Keeping hens and ducks chat. 7 July 2015 at 5:07PM edited 27 April at 11:46PM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 2.9K replies 333K views

edwink

Hi everyone

Hoppy is doing ok thankfully and we spent quite a bit of time on the lawn with her today, several times just chatting away like you do to a duck. She just keeps looking at us as if to say what are you going on about you two. She enjoyed some freshly cut up cucumber and I gave her some very wet lettuce because I thought she wasn't drinking enough today. She gobbled all that lot up so there is nothing wrong with her appetite. I just wish she wouldn't share her bowl of food with the local pigeon population. She just lets them dip in and out of it and a few of the pigeons stand in it too. Would like to change her food bowl but really wanted to keep everything that she is familiar with. I'll have a think on that one.

Good news, really good news!. We have finished the fence:j . What an absolute pain in the backside that job was but now we have much less of a hedge to cut back twice a year and foxes won't be able to get out through it like they have done before as we have blocked a huge percentage of it. The reused fence panels were fitted sideways so reach a height of 6ft 6 and the hedge is 8ft tall so hopefully that should be ok now, fingers crossed.

Still have the netting to fit hopefully tomorrow and Friday but as I'm hobbling a bit because I pulled a muscle in the back of my leg. Got my feet up now so hopefully it won't play me up tomorrow. Got frozen thingy on it which is helping a bit so we will need to see how it is in the morning. The netting to be done is about 2 lengths of around 50ft I guess. We will fix batons to the original fencing and leave them around 3ft higher or so, then we can pin the netting along the length of the batons. The netting is quite dense so won't be too see through unlike the chicken wire that is over the fencing there already. The hens and ducks never used to be allowed to go in this area because the fences were see through above 3ft high but we want to give it added security just in case a fox tries in desperation to get in over these fence panels. This fencing runs down a huge bank so fingers crossed it's not too difficult to fit the netting up OMG:rotfl: . If the job goes smoothly we will both be very happy that all I can say about it at the moment especially sitting here nursing my bad leg.

Thank you so much for your support everyone. It is making such a difference it really is, especially since I lost so many of my feathered friends in one go 4 months ago and was incredibly upset about it. Your encouragement is brilliant, that's what I like about our hen and duck thread. Although some of you do not keep hens and ducks it is so lovely that you are there for us hen and duck keepers supporting us along the way.:T Many thanks x

Edwink

edwink

maddiemay wrote: »

I love the thought of you both sitting chatting with Hoppy, yesterday while I was gardening I was talking to a baby Robin and a young very spotty blackbird, neither of which seemed to have learned to be cautious around human beans yet. They both kept coming back and getting within a couple of feet of me all afternoon, as and when I spotted them (head down weeding herbaceous border) I did my statue impressions and just loved their presence. They were later rewarded with several handfuls of dried meal worms as there are no worms to be found in my newly dug bits of soil.

Such a lovely little story and it looks like you have made a couple of little feathered friends there maddiemay. They love it if someone is weeding and always hope for a worm or two but how nice to give them meal worms as there wasn't any. Two very lucky little birds I think . We have a couple of nearly tame Robins, not got them to come to my hand yet but I am working on it. As you say you have to stand like a statue and they can and will come very close. I'm sure if you give it time and of course treat them to more meal worms you will get them to come closer still. Do let us know how you get on with them.


Edwink

edwink

Karmacat

Adorable! And there's a "listening" attitude as well! Bless

Cheery_Daff

How's the fencing going edwink? I can't remember - is it September you get your new ladies?

Love the thought of you feeding the little Robin's maddiemay :j how cheery

Speaking of wildlife (although not of the feathery variety) we have a tiny hare that appears to have adopted our garden. It really is the cutest thing. We've seen it for the last three days, right up by the living room window. Such enormous ears :j :j

Feathery pals all present and correct here. We're trying to wean them off the daytime treats a little as they've basically started hanging round the back door constantly, mugging us whenever we try to go in or out :rotfl: little feathery hooligans :eek:

But other than that, all pretty ok. Slightly worried about Mildred, she's been grumpier than usual lately, delivering a swift peck to the others more often (she was always a bit like that though) and today I spotted her on a couple of occasions just sitting in odd places, like the long grass at the bottom of a tree, and the path to the back door.

Nothing I could really put my finger on, but seemed a tad out of sorts - I bit like I am if I've got toothache or something (I suppose that's the one thing I can rule out with chickens! :rotfl: )

Will keep an eye on her. Her pecking isn't causing any damage and the others seem to just accept it as a pecking order thing so we may just be being too sensitive but we'll see.

Maud wins today's Beakiness Award (a new institution that we invented this week :rotfl: awarded mostly for either cuteness or mild peskiness). I had sandals on again and most of them have learned that my toes (even if the nails are painted, usually blue) are NOT food, but Maud just couldn't leave them alone this evening, no matter how many times I chased her away she kept coming back :rotfl:
Was planning on sitting and having a cuppa with them once we shut them in the run but I couldn't stand having my feet pecked so had to leave :eek: :rotfl:

Hope you're all getting on ok

Cheery_Daff

Aarrgghh, stupid autocorrect, and now the darn thing won't let me edit - obviously I meant robins not Robin's :eek:

Karmacat

My huge plant saucers being used as bird baths are a great success. I put piles of flat landscaping slate in them, so that any little creature/ insect can crawl out, but the birds are so enthusiastic that 2 or 3 slates of each bath are scattered far and wide

edwink

Fencing as such is finished Cheery but still have the netting to fix over some other fencing purely for extra security more than anything else to be honest. The rain has stopped us getting on with the job but to be honest both of us have enjoyed the rest from the work. It's not essential to get the netting fitted but I will be happier when it has been done. The hens and ducks as a rule don't go in to this area, they have done though over the past when we have been there but they have never been there on their own. It is secure but in light of the fox attack I don't trust any area now hence the reason for netting above the fencing even in areas we don't use a lot. Better to be safe than sorry I guess.

