Working Over view :>

We hope to (after our course on 27th Feb 2011) to buy our chickens...We have already purchased our equipment for feeding and watering from Hadleigh Pet Supplies and are just finishing off the last of the building work... This is our over view of how it will all work :)

We each purchase (from the same flock at the same time) a chicken..The club will purchase 2 extra (see below for details why). We are each individually responsible for the health costs (and maintenance ) of our chicken...This will ensure that all chickens are kept to a high standard of care and accountability...We have an isolation coop for any ill or broody chickens...We pay jointly for the costs of feeding (and bedding)  all of the chickens - dividing the monthly cost between all of the members...

We are responsible for the feeding/letting in and out/cleaning of ALL of the chickens on our day (see rota for details).....On our rota'd day we collect and keep ALL eggs that are laid on that day..If a chicken appears to be unwell we notify the person who owns the chicken...Our individual care is to our chicken and any that are purchased by the club.(see rules).

We considered collectively paying for ill chickens BUT realised that the Treasurer would need to get ALL of the members to agree vets fees...Peoples opinion on when to consult a vet varies...Also if more than one chicken is unwell then the person whose day it is could spend all day sorting it out..If they don't manage to sort it out it then it could overspill onto the next day..Some people wouldn't deal with it (as it isn't on their rota'd day) whilst others would....Each looking after just the one chicken is easier, quicker and requires one agreement  :>

The club will purchase 2 extra chickens (10 members plus 2 of the club making a total of 12)..This ensures that if any chickens unfortunately die then they can be bought from the club without the introduction of any new chickens...Also if some of the chickens don't lay..hopefully *fingers crossed* we will still have the possibility of 10 each day :)

Keeping the chickens (or should I say hens!) collectively means that if we are on holiday/away we can swap with another member on our feeding day..Instead of having to do this daily this will be approximately only about three times per month...We should get about 30 eggs per month (more than enough)...We can dispose of our greens from our allotments and the cost will be lower than shop bought eggs with more free range  vitamins...YUMMMMMM :>

And the last reason...we meet friends and get to keep our chicken (our hen!) on our allotment  :)

How our rota works :>

The rota really is as easy as numbering the calendar days from 1 to 9 (our current members) and then back to 1 again.. When you sign the memberships and hand them in they will be numbered 1 to 9.

(Example  - Bob's membership form is "number 8"). Say we get the chickens in Dec – Our writing on the calendar is in red (numbers 1 to 9). The purple numbers are the printed calendar.... Bob will look for all the red number "8" and that will be his chicken feeding day. So he will feed the hens on ;-

Wed 8^th Dec, Fri 17^th Dec, Sun 26^th Dec (and Tue Jan 4^th)

The cleaning Day would be done exactly the same way :)

Printed calendar in Purple

Mon  Tue   Wed  Thur  Fri   Sat   Sun           

                   Dec

                        1     2       3      4       5                          

                        1     2      3      4        5           

Mon  Tue  Wed Thur   Fri   Sat   Sun                

6        7      8         9    10     11     12           

6       7       8         9        1        2       3           

Mon  Tue  Wed  Thur  Fri  Sat   Sun

 13    14     15     16     17   18    19

 4       5       6       7       8        9      1

  

Mon  Tue Wed Thur Fri  Sat  Sun

20     21     22   23    24   25   26         

 2      3       4      5     6      7     8               

Mon  Tue  Wed  Thur Fri  Sat   Sun       

 27    28     29     30      31  1Jan   2

9        1       2         3     4      5      6                 

Mon  Tue  Wed  Thur Fri  Sat   Sun       

3        4       5        6      7      8    9

7        8      9        1      2      3     4               

Our Rules :>

Being a co-operative we decided that we needed rules so here are some of the points that you may need to consider when making yours....

1. The amount of chickens agreed (by the local authorites/Town Council) for the area allocated for your chickens .

2. The amount of space needed to keep the chickens healthy - we wanted free range. A good idea would be to limit 10 members to a coop ensuring that you get eggs every 10 days. We have a Summer and Winter area allowing the chickens a change of grassland.

3. You must have held your allotment tenancy for a minimum of a year. Some people give up allotments during their first year - this would ensure that the person was serious about the commitment of having chickens.

4. A maximum number of members (we have 10). The membership is signed by the plot holder but a family member (over 18 years) can help them.

5. We decided that larger families could have more than one chicken (So if you owned more than one plot (or half plot - as allocated by the Town Council) you could join and have a membership number / go on the waiting list for each plot/chicken required).

6. Should the plot holder relinquish their tenancy then one month notice to the club will be required before they remove their chicken. The replacement member can be advised and then included in the following months rota.

7. On joining the club the member is acknowledging shared liability for all expenses relating to the housing/fencing/feeding of all of the chickens whilst a member.      

     

8. On joining the club the member is acknowledging shared responsibility for the maintenance of all housing/fencing/feeding equipment of all the chickens whilst a member.

           

9. All eggs are for our own consumption (NOT for sale under any circumstances). We felt that this was an important point - it isn't a money making venture.

10.No cockerel(s). *You may need to check if you want one that you are allowed one*. Hens can lay without one.

