Keeping hens and ducks chat.

thriftwizard · 10 January at 9:19PM

I did see that & was absolutely amazed! We've "done" dark brown (Marans & Norma the Speckledy) pale brown (the assorted Hybrids, Columbian Blacktails) blue & blue-green (an Araucana & the Legbars) pink-ish (the Pekins, a Wyandotte & a Buff Orpington) and pearly white (a Spangled Hamburgh) but black? Fabulous!

edwink · 14 January at 3:41PM

This is an interesting read about caged hens and their eggs etc. Things are definitely going in the right direction albeit a bit slow I think.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64267741

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff · 14 January at 5:44PM

Thanks for that edwink 😊 Funny how they've had ELEVEN YEARS to transition away from cages, but it seems to have come as a surprise now the cutoff is actually here... 🙄

Exciting news here - I have this afternoon collected two new chickens 😊😊😊 We were down to three, which felt like a very small flock, but obviously with bird flu all the rehomings were cancelled initially . However, BHWT have been working with Defra, and have made arrangements for a few rehomings, starting just before Christmas I think.

Bit different to when I've collected ladies before because of the biosecurity rules - we weren't allowed to drive onto the farm, or even get out of the car. The charity put the hens in their own boxes and then put them into the car for us.

One seems small and lively, already scratching and pecking and up on the observation platform staring out of the window 😊 We've named her Skippy 😂The other is bigger, but seems quiet and very tired 😕 She's Daisy. Hoping it's just exhaustion after a long day - we left them for half an hour in the sectioned off bit of the run, and she did seem to look a little brighter when we went back.

Sunshine and Budgie are NOT impressed, and have been doing a lot of shouting 🙄 Bessie has seen two other lots of new chickens come and go, so is a little more serene about it all.

So all fingers crossed for Daisy. Hopefully she'll have a restful night, and we'll try to get some poultry power drops into her food tomorrow as a bit of a pick me up.

Skippy at the back (standing on a log) and Daisy in the front 😊

StarShapedPeg · 14 January at 10:49PM

Hopefully they’ll be best of chums soon!

It’s always a little slow integrating flocks but mine always seem to sort themselves out and soon enough they’ll all be in one pile sunbathing the afternoons away. 🙂

Cheery_Daff · 14 January at 11:00PM

StarShapedPeg said:

Hopefully they’ll be best of chums soon!
It’s always a little slow integrating flocks but mine always seem to sort themselves out and soon enough they’ll all be in one pile sunbathing the afternoons away. 🙂

I do hope so!

We went in just after dark to tuck them into bed (separately for a couple of nights) - Daisy had hopped up onto that little perch in the left of the picture above, and Skippy had found a spot on top of the nest box (which is a temporary house for them) and snuggled down right at the back, leaning on the wall 🥰 Tucked them in cosy together and we'll get up nice and early to give them some tasty breakfast and make sure they're ok (and appease the others a little 😂)

edwink · 19 January at 3:05PM

Great pictures of your 2 new rescue girls Cheery, love the names you've chosen too.

I told you it was addictive keeping hens, didn't I?

The division you have done to keep the new girls safe is always a good idea. Keep up the good work.

I lost one of my girls this week. My lot are nearly 4.5 years old now so getting on a bit for rescue girlies, bless them.

Edwink x

edwink · 21 January at 5:16PM

Hi everyone

Hope you are all well and your furry friends are too. I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting somewhat fed up with this cold and frosty weather. Our lockdown disinfectant boot dip is frozen solid every morning and no matter where we put the hens outdoor water container that freezes over too. From our weather forecast, it looks as though this weather is here with us until around next Wednesday. We have been taking a boiled kettle of water up with us in the morning to defrost a section of the boot dip so we can at least stick one welly boot in it at a time. Now their outer door has expanded and it is a bit difficult to pull it shut behind us when we leave their run.

I tell myself not to grumble because Spring is on its way 😀

Edwink x

sammyjammy · 25 January at 8:45AM

edwink said:

Hi everyone

Hope you are all well and your furry friends are too. I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting somewhat fed up with this cold and frosty weather. Our lockdown disinfectant boot dip is frozen solid every morning and no matter where we put the hens outdoor water container that freezes over too. From our weather forecast, it looks as though this weather is here with us until around next Wednesday. We have been taking a boiled kettle of water up with us in the morning to defrost a section of the boot dip so we can at least stick one welly boot in it at a time. Now their outer door has expanded and it is a bit difficult to pull it shut behind us when we leave their run.

I tell myself not to grumble because Spring is on its way 😀

Edwink x

Oh Edwink you've not had much luck with hens and ducks lately, hopefully everyone will have a fit and healthy 2023. Have you tried floating things like small balls in the hens water to slow down the freezing process, not sure if that would work. I live next to a city farm and every day they have to empty out the buckets of ice and refill them in the field, due to trees and the time of year the ice buckets are all lined up and not melting during the day!

Cheery-Daff your new girls look lovely, hope they settle in ok and Daisy perks up a bit x

edwink · 25 January at 5:24PM

Hi Sammyjammy

No, we haven't tried floating anything in their water. I know people float ping-pong balls in ponds to stop them from freezing over. Why I didn't think of doing that I've no idea. Thank you so much for the suggestion, that's most helpful. I wonder if Cheery daff has tried that before? I can't remember her mentioning it if she did.

I'll report back on it so watch this space 😎

Edwink x

ETA - I did quote your post Sammyjammy but something has happened to it - oops!!!

Cheery_Daff · 25 January at 8:03PM

No, we've not used ping pong balls - we have those hanging drinkers, and if it's really cold we just bring them in overnight, or add warm water in the morning. They don't tend to freeze though, our run is really sheltered inside and usually quite a bit warmer than outside.

Our boot dip only froze on the top - I just stomped my foot through the ice 😁

Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Comments

Categories