Chairman's Chatter

With Dave Scrivener as the judge, the Box show was an excellent start to the new Season with a varied mixture of breeds put up for him to scrutinise.

With showing in mind it's heartening to see so many of you entering your birds in regional and national poultry shows. Junior member, Samantha Carr has written an excellent report on the Hants & Berks open show held on the last Sunday in October.  Members also had considerable success at this years National held over the last weekend in November, with two having birds on Championship Row. Well done to all concerned!

With this Cotswold Quill is the schedule for our own Members Show to be held on the last Sunday in January. This show is not just for an elite group of showing specialists all members are welcome to enter their birds, novice and experts alike. Just remember that the birds should be free of lodgers (lice and mites) and should also be healthy and clean. Dusting for mites is recommended at two weeks and again a few days before the show. We are planning to entertain you all with a demonstration of bathing and preparing a bird for showing at a meeting before the show. However, hard feather breeds and waterfowl are not usually washed but should nevertheless be clean and tidy with attention given to legs, comb, face and bill on show day. We assemble the show on the Saturday night and we would appreciate any help you can give to erect the staging and pens, also help to take it all apart on the Sunday immediately after the show is essential. So please, do come and help.

Since the very pleasant months of September and early October the weather has been very mild and irritatingly wet. Allegedly, we are about to go into a spell of high pressure which usually means frosty nights and very cold days so it's now time to start helping the wild birds with some extra food if you haven't already. Feeders with seeds and sunflower hearts are good for finches. Fat balls and nuts in suitable feeders are good for members of the Tit family, Nuthatch and the Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nyger seed in a dedicated feeder will help Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls. With the festive season almost upon us all that remains now is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Ken Cservenka: Editor and Chairman

The Cotswold Pheasant & Poultry Club

Website

http://www.cotswoldpoultryclub.co.uk/

Cotswoldppc@hotmail.com

If you haven't made a note of my new email address this is the last time it will appear in a prominent position away from the footer

ken.cservenka@sky.com

Seasonal reminder

Birds can get bored when they are unable to range free due to inclement weather during the winter months. Hang up a leafy cabbage stump, Swede or other vegetable tops for them to peck at; this helps to prevent feather pecking and other vices.

Vanessa Collins.

This Months Recipe

Mary's Christmas Cake

Ingredients

Plain Flour                         227g

Salt                                     ½ level Teaspoon

Cinnamon                        1 level Teaspoon

Mixed Spice                     1 heaped Teaspoon

Nutmeg                             ½ level Teaspoon

Glace Cherries                113gr

Blanched Almonds         113gr

Butter                                227gr

Dark Muscavado Sugar 227gr

Black Treacle                               1 level Tablespoon

Eggs                                   5

Bournville Chocolate*      57gr

Seedless Raisins               454gr

Sultanas                            454gr

Currants                            340gr

Chopped Peel                113gr

Brandy                              3 Tablespoons

*This gives darkness to the cake without any pronounced chocolate flavour.

Method

1.      Sieve together the dry ingredients. Chop the cherries and almonds.

2.      Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the black treacle.

3.      Beat the eggs; add gradually to the creamed mixture.

4.      Melt the chocolate, cool and fold into the mixture with the dry ingredients, fruit, nuts, peel and the brandy. Mix thoroughly.

5.      Turn the mixture into a greased and double lined 9-inch cake tin.

6.      Bake in the centre of a moderate oven at 170˚C, gas mark 3 for 1-1½ hours. Then reduce the heat to 140 -150˚C for a further 1½ - 2 hours.

7.      Allow cake to cool before removing from the tin. When completely cold, store in an airtight tin until required.

Handy Tip

Below is a pattern from Little Hen Rescue, an organisation that rescues battery hens when their best laying days are over. Apart from bald ex-battery hens the knitting pattern below may be useful when your poultry decides to moult just as the cold weather starts.

