely and efficiently. We were also delighted with the book, which reminded us exactly the order in which things needed to be done when we came to drawing the two birds that we'd plucked.
Best regards
John Norman
Chicken Keeper Book
Chicken Keeping is a joy. You will have a constant supply of the most yummy eggs you have ever had and the fun of watching your hen’s personalities develop as they go about their day, chatting to each other whilst looking for tasty morsels in the ground. I want to encourage every one who is considering keeping a few chickens in the garden to take the plunge and go for it. You will be amazed at how friendly and tame the chickens become and how much fun they are to have around.
I originally wrote this book to accompany the Chicken Keeper courses I run, but it has now grown to a point where it has become a book in its own right and I hope it will both inspire you to order your hen house now and reassure you that you will be able to cope with all eventualities in this most rewarding of hobbies.
The book is £9.50 with free P&P or collect from Hook Farm for Alison to personalise it to you. If ordering for postage, please send a cheque, payable to Hook Farm, to Hook Farm, London Rd, Hook RG27 9EQ.
Fox Trap Hire
The fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a member of the dog family and there is a long tradition of conflict between the chicken keeper and the fox. The fox has been here for centuries and was a contemporary of the wolf. The wolf was hunted to extinction, but an anomaly led to the survival of the fox. It became protected in order to preserve it for sport. It was common in the 1900’s for hunt loving landowners to write a fox protective clause in the leases of his tenants, which was not in the interest of the poultry owning tenant farmers at all! That locally produced protective clause has now been enshrined in national law with the current ban on fox hunting.
Foxes are a complete menace and if you have been unlucky enough to suffer a fox attack you will want to join in doing your bit to keep their numbers down. Losing your chickens at any time is not pleasant, but losing them to a fox is particularly distressing.
There are two distinct types of fox attack and the evidence left behind will give a good indication of what has happened. If there are bodies left behind with the heads bitten off and bites across the back then it was likely to have been a vixen with cubs. If there are piles of feathers and maybe a few bodies left then it was probably a dog fox. That information is, in a sense, academic in that whatever type of fox it was it was still a fox attack. If there are bodies left then it is a safe bet that the fox will return the next night to collect them.
There is a misconception that a fox will kill all the chickens for some sort of sport. In fact, a fox is programmed to kill as much as it can in times of plenty (an entire flock), take what it needs and then return at a later date to collect his ready prepared meal, using your hen house as a sort of larder. It is the fact that the fox will return to collect the rest of the kill that is his downfall in that the trap will be waiting for him.
Foxes do not like change and the chances are that he has been through your garden many times on the off chance, but managed to find a weak point on the day he did attack. The trap will be something different in his path and he will avoid it for a while. However, the larder will be bare on his return because you will naturally have cleared away the dead bodies. In their place will be a tempting piece of wild rabbit in the trap and eventually his curiosity and the lure of an easy meal will get him into the trap. As he pulls on the meat, the trap door will be released and spring shut.
When you have caught a fox do not go near the trap and do not put your fingers anywhere near the fox or trap. Keep children well away. Call us as soon as you see a fox trapped, unless you are going to deal with the disposal of the fox yourself.
Hook Farm Fox Trap Hire will supply:
FOX TRAP · Live catch fox trap · Bait, where applicable
Option 1 You collect and return the trap. You provide the bait and you deal with any fox caught.
Option 2 We deliver, bait and position the trap. The trap will remain in place until the fox is caught, for a maximum of 2 months. If no fox is caught the trap will be collected after 2 months. If a fox is caught within the 2 months the trap and fox are collected. The bait used will depend on the season and we can supply frozen bait for you to change the bait if necessary.
Cost of hire
Option 1: 2 week hire £30, £10 per week thereafter. Payable by cash or cheque.
Option 2: Up to 2 month hire, including disposal of fox £195. Payable by cash or cheque. Cheques to be made payable to Hook Farm.
Deposit required Options 1 & 2: Fox trap deposit £200 Cash only
Contact us from the Contact tab below to discuss the best option for you.
Pig Feeders
We have three second hand pig feeders for sale. They are operated by the pig pushing the treadle and releasing the food onto the plate and are very useful during the ad lib feeding of weaners. They are very sturdy and well designed with metal loops to be moved by tractor if needed.
They are £100 each.