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 In our last newsletter I wrote about old strawberries, especially old varieties. This time I will write about chickens. We call them hens most times.
Chickens were wild birds once, like pheasants are now. They lived in trees and were called jungle fowl. But in China 4000 years ago, they were already keeping them like we do now. And from China they came to Europe and America. That is where all the breeds like Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn and bantams have their great-grandparents.
Now as a hobby I have a few hens in Moorstown. Fifteen in all, and nine babies. A friend gave me a few hens and that is where it started. I got more of them from Gerry O’Looney in Cahir, some from Michael and Teddy Kerins in Cahir, some from Sam the tiler in Ardfinnan, some from Jimmy McHale from the Mountain Road in Clonmel, and some from John Hawkings in Cahir.
So my hens are a mixed breed, every colour you can think of.
And I gave some of them names. Conny is the one who had a short beak. Harry is the cock Sean O’Gorman gave me. Junior is another cock. One-eye is my oldest hen. She comes from the Kerins family and is seven years old.
I asked for advice from John Arrigan in Ballylooby, and from Carsten his neighbour. I knew a lot about them from the time I lived in Holland, when almost everyone in the village had a few hens and a pig in their back garden. But I still did foolish things.
For instance, I put an electric fence around my hen field. Now hens have feathers, and didn’t get any shock. Instead the only ones who got a shock were my dog Bobby and myself.
My hens lay brown eggs, but also some white ones. Did you know that some hens lay blue eggs? And that in some countries they keep cocks for fighting? And the owners bet on which cock will win the fight?
When my hens lay eggs, I sometimes hatch some so that I will have young chickens to lay more eggs. One-eye sits on the eggs until they hatch. But sometimes some of the chicks are young cocks, and that is no good, because they can’t lay eggs. And so I have to kill them. My friend
Eamon Martin cannot understand how I can do that.
But I do not eat them like years ago in Holland, and nobody wants to take them from me. Well, if any young reader would like to have a cock, I will give you one.
And if you want a few hens, then you can buy them at the mart in Cahir. They are for sale there every Friday. Or you can tell me, and I will see what I can do.
And now for the competition.
Q.1 In what country were hens first kept?
Q.2 What is the name of the oldest hen?
Q.3 What does a cock do early in the morning?
Send your entries, written on a postcard or in a letter, including your name and address (to reach us by November 26th) to:
Autumn competition,
The Apple Farm,
Moorstown,
Cahir,
Co. Tipperary
Entrants should be aged 12 years or younger.
First prize is a €20.00 Eason’s voucher while the runners-up receive €10.00 vouchers for The Apple Farm
Summer competition winners:
Congratulations to the winners of our summer competition. Your prizes are on the way to you.
Sighle from Rathkeevin
Denise from Ballinleenty
Donal from Monaghan
Patrick from Cahir
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