Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Dizzy_Ditzy

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?

That is a recognised "disease" called morehens :cool:

Happygreen

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

That is a recognised "disease" called morehens :cool:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

edwink

Happygreen wrote: »

First time I saw one chase, catch and eat a mouse in 1 gulp I thought I'd dreamed it

That reminds me about the time when one of our ducks found a frog. The poor little frog was hanging out of the ducks mouth when the duck ran down the garden with all my other ducks chasing it. Not nice I know for the frog but the duck swallowed it whole. Poor little frog. There was nothing I could do because my duck just shot down the garden with it. Bless the little frog.



Edwink

edwink

Happygreen wrote: »

My pet hen was the only one I could ever pick up during the day, I really miss having her around....

I really know what you mean Happygreen. It is awful isn't it? I get really attached to mine and if I loose one I really miss them. I do fully understand!!


I actually lost one on Monday. She was a beautiful skittish little white star. A really nervous hen when she came to live with us. I managed to tame her pretty well and was able to help her dust bathe. She used to dig a hole and sit in it and whilst in it I used to cover her all over with dry dusty dirt until only her head was sticking out. The first time I did this to her she didn't move for a while so I thought something had happened to her but when I touched her through the soil she opened her eyes and looked at me as if to say "do you mind I was having 40 winks under this cool soil". Bless her. At least I have lovely memories of those days with her. And you have lovely memories with your little hen!! Can't help feeling sad when they go though!!!


Edwink x

edwink

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...

That's great Dizzy Imp. What lovely names you have chosen.


Have they found their pecking order yet? If not they soon will.


Hope they are all settling in nicely and you are enjoying their company.


Edwink x

edwink

Better_Days wrote: »

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:

Aww!! Bet that looked really cute the one with the spirit level bubble.


Yes you are right you do always feel popular when you have hens. Mine come rushing down the garden when they see me and more often than not there is one of my ducks in their way. So do the hens run around the duck? No of course they don't, they actually take flight and fly over the poor duck. My hens do this all the time. You should see the look on the ducks faces!!! It is so funny to watch.


One of our hens always wants to be down to the bottom of the garden first so she takes flight and flies at least 15-20ft and nearly crashes in to me. She always wants to get to the treats first. A few times I have had to literately move out of the way quick. Funny little hen she is!!


Edwink

Happygreen

edwink wrote: »

That reminds me about the time when one of our ducks found a frog. The poor little frog was hanging out of the ducks mouth when the duck ran down the garden with all my other ducks chasing it. Not nice I know for the frog but the duck swallowed it whole. Poor little frog. There was nothing I could do because my duck just shot down the garden with it. Bless the little frog.



Edwink

Yes, sadly our toad, newt and frog population has dramatically declined since the chickens discovered freedom .
I get the funny performance when I feed the ducks my collections of snails and slugs out of the veg plot. It's usually the Runners who get them and everyone tries to take it off them :rotfl:

Yes, Better Days, it is a real comforter to feel wanted :rotfl:, at a certain time of the day the ladies are pecking at the glass door asking for the wild bird seed . I know, they love me, really :A

edwink

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

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:

Hi Queen of cheap


How is the problem with the Red Mite? Have you managed to get rid of them? What an absolute pain they are. We have had them too. We were itching all over blooming pests they are!!!


I do hope you have managed to sort them out.


Please let us know how you are getting on and if you have got rid of them it would be great if you could tell us hen keepers on here what you used and how effective it was.


Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you and your hens!!


Edwink x

edwink

Wow my fellow hen keepers have been busy on this thread. I have managed this evening to catch up on it all. Thanks for posting all of your news with your hens. Sorry Queen of cheap you have had a rough week with yours and the blooming Red Mite.


We lost our little White Star on Monday, bless her heart. Again like the other hen we lost a couple of months ago she was quiet a couple of days before. I found her in one of the nesting boxes. She was nearly 5 years old. She was a funny little skittish hen. She used to run around the garden like a looney. She was so fast and great to watch.


We are rehoming another 8 hens during next week. Can't wait to get them. Like others on here we have a real weakness for ex batts. They just are so happy after a couple of weeks. I love seeing them thrive and get back to full health and be fully feathered. I normally get them home and when I take them out of the carrying container I look at them and say "I will call this little one x etc." and that is how it goes until they are all out.


Hope everyone's hens are enjoying this slightly better weather. It has been such a wet August here!! Glad it has cheered up for them.


Edwink x

Dizzy_Ditzy

edwink wrote: »

Hi Queen of cheap


How is the problem with the Red Mite? Have you managed to get rid of them? What an absolute pain they are. We have had them too. We were itching all over blooming pests they are!!!


I do hope you have managed to sort them out.


Please let us know how you are getting on and if you have got rid of them it would be great if you could tell us hen keepers on here what you used and how effective it was.


Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you and your hens!!


Edwink x

Thanks Edwink we seem to be on top of it for the moment - we took the house apart, took the nest box apart, replaced the perches in the house, scrubbed every inch with jeyes fluid, applied nettex total mite kill spray, rubbed garlic over every inch, diatom rubbed into everything, including the girls, which they tolerated very well considering we had to pick them up ad lie them on their backs :eek:

We are doing the nettex, garlic and diatom thing again tomorrow but the girls won't need dusting again for a while.

It's been hard work, physically and mentally

We are going on holiday in a couple of weeks and they're going into boarding while we are away. We went to check it out today and think they'll be very happy