The Future

We have several exciting plans for the English Country House!

CHICKENS!

Spring 2024 is going to be a busy time for our (rescue battery) hens! The hen house is built, most of the names have been picked, and we can't wait to be able to provide a forever home to some very deserving hens! The appeal of fresh eggs each and every day is hard to resist too. We had planned originally to keep some form of English heritage type breed, but in all honesty, we felt that the right thing to do was to take in some rescue battery hens.

BEES!

In the coming year, (2024), we're going to be providing a home for bees! We're attending a "beekeeping for beginners" course in April, with our first swarm arriving sometime in June! We're looking forward to "beeing around bees!" (really? Ed.) and hopefully taking a small portion of their hard won fresh honey! 

SHEEP(s)!

At some point, either in 2024 or 2025 (more realistically), we intend to (re)introduce sheep to the English Country House. Having done a good bit of research, and spoken to a good few people who know their sheep and based on our needs (sheep that won't eat the orchard), we've decided upon a small flock of Shropshire sheep. We're told they're easier to look after, are relatively hardy and also won't eat our trees or orchard (a huge bonus). Being surrounded by sheep, and hearing their gentle "baahing" of a summer evening, with a gentle breeze and the open windows sounds delightful (though no doubt sheep related chaos will ensue at some point...).