Hello from the tropics of England!

[RutlandH2O]

Hi,

I'm a Yank living in the tropics of Rutland, the smallest county in England. I say the tropics because it is 94 degrees today! We had a very cold Spring, so this uncivilized heat is oppressive. Did I mention that we moved here from Hawaii 20 years ago?

We live on an ancient farm of 13 acres. Our house is almost 450 years old. We have 3 Shire horses, of which 2 are our breeding; 2 rare Baudet du Poitou donkeys; 8 pet sheep of various breeds; 5 hens, of which one is an Australorp (our cockerel is an Australorp as well...he was supposed to be a she); and 3 dogs: a Jack Russell terrier, a Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen, and a French Bulldog puppy.

I discovered BYC a few days ago and was quite impressed with the thread dealing with no-spill feeders. I have a sneaking feeling some of the drain pipes described in that thread are unattainable in this country. I might have to get my son, in San Francisco, to mail the necessary items.

I'm so looking forward to reading about other peoples' experiences and helpful advice.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[tinamathis]

Welcome RutlandH20,
Your farm sounds amazing. I visited friends in Oahu in 2013 and loved it. We are in Tennessee on 3 acres, rural 11 chickens, one rooster named Roger and a goat. We too are from the island life, 12 years on the ocean in the Florida Keys. I miss it but I'm a country girl at heart.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi from Yorkshire UK

Glad you could join the flock! You have a super mix of animals on your farm. Sounds like it must keep you very busy. Certainly has been the tropics here at the moment!! Me and my animals have not enjoyed it that much really. Much better temps today and the cloud cover we have right now is a bit of a godsend. Bet you didn't bank on this kind of weather when you moved to rainy old England

Hope you enjoy BYC, I am sure you will everyone here to help and very friendly

 

[N F C]

Welcome to BYC!

Your current weather is very much like what we have here in FL a good part of the summer. That heat can be really hard on all the animals (at least we can go inside to air conditioned comfort). I'd love to see some photos of your animals, especially the dogs and donkeys (they're in your avatar right?).

Sounds like you have a great farm and some interesting animals. Hope to see you around on the boards!

 

[N F C]

Welcome RutlandH20,
Your farm sounds amazing. I visited friends in Oahu in 2013 and loved it. We are in Tennessee on 3 acres, rural 11 chickens, one rooster named Roger and a goat. We too are from the island life, 12 years on the ocean in the Florida Keys. I miss it but I'm a country girl at heart.

Hi @tinamathis , welcome to you also!

We used to live in the Keys too before moving to north FL about 2 years ago. There is a lot about the Keys to miss, that's for sure. But no place to have a little farm so that's why we moved.

Nice to have you here!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome, glad you joined us at Backyard chickens. My son,brother, sister & niece recently came back from a two week trip (their first) to UK. They especially loved seeing border collies and young pups, working sheep in Wales. I'm a dog lover. Would love to see pictures of your canine crew.

 

[RutlandH2O]

BayBayPeepers, tinamathis, Yorkshire coop, NorthFLChick, Kelsie 2290, and drumstick diva,

Thank you so much for your welcoming greetings!

Yes, the animals keep me very busy, especially in winter. I loathe the winter because I'm always aware of the welfare implications of the thousands upon thousands of animals that don't have access to food, shelter, unfrozen water, or veterinary care.

While I love summer, the intense heat is not appreciated by any of the animals. Intense heat and England don't generally appear in the same sentence. Having said that, England's climate is quite mild, in the scheme of things. My husband and I were born and raised in Long Island, New York. That climate is so much more extreme at the top and bottom ends of the thermometer, that, compared to England, England is a pleasant walk in the park (at least where we live).

Right, I'm eager to "meet" like-minded folks and share our poultry passions!

 

[N F C]

@RutlandH2O , you're not the first poster from England that has mentioned the heat lately. Hope that passes quickly for you. Looking forward to hearing more about your animals and adventures in chickens!