The issue with having tame goats and sheep is that they are just a bit too friendly! Not sure if they genuinely just want to be with us or if they just associated us with food, but whenever we (or Ted the collie) walk past thier paddocks they come skipping down to see us and, all to often as [...]
It has been an amazing March and beginning of April, hardly a drop of rain, sunny, warm, spring had arrived very early. Like many, we used it as the perfect oppertunity to plant our spring Barley, grown partly to provide winter stuble for ground nesting birds like the cirl bunting (very rare little chap that we are lucky enough to [...]
Easter Holidays, schools break up and amazing sunny weather, that never happens! We have a handful of camping spaces and some availability in the lovely Dens if you fancy a last minute getaway. Feel free to go to our website or to contact us https://orchardorganicfarm.co.uk/the-hens-dens/
Moving Forward with a Heave Ho and a Bottle of Rum (Apple Juice!) The dust has settled somewhat and yesterday we said farewell to our last member of staff, the sadness of this was reduced somewhat by the news that they have all found other employment (including me!) which is great. We have taken stock (literally as 1st April) [...]
Avian Flu All poultry in the UK are currently having to be kept inside (DEFRA housing order) to protect them against Avian Flu this winter. Sadly this is becoming an annual event, however this winter has been particularly bad with a lot more outbreaks and cases carrying on into the spring. Could this be due to the ridiculously mild [...]
A Perfect Storm (s) 10-2-12,9,0 First along came storm Eunice, the Metoffice forecast doom, and as a poultry farmer with twelve mobile hen houses, the alarm bells sounded big time. We battened down the hatches, the storm pushed through pretty quickly and ripped the roofs off two of our sheds depositing it across the farm. Whilst this [...]
Trees, Trees and Trees – Three Way Winners At Orchard Organic Farm we love trees! And we have planted loads over the years. We have over 1000 apple trees plus field trees and masses of hedging trees. We have been busy this week making the best of the amazing weather and planting trees again We have planted another 100 [...]
Our little 'Farm Gate' shop has organically grown somewhat over the last few months. We have sold our lovely organic eggs direct and fresh from the hens to friends and neighbours for many years, and the word has gradually spread and now we are lucky enough to a wide range of lovely loyal group of customers. Hopefully they are [...]
'Genetic Modification' understandably conjures up all sorts of scary thoughts, four legged chickens, huge mono-culture insect free fields of cereals etc.. However the reality is that GM as a farming technique used for centuries and we are doing dabbling with it this week! When we first planted apple trees we choose 12 varieties that looked suitable. Over Some of those [...]
Autumn can be a wonderful time of year to escape and unwind when the pace has eased a little, the beaches, pubs and cafes are a bit quieter and the countryside looks beautiful. We think The Hen’s Dens at Orchard Organic Farm are a great place to enjoy a relaxing, peaceful autumn break, with apples on the trees, blackberries [...]