 11. On joining the club the member is acknowledging the shared responsibility of the cleaning/feeding/letting in and out of all the chickens as per rota.

12. We are purchasing our chickens from the same flock at the same time. There will be 12 (10 for members plus 2 extra that will be kept collectively - should a hen die then one of the two "spare chickens" can be purchased from the club by the member to replace their chicken. This will ensure that no new chickens are introduced to the flock.

  

13. If you are on holiday/ill when you are responsible for feeding/cleaning the chickens then it is the members responsibility to arrange cover with other members. Having many members we are all able to offer support to each other  : )

14.All members pay a joining fee of £20.00 (per chicken). This ensures that a float (as well as fundraising money) is available to replace equipment when required. Therefore keeping our outgoings to a minimum.

15. When you leave the club all the jointly acquired assets are transferred to the club and its current members.

Re-erecting A Foodstore

We decided that we needed a foodstore/general hut for our medicine cabinet, egg laying count book,bedding etc.. A shed was donated and rebuilt onto our site...

The coop is on the left (with the ladder leaning against it)..Foodstore on the right.

Chicken Course

We have booked our chicken course for the 27th February (Sunday) in the afternoon 1 - 4 ...Our hosts are Ann and Ben - Here is their website;-

http://www.gardenandchicken.co.uk/

It's funny how we are so nervous yet excited - our building work is about to begin again after the Christmas break..Not long until we have our chickens : >

Internal Fencing

Dividing the Summer and Winter Pastures..

Last But Not Least :>

To finish off our *Thank you's* we would like to add the important people who helped us at the very begining..They were members who stood looking at a weedy overgrown plot complete with junk and bits of broken glass...

Some of them stood in the rain on our very first carboot...holding an umbrella trying to shield our carboot stuff from ongoing torrents....Some spent time puting visions onto paper for us all to see and appreciate....Some sat during our *Fundraising Meetings* full of ideas...Some spent time helping us to get our funding....Some spent hours with the *ongoing job* of painting fence panels and digging fence pole holes....All of them contributed towards raising the funds we needed and getting us this far...

** Thank you

to all the past members and their spouses of the Chook Club **

All future posts will be technical to do justice to Jiliangs wonderful photo's and the teams wonderful building abilities ...

*Look out for our delivery from Buildbase*

Blessings Overflowing...

So many people to thank - This space isn't big enough.......So please except my apologies for now and look out for later posts !...

Not only do we have many wonderful members who are camera shy (except one!).* I hope that will change as they all deserve the credit in getting this far!*.....But also very supportive spouses...Each one contributing to the fundraising/building work in their own unique way....Sorting out things for our carboots and releasing their loved ones to spend hours on a weekend on our chook site.....I promise that they haven't been down the pub *GRIN*!!!..The proof is now in the pics ;)

HMMMMM .....Maybe Jiliang can talk them ( our wonderful spouses) into having their pics taken so that we can thank them properly on a later post!.....But in the meantime.... I would like to say a special word of "thanks" to.....

Wei an active member of the "Fundraising Team" with two carboots under her belt....She also feeds us when we are busy working and building....Her yummy courgette pancakes and runner bean dumplings have become a food legend on our allotments...

Trevor Sheldrick , a local Town Councillor who has actively supported us from the onset - as well as being a very welcome pair of hands on the "Building Team".

I know everyone won't mind me adding my lovely hubbie..Tony.. I know that he is loving this project as he adores building things...But I just wanted to say a BIG "Thank you" to him for believing in the "chook club" from the first tiny spark of what seemed like a crazy idea.

More *Thank you's* BUT this time official ones....Recently, we have received notification from our local Town Council that we have been granted £130 from the "Power Of Well Being" Grant....So on behalf of our chicken co-operative :>

** Thank you to everyone (especially all our local Councillors) at our wonderful Town Council - Special thanks to Trevor, Carol, Elaine and Phillip... **

 

And a Big *Squeezy Hug* of thanks to our wonderful spouses for their on-going support  X

Fundraising :>

So far we have donated our money, time (and lots of it!), bits and pieces for the car boots which entailed standing in the pouring rain!, timber, cement, wiring, tools etc to get to the point that we have ..Thanks Jiliang for the brilliant pics!

In the meantime....

A few months ago during our Allotment and Leisure Gardens Open Day a local County Councillor, Mr. David Grutchfield was looking around and popped over to see what we were building.

Taking notes and giving our Co-operative lots of supportive comments he promised to be in touch with us....E-mails, information (quotes, rules etc ) and a phone call later we were contacted by a lovely lady, Ann the Locality Budget Officer at Suffolk County Council for further information.

Last Saturday, Mr. Grutchfield (David) popped over for a "catch up" to see how we were doing. He spoke about other projects that he supports within our local community and gladly agreed to open our "Chooktopia" when it is finished.


Today we hold a cheque which has been kindly donated from County Councillor David Grutchfields Locality Budget. So on behalf of our "Chook Club"  we would like to say..



**Thank you David, Ann and everyone at Suffolk County Council who have helped us towards our goal of collectively keeping chickens in a large, safe and happy enclosure on our allotment **