Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

We are home! With our three new stripey young ladies 😍

Bless em. They were very good in the car, and seemed rather bewildered when we put them in the run and just stood there. We've left them acclimatising (without the others) while we have some lunch, and we're going to take a cuppa and sit with them for a while shortly to see if we can give them appropriate names 😁 

Couple of not very good pictures to show you how stripey they are... one appears to have quite a large underbite (bottom of beak longer than top) but that didn't stop her being the first to get stuck into the food. Bessie's beak was like that when we got her so hopefully it'll wear down as she mooches around outside. They were handed over in the box and of course we were parked on a main road so didn't open the box til we got home else we would have noticed. Hey ho, sure she'll be fine, and it's not taking away from our excitement! 

Cheery_Daff

Being daunted by their new run

Pyxis

Cheery_Daff said:

We are home! With our three new stripey young ladies 😍

Bless em. They were very good in the car, and seemed rather bewildered when we put them in the run and just stood there.

Probably amazed at their good luck!

Cheery_Daff

Well we are getting on nicely now. I left them for a while, then came back and removed the partition and let them roam round the whole run. After a bit we shut them back in their side and let the old ladies in...

LOTS of shouting, but after about 10 minutes the old ladies got bored and wandered off 😂 So I've removed the partition again and am just communing with the new ladies while they get to know their new home 😍

edwink

Aww, bless them Cheery so glad they are now safely with you.  The names that came to mind for me were "hide" and "Seek" for two of them because in the 1st and 2nd of your pictures two of them have not looked up or looked round when you took those pictures 🤣🤣🤣  Obviously I am joking but I have had sillier names for mine than that so with us hen keepers I guess you never know I suppose 🤣🤣🤣

I'm thrilled for you Cheery, really I am.  You do deserve some "hardy perennials" because the ex-batt rescuing is tough some times and pulls at your heartstrings.  As I've said before we have done exactly the same as you have done and it definitely picks you up mentally ready for rehoming more ex-batts when the time comes along over the coming years.

Hugs to you both.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Thanks edwink. 😁 love the idea of Hide and Seek 😂😂 we're narrowing down the list of names and will confirm tomorrow...

Went out at 7.45 - old ladies are usually well in bed by then but no, they were still up and shouting 🙄 sat with them for a bit, then just plonked them in the house and shut the door - they calmed down within a couple of minutes.

Sat with the new ladies while they had a bit of a roam round. We seem to have some little personalities developing 😁

One is mostly black with a ring of orange feathers round her neck. She seems to be the most adventurous, pecking and exploring before the others and the only one who's so far got close enough to peck my leg 😁

The other two have quite a lot of orange on head and neck. The most orange is also the most vocal - she didn't say much til we shut the older ones in bed but then she started shouting herself 😂 Clearly making a bid for being top hen of the new ladies 😂

The third seems more quiet and relaxed - she's the one with the odd beak. She was the first to just stand around preening and seems to be settling in nicely. 

We'll see. Left them exploring for now and will go back in a little while to see if they've got drowsy enough that we can throw them in with the others...

Pyxis

Cheery_Daff said:

The other two have quite a lot of orange on head and neck. The most orange is also the most vocal - she didn't say much til we shut the older ones in bed but then she started shouting herself 😂 Clearly making a bid for being top hen of the new ladies 😂

A ginger who is vocal?
Has to be called SimplyRed then!😂

I did laugh at the old ladies complaining bitterly about new youngsters invading their home! "They're no better than they ought to be!", "Coming in here with their new-fangled ways!", "Who are these upstarts, anyway?" 😂😂

Cheery_Daff

Hmm. Came out to the run - old ladies been in bed (not by choice 😂) for an hour, and nicely settled. New ladies still wandering about.

Bit the bullet, and shoved all the new ones into the dark house with the others 😮 this is what we did last time we introduced new hens, and after a few minutes of messing they all just went to sleep. Mr Cheery has brought me a cup of tea while I sit outside the hen house and wait for the complaining to stop 😂

I think we're there now. Not heard any movement or squarking for a good five minutes. Beaky was in her customary favourite nest box when I last looked in, and two of the new ladies were on the perch. Going to give it another 5 or 10 minutes then check again, then leave them to it. They do get very drowsy in the dark...

And we'll just have to get up super early in the morning and separate them again... 

Might let them actually meet face to face tomorrow (obviously with supervision). I think I do prefer the quick and dirty, get the squabbling over with, approach to hen introductions... 🙄 but we'll play it by ear - these new ones aren't quite adult yet so we'll see...

edwink

Sounds like it's all going to plan so far Cheery.  They won't squabble in there too much because they can't see in the dark as they do not have night vision so often give up until it is light again. I remember that you have had many a cup of tea whilst sitting in there supervising before so just wondered where your little stool is to sit on?.  Didn't see one in the pics today 😁

I hope all goes to plan in the morning with them.

Edwink x  

Pyxis

Cheery's hen-sitting stool.

😁