Pattern for Knitted Hen Jacket

Materials

Double knitting yarn (100g makes around 3 jumpers), 2 buttons or 10cm Velcro, 1 pair of number 8 (4mm) knitting needles and 4mm crochet hook.

Knitted in stocking stitch with garter stitch borders.  Cast on 41 sts,  Work 4 rows K

Increase for tabs;  Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 4 sts, k4.

Cast on 10 sts at beginning of next row, k14, p to last 14sts, k14.  Work buttonholes; (work these 2 rows straight if using Velcro).

(K2, yf k2tog) 3 times, work to end keeping edges in garter st.  Repeat this row for buttonholes on the other tab.

Cast off 10 sts at beginning of next row.

Next row - cast off 10 sts, k4, p2 tog, p to last 6 sts, p2tog, k4. Dec 1 st at each end on every fol 6^th row until 25 sts remain.

 Divide for neck;  Work 11 sts, cast off 3, work to end - complete this half first.

• 1) k4, p to end
• 2) cast off 2, k to end
• 3) k4, p to end
• 4) k2tog, k to end
• 5) k4, p2tog, p to end

Work 4 rows straight

  10) K to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.

  11) K4, p to last st, inc in next st.

  12) Cast on 2 sts, k to end, (11sts)

  13) K4, p to end

  14) K

Break yarn and rejoin to the other side of neck. Work to match, reversing shaping's and ending at winghole edge.

Next row - k, cast on 3, k across sts from other side of neck.

Next row , k4 inc in next st, p to last 5 sts, inc in next st, k4.  Inc 1 st at each end of every fol 6^th row until there are 41 sts on the needle.

Work 6 rows  straight.

Change to gst and knit 4 rows.  Cast off.

Sew on buttons or Velcro as desired. Work double crochet around neck.

Phew! I hope the above makes sense to all you knitters as it all looks Martian to me. Ed

Car's hengine problem easily cracked

When a customer took her car into the garage with starting problems and a strange engine noise, she thought mechanics were having a yolk (joke) when they revealed the eggsact (exact) problem. 

On removing the vehicle's engine covers, technicians at the Carcraft Service Centre in Wednesbury, West Midlands were amazed to discover a chicken. Totally unharmed and clucking happily, the bird had taken up residence and was very much at home under the bonnet.

"I've no idea how the chicken got there" said the customer. "I haven't been near a farm or anywhere you might usually see a chicken. It's a complete mystery."

Whilst no fowl play is suspected, the team at the Carcraft Service Centre in Wednesbury are still none the wiser as to where the bird came from or how it got in the car.

"It's not something we often come across" said Anthony Clapp, Service Centre Manager. "We're more used to dealing with horse power than chickens! Everyone's just happy to have solved the problem and saved the chicken."

Amongst some of the theories being put forward are that the bird could have been a battery hen or a turbo rooster!  The chicken is now residing happily at the home of one of the centre's technicians, who has a smallholding.

Courtesy Carcraft Service centre 7/9/2009

Members Breeds Directory

The Club Breed directory has been completely updated. It's in all our interests to keep this list up to date, so will all members inform Margaret of any changes to the stock held? For obvious security reasons only Margaret has access to this list and in the first instance a member enquiring about stock availability would contact her to find out if the chosen breed is kept by anyone in the club. The breeder would then be contacted and given the contact details of the person wanting stock. This list will not be published in the Cotswold Quill.

Collective Purchasing.

With winter approaching fast rats and mice are coming in off the fields and can be an ongoing problem for poultry keepers, it's a good plan to have plenty of bait to hand.

Having set up a trade account with Labtec we can obtain various types and sizes of Rodenticide to suit your needs.

Additionally we can order, feeders, drinkers, mite sprays, mite powder, and various nutritional supplements in a range of sizes according to your specific requirements.

As you may already know we need to make up an order of £250 or more to qualify for free delivery.

We still have a selection of products that will be available to members at our meetings. Please see Vanessa or Kath to discuss your requirements or call Kath Harrison on 01285 655669 evenings to place an order.

