Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

I do indeed have a hen sitting stool! 😁 We have a small folding metal chair that usually lives in there, and one of those garden kneelers that turns upside down so you can use it as a kneeler or a stool. You didn't see it in the pictures I think because I was sitting in it! 😁 They're both right by the door, and get taken out when necessary.

We got up at 5am and took the new ladies out of the house and put them in their little side of the run. They were still quite sleepy and NOT impressed at being picked up, and of course two of the older ladies came out of the house too.

Then we promptly fell asleep til about 10 mins ago 😮 just making tea then going to do some supervised mingling...

Pyxis

Well, I haven't heard any furious squawking or seen any feathers flying, so things must be all relatively quiet on the new hen front!

Cheery_Daff

Relatively quiet yes! Did have to shut them all in together, but separated into two areas, while we were having outside lunch with guests, and then Mr Cheery discovered 2 of the new ones had escaped their own quarters and were in with the others, who were vigorously objecting. But all fine now.

Except I just noticed Bessie has a bleeding toe... 🙄 for goodness sake, it's just one thing after another! How did she even do that?! It must have only been in the last half hour or so as she was fine before!

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:

Relatively quiet yes! Did have to shut them all in together, but separated into two areas, while we were having outside lunch with guests, and then Mr Cheery discovered 2 of the new ones had escaped their own quarters and were in with the others, who were vigorously objecting. But all fine now.

Except I just noticed Bessie has a bleeding toe... 🙄 for goodness sake, it's just one thing after another! How did she even do that?! It must have only been in the last half hour or so as she was fine before!

I've had the same here a couple of times with a bleeding toe.  It is possible that she has jumped off of something and landed with a bit of a thud or maybe had a little scuffle with one of the new hens, perhaps.  From my experience Cheery, it will clear up pretty quickly but just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't continue to bleed.  My former Cockerel Bertie somehow completely lost one of his toenails once and had a cut on his foot so we put a little plaster on his toe for him, bless him. I do miss him because he was such a well behaved little man and really looked after his girls  😢

Edwink x

edwink

Bless him, just found this pic of Bertie with the little plaster on his foot.  I could cry, I loved that Cockerel so much.



Edwink x

edwink

Another one of Bertie.  He was so friendly and very tame.



Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Aw bless him with his little plaster 

Bessie's foot seems fine this morning. We washed it last night and sprayed some blue antiseptic spray before she went to bed, and it looks fine this morning, certainly not bleeding. Will keep an eye on it. 

The ladies are starting to get used to each other. We had visitors yesterday so the old ladies spent most of the day out, the new ones had the run to themselves, but while we were eating we shut them all in the run (in separate areas). Two of the new ones managed to escape into the main area, so Beaky was shouting quite a bit (I've worked out how now and it won't happen again). I sat with them last night - the old ones took themselves off to bed about 7.30, which was an improvement on the night before. We shoved the new ones in with them about 8 - there was a bit of muttering but they settled down pretty quickly, and when I peeked in 10 mins later all 6 were up one end of the run sitting together. 

I let them out at 7 this morning, Beaky did a bit of shouting (poor Beaky, finally just made it to the top rung of the ladder so she's frantically trying to maintain her position!). Left them all shut in but separated for about an hour and a half (I'm worming them too, so it gave them all a chance to get a decent amount of medicated food down them). When I went back the new ladies had knocked their water over - need to find a new temporary solution for that. Let them mingle together for a bit, then encouraged the old ladies to wander off outside. 

I sat with the new ones for a while, and two of them finally came and had a treat out of my hand. Hooray! 

Cheery_Daff

Ooh, looks like I didn't tell you the names we finally decided on! 

Bunty is the one who is vying to be top hen of the new ladies. She's the most shouty, and at the minute also the most jumpy (although she did eat out of my hand this morning so some progress!) She's the one with the most amount of orange feathers.

Bonnie is the one with the funny beak - she was the first to come and sit on my leg yesterday and seems good natured and quite quiet. 

Chippy is the adventurous one, first to eat out of my hand this morning, and last night she perched on the stand next to my shoulder and nodded off 

edwink

Aww. how cute, Bunty, Bonnie, and Chippy. 

Looks like you are making good progress with them Cheery.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

It's going pretty well I think! We both sat in there for a while earlier, and I left to get them some more water - when I came back Mr Cheery was sat in a corner with all three of the new ones sat on the floor round him

Beaky is still not impressed though. We're popping out in a bit, so we put the new ones in their separate bit, and tempted the old ladies back up to the run so they can have some shelter while we're out (it's quite vile here today). Bessie and Rusty went in - but Beaky spotted the new ladies behind their partition and ran back down towards our house again, shouting and complaining. Poor Beaky. I hope she settles soon. We've let her in our house for 10 mins to calm down again then I think we're going to have to catch and carry her up to the run... 

Chippy has a cough, which I'm hoping is just stress