I have been keeping poultry for most of my life in fact since I was a small boy on my fathers farm in Lancashire.

Since I retired ten years ago to a smallholding in Northern Scotland I have become more serious having lots of spare time to devote to my some would say obsession. I now have 15 breeds of poultry which I am continuing to develop. Ten years of trial and error lots of experience and some good stock have produced some excellent strains.

If I have followed one golden rule when improving my stock it is too buy the best quality hatching eggs from good stock, rather than live birds where possible as this reduces the risk of bringing in disease.
Another policy is try not to interbreed as this exacerbates weaknesses in a strain. I therefore source new blood from as far a field as possible. This includes second generation French stock (copper black Maran) and breeds as far away as Cornwall.
Any new blood introduced is monitored for quality before eggs produced are offered for sale.