We’ve been asked on several occasions as to why we don’t have small caged bird food in our Laverock Hall range of bird foods, and we can happily say that as of today we do now. Chris has worked closely with a locally well-known bird breeder and they have come up with a range of three new caged bird foods. These are Mixed Canary Food, Mixed Budgie Seed and Mixed Finch Food. They are a great addition to our Laverock range of bird foods and hopefully they will be well received by the caged bird breeders and by people who keep birds as a hobby too. They contain a good variety of seeds to suit most caged birds and are of the highest quality, so you can be assured that your birds are getting the very best food. The new mixes are packed in 5kg bags and 15kg bags, so they...

The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch takes place 26-28th January this year. It’s the biggest survey of birds in the UK as over half a million people take part. The data is important as the survey has been going for the last 40 years so when it is all collated it can be used to compare year on year information about trends in species plus it’s a snapshot of bird numbers across the UK so is comprehensive and is most important in helping spot problems and can be the first step to help to protect certain species. The big garden Birdwatch was started in 1979, but it wasn’t until Blue Peter featured this in a programme that it totally took off, although adults weren’t invited to join in until 2001. If you wish to join in with the Big Garden Birdwatch it couldn’t be simpler. Firstly, you need to find a good...

We are running a Photo competition to win a 12.55kg bag of either Laverock No Waste or Laverock No Wheat Wild Bird Food. https://www.laverockhallfarm.co.uk/wild-bird-food/no-waste-12-55kg-detail https://www.laverockhallfarm.co.uk/wild-bird-food/wheat-free-wild-bird-food-12-55kg-detail The competition is from Nov 27th to Midnight on Tuesday Dec 4th & all you need to do to enter is to submit a wildlife or birdlife photo of your choice on our Facebook page as a comment on the relevant competition  Facebook post. This will be judged by an independent judge and his/her decision will be final. One entry per person & if you wish to share the competition with your friends and family that would be fab but isn’t obligatory. After that date the winner will be announced ASAP., and the prize can either be collected from our shop or it will be couriered to you if you live further afield. UK entries only please and only one entry per person. Could you please...

“You shouldn’t feed the birds in the Summer” Is this True or False, well actually its false as in the Summer the birds are usually feeding young and a regular supply of bird food ensures that the birds in our gardens are healthy and the next generation is getting the best possible start too! Breeding and egg laying can take over half of the female bird’s energy and they often moult at this time of year too. The migrating birds need sufficient fat reserves, built up during the summer months to see them through successful migration to their winter feeding grounds in Africa & other countries. Winter feeding is obviously important as natural feedstuff is usually in short supply and the colder temperatures make it more difficult for survival, but it is now acknowledged that supplementing natural foodstuffs for the birds all year round is considered the best option. Should we...

I know Winter seems like a long way away but as farmers we have to make preparations for crops sometimes years in advance, crop rotation (remember that from school history lessons, the Agricultural Revolution, Jethro Tull & all that) is a real thing and we really need to know what we will be growing in which field in years to come. We try to do our bit for wildlife and the birds, we fed tons of Wild Bird food during the snow and most of the Winter down our fields to keep the hedgerow birds fed and healthy as well as filling our bird feeders in our garden, it’s just bird feeding, but on a much larger scale. This year we are planting some crops that won’t be harvested so that the birds have food for the winter and they can feed themselves, this cover crop also provides the birds with...

Well it has finally arrived , the snow is here, the news is full of weather pictures and we are inundated with reports that there is much more snow to come.  The fields, gardens and roads are covered and there seems to be disruption throughout the whole country due to this freezing weather. Hopefully you are reading this in your lovely warm , centrally heated house and well stocked up with lots of warming foods, after all this weather has been forecast for some time.  The Beast from the East is a Polar Vortex with weather coming straight from Russia coming in on Easterly Winds.  We can be prepared but how well prepared are the birds in our gardens? Most of us are really generous and do put food out for the birds but did you know that fresh water is also important, I know its not easy to put out...

Well it always comes doesn't it?, Friday the 13th and love it or loathe it there is no escaping it, its here and we all just have to get on with it. So why is it so feared? Apparently the sixth day of the week (Friday) and the number 13 are considered unlucky , so to combine them you have double trouble, or so it was thought. Friday was also the day that traditionally executions took place so it was considered to be most unlucky and also called Hangman's Day. The number 13 is also associated with the Last Supper and as Judas the traitor was the 13th person so the superstition continues, and it is not just in the Christian faith , Hindus also consider a gathering of 13 to be unlucky too so the number 13 seems to be an issue with many faiths and religions. In fact fear...

Every day seems to be a listed day for #National Wear a Hat day, or #National Rice Pudding Day (August 9th in America if you're interested) , but today is #BackBritishFarmingDay and that is a bit more relevant to ourselves. First and foremost we are farmers and have been on both sides of the family for generations so you could say farming is in our blood. Certainly it seems to be continuing with two of our children doing Agriculture related subjects at University, but who knows what the future holds for farmers everywhere. I thought I would share a few interesting facts with yourselves about British farming, please forgive me if you already know them, but they certainly surprised me when I read them this morning. Did you know that for every £1 invested in farm support, farming delivers £7.40 back to the economy?, no, neither did I. Farming plays an...

Its a very dark ,soggy September day here on the farm, We have had four lovely weeks of dry weather, it has been dry for so long that this morning our Vizsla puppy, Frank, refused to go out in the rain until he was absolutely desperate, I think he had forgotten all about what rain was. He's in for a nasty surprise soon with the Winter weather just around the corner. The wonderful dry spell has enabed us to get the wheat and barley combined , the fields cleared of straw and a lot of ploughing started too. We only have one field of oats left to cut which wasn't ready yeaterday, plus the beans then we are all finished harvesting for this year. Its then time to sow the Winter seeds after the fields have been ploughed, cultivated and a good seed bed prepared so the crops get the best...