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I saw the Hook & Sons website, they seem to be the leading supplier and campaigner of raw milk. I think getting some goats milk sent in frozen packs will be my immediate solution, not many goat farms round here anyway

Interesting, what madness. I think it's illegal in Scotland to sell it at all.

I would love to keep goats, but not the right garden (or neighbours), we have chickens in one area but the rest of the chicken free area is quite nice garden now, having known my Auntie's goats in the past they are absolute rogues and would wreck everything. What I need is to find a nice goat farmer...

Hi Maggie, Thanks for that, can you recommend a supplier to order from? I'd prefer goats if you know any good suppliers but cows milk will do me fine too. Thanks Pam

Hello, I am hoping to try making some cheese but discover that it is illegal for farmers to sell raw milk in Scotland and the amount I have to pay in P&P to set milk from England is high. Do any other Scottish based cheese makers have any tips on milk suppliers here or companies that sell online...

Thanks Annemieke, interesting chicken fat article there, makes sense

LOL, Thank you darkbrowneggs, I feel that as we have had the hens for so long we should give them a respectful and proper ending, I think if I can borrow a pressure cooker I will try that method, we'll see. Cheers x

Thank you all so much for those tips. will try those, we have two more 6 year old birds that have had 18 months without an egg and time has come, love the fat tip, cheers.

Ha ha, no she is out, not tried her yet, but she had a good 10 hours stewing!

Thanks Oldjerry, pressure cooker sounds like a good idea, I've heard of a chicken brick too.

Hi Jon, Hen slaughtered on Saturday and popped in casserole this morning (Tuesday), kept in cold part of fridge and I added salt at beginning, all told I wish I had posted on here before cooking her, bless her, we'll keep her in the oven for a few hours more. Thanks for your advice Jon will use it f...

Hello, I have an old hen stewing away just now, 6/7 years old and had stopped laying about a year ago, making coq-au-vin and she is now 6 hours into cooking very slowly in the bottom of an Aga but still seems very tough and also there is a massive amount of fat, comes to a lot of us in old age I gue...

VM,
I think you've chosen well. I have 2 cream legbars, a RIR bantam and a silkie bantam, all very good layers, the RIR has a great character, the legbars are standoffish but fine, the silkie is a broody nightmare. Good luck and enjoy your chickens

They are sooo cute, as an ex pig farmer without pigs now, I am sooo jealous! They are beauties!!

Preserving By Oded Schwartz published by DK (Dorling Kindersley) 1996 is the best book I have found, gives all basic principles of preserving plus excellent recipes and nice colour photos.