Show Diary Dates

19^th & 20^th December,  The National Federation of Poultry Clubs Show, Stafford

3^rd January 2010, Hants & Berks Poultry fanciers Members Show. Testbourne School Sports Hall, Micheldever Road, Whitchurch Hants.

Schedules from Kay Roadnight 01962 771156

30^th  & 31^st January, The Scottish National Show

Stirling Agricultural Centre, 01771 622557

Show Results

Hants and Berks Poultry Fanciers

Open Show 2009

Sunday 25^th October 2009

Yet Again, another good turn out at the Hants and Berks Open Show, with a lot of good quality birds. This year I felt that there was more competition in each class, as well as more variety in championship row ranging from an Indian Runner to Modern Game, not to mention the breed that I especially like (Buff Orpington Bantams!)

Everyone seemed happy with the results that they had achieved, so well done to all the Cotswold Pheasant & Poultry Club members that attended, including the winners and runners up.
Eggs:   Below: All results are first places.

• Mrs R Seymour - 1 Welsummer egg large, 3 tinted large, 3 different colours, 6 large, Araucana large, AOC large.
• V Collins - Marans large, Araucana large, 3 tinted bantam, 12 bantams.

Poultry:

• John Knibbs - Champion large soft feather - New Hampshire Red cockerel, best Welsummer
• Vanessa Collins - Australorp - Champion as well as reserve champion, best black and best bantam
• Claire Harvey - Winner of both Buff Orpington Duck classes
• Simon Harvey - Winning with the Belgian Barbu D' Anvers - best opposite sex, best black, best of breed as well as reserve
• Paul Meatyard - Best eggs
• Samantha Carr - Buff Orpington bantam cockerel, best opposite sex
• Rachael Seymour - best Marans and best 6 eggs

Well done to everyone who took part.

While I have this opportunity I would like to thank everyone who helped to set up the show - without this support the show would not have happened. I would also like to thank the kitchen ladies who were working hard all day to make sure everyone was fed!

Samantha Carr

Knock out of birds competition

On Wednesday 11^th November we held the above event sometimes referred to as the Box Show. It was judged by Dave Scrivener and he opted to judge the waterfowl first. An Abacot Ranger was the first bird drawn and was judged to be a better bird than a Magpie and a Rouen Clair before itself being beaten by a Black East Indian. This was very quickly replaced by a Silver Appleyard Miniature belonging to Jules Reading that went on to triumph in the waterfowl class beating a White Call, Cayuga, Pekin, another Call an Indian Runner and yet another Silver Appleyard  Miniature. Well done Jules!

The first bird drawn in the Poultry class was a Partridge Wyandotte Bantam that immediately succumbed to a German Langshan, itself being immediately replaced by a perky little Black Barbu D'Anvers Bantam. This bird had a good run seeing off an Old English Game Bantam, a Brahma, another Partridge Wyandotte Bantam, a Black Dutch Bantam, a Barred Wyandotte Bantam, a Modern Game Bantam and a Pekin Bantam before being replaced by a Tuzo. The Tuzo had another good run beating a Splash Blue laced Wyandotte Bantam, another Modern Game Bantam, a White Silkie Bantam, a Large Light Sussex, a New Hampshire Red Bantam before being beaten by an Australorp Bantam belonging to Vanessa Collins. This, the winning bird in the poultry section beat another Barbu D' Anvers Bantam, a Light Sussex Bantam, A White Pekin Bantam, A Silver Laced Wyandotte Bantam, a Millefleur Barbu D' Uccle Bantam, a Columbian Wyandotte Bantam and finally an Asil Bantam. At this point the only entry in the junior section, a Silkie belonging to Richard Barrow was compared with the  Australorp with the latter being declared the better bird. The Australorp also defeated the best Waterfowl to become the best entry on the night. Well done to all who entered and congratulations to Jules for the best Waterfowl, Richard for the best junior entry and Vanessa for winning the Poultry section with her Australorp and also the overall champion on the night. Thanks also to Dave Scrivener for entertaining us with his vast knowledge of poultry and the history surrounding the fancy.

