Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Happygreen

First time I saw one chase, catch and eat a mouse in 1 gulp I thought I'd dreamed it!
My pet hen was the only one I could ever pick up during the day, I really miss having her around....

Dizzy_Imp

The eagles have landed! Well, six rather fabulous ladies called Lelly, Hettie, Ebony, Vanessa, Clucky and Clive (!) A Sussex White, Black Rock, Bluebell and three hybrid brown fluffy ones

Happily in their new house having spent a few hours exploring...

Better_Days

Dizzy_Imp wrote: »

The eagles have landed! Well, six rather fabulous ladies called Lelly, Hettie, Ebony, Vanessa, Clucky and Clive (!) A Sussex White, Black Rock, Bluebell and three hybrid brown fluffy ones

Happily in their new house having spent a few hours exploring...

Ohh any photo's of your new girls?

Mind you they might be feeling a bit sorry for themselves today if the weather is like it is here - very wet - my girls are huddling under cover looking thoroughly fed up.:(

edwink

Better_Days wrote: »

What always makes me laugh about my hens Edwink is the way they are unable to keep quiet when they find something tasty to eat - like a delicious slug or a rotting headless vole (I manage to pluck that delight from the beak after some running around!). No, they make a 'I've got something tasty and you haven't' cluck which of course brings the others rushing over and there is much chasing around like a Benny Hill sketch. If it's something that can't be gulped down quickly then whatever it is changes beaks a few times before someone actually eats it. Every day the hens get a treat of sweetcorn and spaghetti. The sweetcorn always goes first, then the spaghetti. There will still be spaghetti on the ground but it will be snatched from beaks as someone else's spaghetti is always much more tasty. There is a surprising variety of vocalisations, I'm sure there is also 'I've got a piece of chopped grape' cluck which is high pitched and excited. I love it the first time I give them chopped grapes. At first they look with suspicion when it is thrown on the ground. Then they try a bit, followed by clucks of excitement and much rushing around to get the most down as quickly as possible. And there is what I call the 'cluck of despair' when they lose a tasty treat to another in the little flock. And not forgetting the trilling of contentment when dust bathing in the sun.

We've got 4 ex-batts at the moment, but only two are laying, the other two have retired. Thinking about getting another couple - and the local BHWT have a re-homing day on Sunday 30th August. Tempting.....

Awwwww!!!! Better Days I absolutely loved your post!! I read it about 4 times. Couldn't stop giggling!! Really made my day. Thank you so much for taking the time with it.

I love all their chirps and clucks too!! They really do have a language of their own don't they. Bless them!!!

We are rehoming another 8 hens next week. All supposedly Ex Freerange through a friend of a friend. Around 18mths old. Can't wait to get them. Will keep them separate for a week or two so they can meet with our existing girls and get to know each other a bit through the chicken wire. Then will let them all mix and watch over them for a bit in case all hell breaks loose. They will need to sort out their pecking order again so I expect a few flying feathers like before. We have an area where the ducks have their hotel which is sectioned off from the hens hotel area. We will put the new hens in there until they have settled a bit. This area is so useful when introducing new hens. Can't wait. The more the merrier I think!!! I would have 100's if I had the room for them.

Thanks for your post again - loved it!!!!

Edwink x

edwink

Better_Days wrote: »

Edwink your tale of your hen which sits on your shoulder reminds me of a lovely photo on the BHWT website.
http://www.bhwt.org.uk/information/hen-of-the-month-gallery/
If you scroll down there is a super photo of a lady lying on a sun lounger with a hen roosting next to her. Both at the height of contentment. Our first lot of ex batts were very friendly and would come and roost on your lap and help themselves if you were eating or drinking anything. One afternoon Mr BD lost half a Belgium bun and had a hen sticking its head in his glass to try out his beer. :beer:

Hi Better Days

Lovely, lovely hen pictures especially the one in the flower pots and the one you pointed out with the lady on the sun lounger. I hope others on here had the time to look through them too. Thank you for those, they were brilliant!!!

Half a Belgium bun!! I bet one of them thought, think I'll help myself to half of that surely he won't want to eat all of it himself. Yep, got it now I'm off!! Aww!! Bless!!

I had a hen stick her head in my decaf coffee once. She took a few sips and went on her merry way up the garden looking really pleased with herself. Think she must of enjoyed it. That was so funny to watch.

Keep your stories coming, they are great!! Thanks!!

Edwink x

Happygreen

Today I put my name down for 3 hens that needed a new home on gumtree. I was relieved they went elsewhere but I felt I had to try!
Is anyone else that mad?

Better_Days

edwink wrote: »

Hi Better Days

Lovely, lovely hen pictures especially the one in the flower pots and the one you pointed out with the lady on the sun lounger. I hope others on here had the time to look through them too. Thank you for those, they were brilliant!!!

Half a Belgium bun!! I bet one of them thought, think I'll help myself to half of that surely he won't want to eat all of it himself. Yep, got it now I'm off!! Aww!! Bless!!

I had a hen stick her head in my decaf coffee once. She took a few sips and went on her merry way up the garden looking really pleased with herself. Think she must of enjoyed it. That was so funny to watch.

Keep your stories coming, they are great!! Thanks!!

Edwink x

Yes, he didn't fancy the remainder of the Belguim bun after it had been snatched from his hand rushed round the garden being frantically pecked by the little flock.

Ours have never tried coffee. But one sunny afternoon when Mr BD was painting the fence round the chicken run, one of the hens stuck its head into a tin of green paint. She looked like a punk rocker! Luckily it was water based paint and came off easily. She seemed none the worse for wear.

Another 'helped' Mr BD with his woodworking by pecking out the glass bubble on a spirit level.

You always feel popular when you have hens. They never fail to come rushing over when you go into the garden. A kind neighbour bought round some green leaves for them yesterday, caterpillars and all. Cue excited clucking :rotfl::rotfl:

Better_Days

Happygreen wrote: »

Today I put my name down for 3 hens that needed a new home on gumtree. I was relieved they went elsewhere but I felt I had to try!
Is anyone else that mad?

Ohh yes, they are irresistible

You only have to look at the hen photos on the BHWT website to see there are plenty of people who are potty about hens :):)

ETA The BHWT have now re-homed 475,949 hens. That's amazing amount of hens who have had the chance to scratch in the soil to find a tasty insect and the sun on their back for the first time.

Dizzy_Imp

Better_Days wrote: »

Ohh any photo's of your new girls?

Mind you they might be feeling a bit sorry for themselves today if the weather is like it is here - very wet - my girls are huddling under cover looking thoroughly fed up.:(

Not yet, but I'll try....lol

Been wet here too, but the hens are so curious at the moment that they don't seem too bothered!

And, and..... TWO eggs yesterday! I proudly made egg-fired rice to go with our stir-fry and they were enjoyed by everyone. I was quite impressed to have eggs on their second day with us :j

Dizzy_Ditzy

Well folks - I still have all my girls :j

It's been a hell of a ride the last couple of weeks - just as we thought we'd sufficiently secured the girls against the bloody fox, we find a load of red mite in the nest box so now we are dealing with that too :eek:

We are still having to train them to use their house again for roosting but last night was a definite improvement - as soon as we got all of them into the little run of their house, they toddled off up to bed hopefully they'll be doing it in their own again soon