Keeping Hens for Eggs and Birds for the Table

Afternoon Demonstrations:

Join our main student body in our demonstration kitchen for an afternoon demonstration. You will receive a copy of the recipes and a tasting plate at the end of the class. The demonstration room is equipped with a large overhead mirror and Monitors for closeup work. We release details of recipes to be demonstrated 2 weeks in advance.

Afternoon Cookery Classes begin at 2PM, however please try to be at cookery school for 1:45PM.

Guests will get a copy of all recipes and tastings of all dishes at the end of the demonstration. Please note you will be joining our main student body for this demonstration.

Details of Recipes to be demonstrated are published approximately 2 weeks in Advance.

In this 1 day course, you will learn the basics of how to keep your own hens for organic eggs from our in house poultry keeper John Beausang as well as how to rear meat birds for the table from Tom Clancy of Ballycotton Free Range Poultry. If you are interested in learning to produce your own food, there is no better way to get started! You will learn how to source or hatch your own chicks, how to raise them, properly house and feed them as well as humanely kill, pluck and eviscerate. You will also learn the importance of raising free range, organic birds, and understand the conventional egg and poultry industries. Come join us and learn how to make a difference in the food you eat at either a small or a large scale.

What you’ll learn:

The hatching process and what kind of incubator to buy
The stages of raising birds, including the proper housing and feed to purchase
Valuable information on how to maintain the health of the birds
Facts about the conventional egg & poultry industries that will inspire the need to keep your own birds, but also how to be a more responsible consumer

Course Elements

Indoor and Outdoor Classroom Learning
Tour of the organic farm, gardens and greenhouses
Practical learning and observation at our hen houses
Optional demo of humanely killing, eviscerating and plucking a chicken

Good to Know:

As we’ll spend time walking and learning around the farm, please bring suitable clothing and footwear - to allow for changeable weather!
Refreshments and lunch included
The course is held at Ballymaloe Cookery School & Organic Farm and Gardens in Shanagarry, Co. Cork P25 R274- a biodiverse working organic farm and greenhouses.
Tea, coffee & Ballymaloe natural sourdough, homemade Jersey butter and seasonal jams will be served from 9am on the first day of the course so please arrive early to sign in, meet other students and get ready for a busy week of hands on learning

Eligible participants living in Ireland can avail of a generous cost reduction on this course through our course partners National Organic Training Skillnet. TBC. Please contact for further details.

The prestigious Ballymaloe 12 WeekCertificate Course is run three times a year, with courses beginning in January,April or May, and September.

The course is aimed at anyone with a passionate interest in food. Many of our students use the course as a springboard to become a professional chef; others use it to equip themselves with a marketable skill.

Others still take the course simply to maximize the pleasure they get from cooking at home.

Students develop a deep and detailed understanding of food and how it is produced. The emphasis is on recognising the best ingredients and knowing how to showcase them.

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