I absolutely agree, Mo. It's a greenwash. Still, it's good (and encouraging!) that pressure has been able to force any change at all in such a massive corporation.

Thanks very much for that, Karen and Kitla! They were wormed just before we got them, in February, so they are probably due again, although they do get diatomaceous earth in their layers mash. I've ordered some Invermectin, because we've recently been given a cockerel who turned out to have scaly le...

Thanks for that, Manda. I did wonder whether they would be getting all the nutrients they need, but it didn't occur to me that it would affect egg production (doh!). Having said that, I'd rather they didn't lay if they're not easily able to do so, as I'd rather have healthy and happy chickens who li...

That sounds delicious June! Fresh beetroot never lasts long enough round here to be made into chutney, though. It's just too tasty.

Free range eggs in McDonalds?! The McLibel case seems like only yesterday, and now they use free-range eggs?!

As you say, you used to have to hunt for free-range eggs, as well as other more ethical products, and now they're available almost everywhere. It's brilliant!

Garlic is very easy to grow, Michael, even this far north. You just pop a clove of garlic in the ground and it grows into a whole bulb of garlic. It usually has a stronger flavour than what you'd buy in the shop. You have to be prompt in harvesting before the leaves completely die off, though, or yo...

Thanks very much, Perchy! I will give that a try - though I'll wait till they are fully confident in their new home first. I don't own a hairdryer (my last one literally went up in smoke 25 years ago and I haven't dared use one since!) so I'll have to choose a warm day so she can air-dry. As far as ...

I have no answers, I'm afraid, but hoping that someone else will have since I have the same problem with one of mine and was going to ask the same question. I've tried bathing her (which she hated) and even trimmed some feathers, but it just gradually got bad again. She walks with her tail lower tha...

Hi Richard, It's this one: m I'm not sure whether it's the same seller, but we did get it from eBay. It was £599.99 then, but much more now. There's nothing to let you know what the battery charge level is, which is a bit of a nuisance. And when you use the indicators it makes a horrible blaring noi...

Thanks, Richard.

If we ever manage to draft-proof the garage, that's definitely something to consider.

Just a follow-up post for anyone who's interested. Everybody seems to have settled in well. They're loving all the foraging opportunities in their new home - to the extent that they are eating hardly any of their layers mash. I needn't have worried so much about the ground-level nesting box, because...

Ours is a thing that looks like a moped, rather than a bicycle, though it has pedals too. Because of the moped shape of the bike, it's much more awkward to pedal than an ordinary bike, as the pressure you apply is not directly down from your body core but outwards a bit. It's hard on the knees, so I...

Give 'em hell! They're supposed to represent us - it's why we pay them - and I feel less than enthusiastically represented by my MP.

That's terrific, Richard! And what a great view! Is it very cold and damp in the winter, though? I was so pleased with the garage when we moved to this house. Large garage, no car to store, what an opportunity! I set up my workspace almost immediately. But over the winter, all of my tools rusted. My...

I'm so sorry, SB.