Power cut hits bantams breeder

AN electricity power cut during heavy winds hit 500 homes including one where prizewinning rare breed bantams’ eggs were being kept cosy in an incubator.

Fortunately, power was restored after about an hour on Monday, April 15, at the Hurst home of poultry breeder Jane Freeman, who is Reading and District Bantam Society’s show secretary.

Jane had covered the incubator to keep the warmth in and the chicks inside the eggs should still hatch and thrive.

Heat pads for hatched chicks housed in an outdoor building also lost power. They would have been taken indoors if the cut continued.

Earlier this year, two of Jane’s birds were judged champions at Kent Poultry Society’s regional show.

They won prizes for best rare breed and best soft feather heavy bantam.

Jane, a keen competitor, is pleased to be back showing: “We had more or less three years without shows because of avian flu. They started again around the end of last year.

“The UK has been declared an avian flu-free zone. We just hope this autumn does not bring back a recurrence. Autumn is the worst time when birds are migrating into the country.

“It’s good to have the shows going properly again so we meet up with other people. With rare breeds, we need to encourage others to keep them.” Birds are also sold at shows.

The Reading Society’s major show, with around 1,500 entrants and held at Northcroft

Leisure Centre, Newbury, is the largest bantam show in the country.

The society is moving its meetings from Grazeley to Bradfield Southend Village Hall soon.

Jane, also vice chair of the UK’s Rare Poultry Society, explained the pleasure of keeping the birds: “They’re fascinating creatures, real characters and underestimated. Plus, of course, they lay eggs for us.”

Bantams are small versions of chickens, often with bright and dramatic plumage. Jane’s breeds are Vorwerk, Sulmtaler and Croad Langhans.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks sent out a message on Monday saying 496 homes in Hurst area were affected by the power cut. They had had reports of damage to their network.

When this happened the power automatically turned off to keep everyone safe.

Their engineers knew exactly where the problem was and worked to make the situation safe, repair the wire and get power back on.

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