The National Poultry Show, Stoneleigh

28^th & 29^th November

Being one of the major shows on the poultry fanciers' calendar it was great to see so many of our members had taken the trouble to attend, either as spectator or as an exhibitor.

Two CPPC members achieved the ultimate accolade with their birds making it to Championship Row. Sheila Stansfield won best Goose with a Steinbacher, no mean feat in a very strong class and Jim Holden made it to the Championship row with an Oxford Old English Game. John Knibbs also came very close having best opposite sex with his large Rhode Island Red Cockerel. John Winter, Vanessa Collins, Steve & Tracy Howse and Samantha Carr also entered birds and got in the cards with some of the entries. Graham Harvey was judging Wyandottes and Rachael Seymour took her egg judging test, so good luck with that. Well done to everyone who achieved success especially those who made it to Championship Row.

Club Diary Dates

Wednesday 13^th January 2010 To be announced

Sunday 31^st January 2010

Annual Members Show

Wednesday 3^rd February A talk on Poultry Nutrition by Jim Fordyce, Head Nutritionist for Countrywide Farmers for the last 25 years

Please note this meeting is on the first Wednesday of February not the usual second Wednesday.

Wednesday 10^th March Talk on Wyandottes by Alan Brooker & John Winter with live birds to illustrate the show points.

Wednesday 14^th April Talk on Rare Breeds by Andrew Sheppy again with live birds.

Wednesday 12^th May Annual Egg show

All meetings at Cricklade, Town Hall Annexe, unless otherwise stated.

Meet at 7.30pm.

Festive Nanny State Regulations

Jingle Bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

            From the President's Perch

Well, here we go into another year with hope and expectations of better things to come. First of all, I must thank the committee members who stood down at the AGM. In all the excitement of selecting new members, I forgot these stalwarts of the Club, who over the years have given much of their time and efforts to the betterment of the Club. I also welcome the new comers to the committee and hope they enjoy the experience. Now that is off my mind we can move on to the future.

With the Club's Members Show just around the corner, it is time to sort out your birds ready for their big day. This year there is no excuse for not showing as we have a preparation meeting just before and we have a NEW CLASS for novices Class 38. Let us give Vanessa a shock in so much as to filling the hall and the cages right up. Also please remember to bring along a raffle prize and if possible a visitor or two. Remember, help is always needed to get the Show on the road, thank you. The committee has drawn up a programme for the coming year and we are indebted to our Hon Sec, Margaret for all the telephone calls and juggling of dates so as to suit us and the speakers.

Now lastly I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Neil.

For sale and wanted

Wanted

Small/ medium incubator

Must be in good working order and under £100, (wanted as a secondary incubator).

Pam Martyn 01242 519306

For Sale

All 2009 Bred

Large Silver Grey Dorkings

Large utility Light Sussex

Large Barred Plymouth Rocks

Margaret Gardner

01666 510248

Jack Russell Puppies

Ready early February

From good rat catching stock

Vanessa Collins 01793 752305

A selection of end of roll fencing wire for sheep, rabbits etc). Half round posts and wire fencing, buyer to dismantle and collect.

Treadle feeders, Brooders, heat lamps, duck/geese housing and numerous accessories. Also Automatic in-line drinkers, suitable for ducklings and chicks from day old to adult and small circular swimming pools, ideal for ducklings and small ducks.

Call Ducks,

janepondhouse@btinternet.com

01793 751171

The present committee:

The views expressed in this Newsletter by individual contributors are not necessarily those of the club committee.

Sunday 31^st January 2010

Annual Members Show

PleaseHelp

Help will be required

To erect the staging and pens, 6pm Saturday

and to dismantle on Sunday

after the show.

Please display the poster with this issue in your community.

Please try to supply a prize for the raffle.

Editorial Deadline for next issue

Saturday February 27^th  2010

(01285) 656480

ken.cservenka@sky.com