Eggs at the gate -OT

[Penners]

"Silent Roar", which contains lion poo

I'm very sceptical about lion dung as a fox deterrent, given the relative rarity of wandering lions in the Lincolnshire countryside.

I just can't imagine a British fox sniffing it and thinking, "Whoops - better stay away from there. They keep lions."

 

[JoceAndChris]

I would tend to agree with you Mr P. It would be interesting to pop that in a letter to these people and see what they have to say on the matter.

http://www.silentroaronline.com/

It would also be interesting to stick some yummy roast chicken on a plate, pop down to the nearest fox hole, scatter some Silent Roar around the edge of the plate and see if they eat it or not.

My guess is they would. They have eyes as well as a nose. They'd probably say to eachother " Oh, she's been wasting her money on this nonsense. Silly woman"

 

[AMc]

I did a quick google and discovered that gardeners were saying boy wee was more effective.

But if urine really is a magic cure all imagine how peed off the foxes would be if everyone used it

...sorry I'll get my coat

 

[Delta]

Just to hark back to the egg sale point for a moment, the word of mouth option seems like a good fit.

Our local hostelry acts as the distribution centre for a similar operation. I’d suggest daily visits to establish your credentials with extended visits on weekends.

As an aside, I hope you give discount for the Lemons wotsit eggs, surely you’d need half a dozen for a bacon and egg sandwich?

 

[Penners]

the Lemons wotsit eggs, surely you’d need half a dozen for a bacon and egg sandwich?

You mean some bacon and egg sandwiches don't contain six eggs?

 

[LadyArowana]

the Lemons wotsit eggs, surely you’d need half a dozen for a bacon and egg sandwich?

You mean some bacon and egg sandwiches don't contain six eggs?

The Australian ones don't!

 

[philpjuk100]

A little light snack!

 

[jocelyn plummer]

There is an excellent article entitled 'Small Holding Ambitions' in the Countryside Magazine-- February 2011. worth reading on to 'Making the Dream a reality'--which has some egg/chickens advice. Might be of interest Joce.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I'll get it when I next pop to the supermarket (if they have it) Thanks Joss.xx

 

[jocelyn plummer]

If they don't have it try:

www.countrysideonline.co.uk

or 0870 840 2023

 

[Penners]

has some egg/chickens advice

Or should that be "chicken/egg advice"?

Which came first?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well, I was under the impression that we all started out as fish type creatures, and they certainly lay eggs. ( I think the egg came first with them, or rather, something that oozed into Being). Then some of us slithered onto the land and became different kinds of creatures, some that developed wings and carried on laying yummy eggs and some that had two clever hands and went on to build nice period properties. But I may be wrong about that.

Thanks for the link Joss - the website's full of interesting stuff!

 

[middi]

Well, I was under the impression that we all started out as fish type creatures, and they certainly lay eggs. ( I think the egg came first with them, or rather, something that oozed into Being). Then some of us slithered onto the land and became different kinds of creatures, some that developed wings and carried on laying yummy eggs and some that had two clever hands and went on to build nice period properties. But I may be wrong about that.

Thanks for the link Joss - the website's full of interesting stuff!

I was told that God sorted it all out in about 6 days.

Middi

 

[Penners]

Yes, but if you read the Bible, He didn't exactly break sweat about it. He only created one thing each day (and if you're omnipotent that doesn't take long does it? Say... about 5 minutes?), but He still awarded himself a day off on the Sunday.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Yes, I thought long and hard about saying 'egg/chicken' then thought, 'well, I bet Penners will pick up on that one' :lol:

 

[Penners]

Oh no! I hate being predictable. (But, as Mrs P says, that's a predictable aspect of my character).

 

[JoceAndChris]

Little update

I failed to find an outlet for my eggs, register the birds with DEFRA etc. When the flock gets above 40 (in two weeks' time - all going well with the current incubation) I'll have to.

But the new babies won't lay until next year so I currently have a small surplus, just 12 eggs a day. I've decided to give morning gate sales a go, working on the theory that burglars, hen murderers and egg throwers are asleep in the morning. With luck, by this means I'll establish a small number of regulars and be able to tell them privately where to find the eggs and the honesty box in the garden, and get this advertisement off the public footpath.

Some pics of the new enterprise! Handy to have an old roof slate - but it's too uneven for chalk to be very effective - so I'm wondering about paint?

What do you all think of the price and the product? There are typically 3 Orpington eggs (white), 2 legbar
eggs (blue) and one little bantam egg in each box, with a pretty feather. I'd like to get my own boxes with Beacon Cottage Happy Hens on the label but this may increase the cost.

 

[Feltwell]

I think that will do just fine. Love the QEII money tin - very you!

 

[Penners]

I think you're too cheap (or should that be "cheep"? :roll: ).

Tesco charge about £1.58 for 6 medium free range eggs. Waitrose charge £2.29 for 6 Cotswold Legbar. Yours obviously vary in size, but they have the cachet rural, home production by chickens that the buyer can see/hear.

And don't forget that a substantial portion of the perception of quality of a product resides in its price. "Ooh, they're very cheap - they can't be much good."

I reckon you could charge £1.50.

I like the old slate. Yes, it might be better to use paint to create something a bit more permanent (acrylic paint might be good), but don't make it look too professional. You don't want to lose your "homespun" image.

I'd like to get my own boxes with Beacon Cottage Happy Hens on the label but this may increase the cost.

I'm not sure about this - it might look a bit too professional.

I notice your handwritten note. How about enclosing a little slip of paper inside each box? Just a nicely handwritten note (photocopied of course) with a little message about your happy chickens, new hatchings, organic food, etc. And asking for the return of boxes wherever possible.

I do wish you were closer. Mrs P and I adore blue Legbar eggs!

 

[Schoolmarm]

I agree with Penners.
My daughter has painted two slates with the name of our farm it took her ages. She drew faint pencil lines to set her height of letters then carefully drew the outline of each letter in pencil.


Will they be ok in the sun though?

It looks so inviting.