Love the idea of the slate for the insects Karmacat and your bird baths. I love watching the wild birds having a bath and flicking water everywhere, bless them.


Hoppy is doing ok and we continue to spend as much time with her as we can. To be honest she appears really happy and content on her own. I thought she would have some sadness maybe after Pingu went but if she is sad it certainly isn't obvious to us. She continues to eat well, washes every day, spends lots and lots of time preening her feathers and the rest of the time chilling out on the lawn or snoozing. We put obstacles on the lawn as we have Kites around here and it does worry me that one might swoop down on her as she is on her own. We just don't give any bird of prey anywhere to land near her. If we left the lawn as a wide open space I wouldn't trust a bird of prey not to try and land there.

Still plan on getting 20 rescue hens in September some time. Have chosen September as have other commitments before then and when getting new girls I do like to give them my undivided attention especially when war breaks out between them . Any problems always settle pretty quickly so I am never concerned about it and just step in if it gets a little rough. I am so happy we have made the decision to get some more hens and I can't wait to get them now.

Edwink

Cheery_Daff

Pleased to hear Hoppy is doing ok edwink :j And that your fence is nearly ready! :j

So lovely to watch the little birds in the garden KC :j

Well, we have FINALLY taken the plunge and left our ladies alone overnight for the first time since we got them :eek: Yes, this is the first time in almost a year that Mr Cheery and I have been away overnight at the same time :eek:

Fairly spontaneous, we didn't leave til 6pm last night so the ladies were already in their run, we left plenty of food and water, and the little house door had to stay open, and we were back by 3pm today so they've had a couple of hours out this afternoon.

We were a bit nervous Especially as Mr Cheery saw a big fox just up the road the other day :eek: But even if we were here we wouldn't be able to do anything about a fox attack in the night - chances are we wouldn't even know. And the run is VERY secure now - 8 foot high with a roof, dug into the ground, quarter inch mesh all over (and reinforced with bigger mesh behind). So I HOPE they are safe in there

Anyway, they were fine of course, despite all our worrying, and leaving our friends early to get back and check :rotfl: :rotfl:

Except that Beaky's bare patch on her back (which is SLOWLY growing over) was bleeding :eek: Clearly *someone* has been indulging in some feather pecking... :mad: I did wonder whether that was why it wasn't growing back as quickly, but her wings have taken a long time to re-feather properly but they're well on the way now, and the back patch was getting smaller...

Anyway, *someone* (cough - I'm looking at you Mildred - cough) has actually caused her to bleed now :mad:

Sprayed her with the purple spray I'd bought, but which isn't actually purple spray, it's this stuff

Anti-pecking spray

Let's see whether that stops it long enough...

Of course it might not be Mildred, but she is by FAR the most inclined to give any of the others a swift peck for no good reason, and has been quite grumpy lately, jumping on the others occasionally for no reason that we can see.

Not sure what to do about it really - the others don't seem unduly bothered and she's not caused any injuries til now. We only left them alone for about 18 hours, most of which they would have been shut in their run overnight anyway!

Hey ho. Can hear one of them making a noise in the front porch now so suppose I'd better let her in for a bit of a nosey round :rotfl:

edwink

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

Anyway, they were fine of course, despite all our worrying, and leaving our friends early to get back and check :rotfl: :rotfl:
Except that Beaky's bare patch on her back (which is SLOWLY growing over) was bleeding :eek: Clearly *someone* has been indulging in some feather pecking... :mad: I did wonder whether that was why it wasn't growing back as quickly, but her wings have taken a long time to re-feather properly but they're well on the way now, and the back patch was getting smaller...

Anyway, *someone* (cough - I'm looking at you Mildred - cough) has actually caused her to bleed now :mad:

Sprayed her with the purple spray I'd bought, but which isn't actually purple spray, it's this stuff Anti-pecking spray

Let's see whether that stops it long enough...

Of course it might not be Mildred, but she is by FAR the most inclined to give any of the others a swift peck for no good reason, and has been quite grumpy lately, jumping on the others occasionally for no reason that we can see.

Not sure what to do about it really - the others don't seem unduly bothered and she's not caused any injuries til now. We only left them alone for about 18 hours, most of which they would have been shut in their run overnight anyway!

Hi Cheery

Glad you managed to get away for a night. We were the same the first night we stayed away, OMG I just wanted to get home sharpish the following day. But, like yours they were fine. All they think about is food anyway so as long as they get something to eat I guess :rotfl:

The jumping on a hens back is for dominance purposes Cheery. If you think about it, it is exactly what a Cockerel will do to a hen not only to be rude to put it mildly but they often jump on a hens back just to tell them who is boss and that is exactly what one of your hens is doing to the other.

The spray you have used is absolutely fine. That one is like an instant spray tan for hens. Nothing better than having a Tangoed hen running around the place :rotfl: It will cover the redness over, stop the pecking and allows the sore to heal. If it starts to wear off you will need to spray her again to keep the sore area covered and the redness out of sight.

Hope that helps

Edwink