NEW! - Poultry for Beginners

Dates Available

This course is led by James Strawbridge.

Do you want help designing a chicken coop? How do you deal with a broody hen? What’s the best way to kill and prepare a Christmas Turkey? This brand new poultry course at Newhouse Farm will guide you through the basics with practical examples and a really hands on approach!

INTRODUCTION
People have been keeping domestic poultry for thousands of years. Nowadays poultry and wildfowl are still great animals to look after regardless of whether you live in an urban or rural area. This new course run by smallholder and TV presenter James Strawbridge will introduce you to the basics of rearing poultry for eggs and meat.

The main emphasis of this course is how to rear healthy happy birds and deal with specialist welfare problems. We will design your own bespoke poultry house together and demonstrate the whole process from incubating the eggs to killing and preparing birds for the oven.

COURSE CONTENTS:
Meeting the birds: Introduction to the Chickens, Ducks, Geese and Turkeys.

Choosing what to buy: The first decision to make before you buy some poultry is what specific breed you want and how many. We will discuss Hybrids which are great layers, Green Geese, Christmas Turkeys, Ducks and more traditional breeds.

Some of our favourites: Covering a few of our favourites and their pros and cons. Chickens such as; Rhode Island Reds, Light Sussex, Cuckoo Marans, Warrens, Black Rocks and Buff Orpingtons. Plus, Muscovy ducks, Norfolk Black Turkeys and our favourite breed of Geese.

Age: Discussing the different options of buying; Day Olds, Pullets, or Point-of-lay Pullets.

Battery Hen Rescues: Meet the hens of the Great Escape! If you are choosing to rear your own chickens then we recommend trying to get hold of some battery hen rescues. Here we will suggest why, where and how to pick some up.

Free range: Discussing your available space and how to effectively manage a small number to a large flock. The benefits of Green Geese and constructing Duck ponds. Demonstrations of clipping wings in action, as well as testing eggs for freshness.

Housing: We will look at different designs of houses. Different materials and building options and then proceed to draw up bespoke plans for your new poultry houses. From moveable traditional arks to floating duck houses.

Nest boxes: Design, maintenance and associated problems. Perches.

Feeding and Drinking: How to save money on poultry feed, subsidising their diet, and setting up automated watering systems.

Dust Baths: How to build a dust bath for urban hens.

Incubation: Which comes first: the chicken or the egg? We have always gone down the route of starting with some birds and increasing our flocks from their eggs. However, if you want to start the process from scratch then you can easily buy fertilised eggs and incubate them yourselves. This part of the course will be slightly technical and involve a look at some incubating eggs and their progress.

Hatching: What to do when chicks hatch and how to set up a rat-proof brooder. Lamp equipment and housing options discussed.

Natural: A look at good breeds for fostering chicks and ducklings.

Killing: How to render poultry unconscious as quickly and safely as possible without inflicting pain or stress on your birds. Followed by plucking. This will be done on the day with a practical example (not for the faint hearted but vital to the sustainable poultry owner).

Drawing: Example in the kitchen of how to draw and prepare a bird for the table.

Problems: Finally a really good look at Poultry problems such as how to trim spurs, dealing with a broody hen, getting rid of diseases and parasites like Red mite and Scaly feet, and how to protect your birds from predators.


Lunch: You will be invited to join us for an organic and tasty Newhouse Farm lunch. Onmivores, vegetarians, vegans… everyone is catered for and we’ll guarantee there’ll be more than enough food to satisfy even the heartiest of appetites! Local ales, organic wines and cordials are also on offer. Lunch time is always a good opportunity to fire questions at James and get to meet the rest of the Newhouse Farm team.

Booking: If you'd like to book one of the dates above please at [email protected] to register your interest. Payment details will be forwarded if an applicant is given a place. Full payment is required 21 days before the course date.

Price: Course prices are £145 (inc VAT).
In an attempt to make the course available to people on lower incomes, we offer a limited number of concessions. To apply for a concession please email us at [email protected]

Transport and Accommodation:
The course is held at Newhouse Farm in Cornwall. Full directions will be provided once payment has been cleared. We are a short distance from the local train station; transport can be arranged if necessary. Details of B&Bs in the village will be provided upon booking.

What you need to bring:
Newhouse Farm is a working smallholding with plenty of mud, uneven ground and nettles. So please bring sensible footwear (wellies or trainers are good but definitely no flip flops). Also as we cannot guarantee the weather so a raincoat or umbrella could come in handy too.

Newhouse Farm Course days are typically organised as follows:

Time	Activity
0930 - 1000	Course meets with organic tea, coffee and nibbles
1000 - 1230	Introduction, theory (!), and practical demonstrations
1230 - 1330	Lunch break - you are invited to join us. We are never sure how many people will be there - long arms are an advantage!
1330 - 1630	More theory and practical work
1630 - 1730	Tea, coffee and more nibbles - an opportunity to discuss individual projects.
1730 ish	Course disperses