FOWLPLAYFOR ARARECOLLECTION
FOWLPLAYFOR ARARECOLLECTION
Rare geese and fancy fowl fill the
orchard of farm manager
James Turners Cumbrian home.
Jeremy Hunt went to see them
WATCH the amorous antics of a pair of Hawaiian geese in the garden of a Cumbria farmhouse and its hard to believe that not long ago this species was on the verge of extinction.
In fact it was the plight of the Hawaiian goose – widely known as the Ne-Ne – that inspired the naturalist Sir Peter Scott to found the Wildfowl Trust (now known as the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust) in 1946.
So its not surprising the springtime cavortings of this inseparable pair of black and gold feathered Ne-Ne geese brings a welcome smile to the face of James Turner who regards them as the pride of his collection.
"They were still quite rare when I started keeping them 15 years ago. As a species they are still very in-bred. They were almost down to single numbers in the wild and the entire world population is now based on two wild-caught females and an old male bird discovered in an American collection back in the 1950s."
Mr Turner is farm manager on the Harris familys 2023ha (5000-acre) Brackenburgh estate near Penrith. Hes been a keen poultry enthusiast since his school days – a time that also taught him that breeding any form of livestock was not without its disasters.
"At boarding school I was given two ostrich eggs to put in the incubator. They were due to hatch in time for the school open day but there was a power cut just days before.
"The eggs went cold and never hatched but when we broke them open they each contained a fully formed ostrich chick. That was real disappointment but it taught me there are no guarantees in livestock breeding," says James.
His schoolboy collection steadily grew, gradually expanding to include more unusual and rare species of both waterfowl and pheasants.
On a bright spring day the orchard behind the Turner familys farmhouse near Penrith is teeming with life. The waterfowl pools amidst the natural setting of trees and shrubs are home to a fascinating flock of multi-coloured birds of all shapes and sizes.
A pair of large white Coscoroba swans – looking more like geese with red bills – tower above the tiny Hottentot teal from Africa. There are Snow geese, White-faced Whistling Tree ducks, Philippine ducks, Shelducks and a pair of glamorous Pintail. Keeping species on their own is not the policy here.
"Many species are colony breeders and need the stimulus of others to fire them up into breeding condition in the spring," says James.
He thrives on the challenge of breeding rarities: "If I am successful I try to arrange a swap with another breeder. That way he benefits and you can have something hes succeeded with. Thats how the collection has grown."
* Poultry too
And there are poultry here too. Buff Cochins, Silkies, Silver Dutch bantams and the auto-sexing Cream Legbars are among the favourites with the reliable brooding qualities of the silkies increasingly used to rear waterfowl and pheasants.
The pheasant aviaries are discreetly situated in the orchard and have been carefully planted with shrubs to create a natural environment. Stand quietly and you catch glimpses of pheasant species such as the Himalayan Monal, the Swinhoe, Grey Peacock and the less rare but certainly equally striking Lady Amherst with its long barred tail of black and silver feathers.
"The key to breeding rare pheasant species is getting the conditions just right at the right time of year. Theres nothing hit or miss about it. You have to get the birds through the winter in good fettle and then carefully watch their diet.
"We worm all our birds before they start breeding and feed a special pellet formulated for either pheasants or waterfowl. And there are even specific diets for certain species."
Walk through into another area of the garden and be welcomed by a trio of massive Buff Cochins. This unusual breed of poultry is a mass of feather ending in a fan of feathered toes.
James Turner became intrigued by them many years ago when working as a student on the Chatsworth estate and admiring the Duchess of Devonshires own flock.
"You could stand all day and watch them. They are truly fascinating and are great for hatching goose eggs."
* Waterfowl
But beyond the giant chickens lies another pool where it is impossible to count the number of waterfowl. This is home to the sea-duck collection – the smart black and white Smew and the Hooded Mergansers. These birds are great divers; now you see them, now you dont as they repeatedly dive and resurface.
"These are my next challenge. The sea-ducks will tolerate fresh-water but it has to be kept really fresh so we run a pipe down from the barn roof to divert all the rain water into the pool," says James.
Suddenly a tiny Hooded Merganser plops back up to the surface like a childs ultimate bath-time toy. On past form it wont be long before James Turner is counting these intriguing sea-ducks among his list of breeding successes.