Diary - Whats happening in The Kitchen Garden this month?

I don't usually give my hens names. Not because I don't love them, or recognize them as individuals, but because having had the fun of naming them, I can never quite remember who's who in a crisis. This includes my children, cats, friends (and probably my own name, if I'm honest). So my flock has generic nomenclature. The hens are all called 'Girlie' or 'Babe' and we are on to The Cockerel Mark IV.

But the Araucana chicks we've hatched for a friend, (a new brooding service we supply: along with adopt-a-flock, home-a- rooster, and rent-a-cockerel) are so very unusual, that they were christened instantly. The lavender pullet just had to be Violet, and her brother, possibly a Crele, with his dark glasses and latin mein is obviously Alfonso.

All the families who come to the Kitchen Garden are keen to reel off the rollcall of their flocks, and I'm thrilled to see how much pleasure children get from their charges. Hens make brilliant pets, and we often recommend breeds that come in various colours so every member of the family can instantly recognize their favourite.

I am working with a group of students on a henhouse project at the moment which is proving very interesting and innovative. For more information on this project click here www.omlet.co.uk