Part of last year’s Whole School Effort was to build the fence for our new chicken coop around the apple orchard near Outdoor Work. I’m delighted to announce that it is finally complete and we welcomed 30 new feathered residents last week. They are Black Rhode hens which is a hybrid bird that has been bred from a Rhode Island Red Cockerel crossed with a Plymouth Barred Rock hen. They are the ideal free range hen laying top quality large brown eggs (although we are still waiting for the first one!). Like our pigs, they are a docile bird, so hopefully they will be relaxed in our lovely school environment. They are not de-beaked, and so are able to scratch and peck around happily in their half acre home. Once they have settled in and start laying, the eggs will be available to purchase from Outdoor Work.
By Andrew Martin, Head of Outdoor Work
