Oh dear, Sid called in to inspect the Hubbard table chickens, and has prounounced them still not fat enough! So I have to keep feeding them as much as possible and he's coming back in another couple of weeks or so. They are certainly getting quite big, but in a rather leggy, rangy way and they need more flesh on them before they will make good roasters. Several of the cockerels are quite big and are trying to crow a bit, they will certainly have to go before too long, as cockerels together can sometimes fight for dominance.
Of course they are eating quite a lot now that they are fairly big, and it's costing extra to keep them. At this rate they will turn out to be more expensive than the free range chickens that are sold at the farm shop for £15 each! Hopefully it won't turn out to be that bad, but even if it did, I am looking on this as a learning experience, and you have to expect to pay for knowledge and experience, one way or another! I've certainly learned a lot. There are a number of things I will do differently next time, that's assuming there will be a next time - if these birds turn out to be stringy and tough it might put me off trying again, - there's only so much coq au vin and chicken soup a person can stomach,- but I hope they'll be better than that. Fingers crossed.
Well rhubarb time seems to be drawing to a close. Thank heavens. It (the rhubarb patch) never seems to get any smaller, though goodness know...
If you have a family of what my mother calls "good eaters", (as if it were a kind of skill like dentistry or playing the oboe) lik...
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