Country Mouse on chicken breeds
The Hedges rescue seven former supermarket chickens and take pleasure from giving the doomed animals a second chance


After losing the chickens to a vixen a few weeks ago, I spent some time musing over which breed I would replace them with. I was leaning towards some Buff Orpingtons, but the decision was taken out of my hands when my wife arrived home one day with seven former supermarket chickens. They were in a pretty poor condition, missing feathers and dull in the eye, but they cost nothing, and there is always something very pleasant about giving a doomed animal a second chance. I have come to admire them.
Last weekend, I was watching them enjoy the freedom of the orchard, pecking at worms and enjoying probably the first dust bath of their lives, when I noticed the buzzing coming from the plum tree. It wasn't a swarm of bees, but hundreds of wasps. Closer inspection showed that the tree was plagued by aphids, and the wasps, together with a few dozen ladybirds, were feasting on them. Poor old wasps get such a bad press, but do so much good by tackling garden pests. True, they can sting, but only when provoked. They should really be thought of as the Spitfires of the insect world, saving our gardens from an enemy invasion.
Need tips on keeping chickens? Read our Top tips on keeping chickens
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Six beautiful homes around the world, from Portofino to Provence to Palm Beach
An exquisite villa tucked into a hillside? A A breathtaking apartment created to make you feel like you're flying through the endless blue skies?
-
The 'greatest battle for 300 years': England's great estates face up to a green future
The climate crisis will affect us all. All over Britain, major landowners are stepping up to tackle a warming world and biodiversity loss.