Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff

Thank you all for your kind words. I know it was the right decision, still so hard though, especially when 2 days earlier she'd been absolutely fine 😕 And it really didn't help that the vet was rubbish, and made no acknowledgement of how upset we were. Mr Cheery even went back in to say something to reception about him afterwards, and I'll be writing a thank you letter to the chief vet (as her and another woman have been fantastic over the years) - and I will mention how disappointed I was on the day. Didnt help the experience at all. 

Anyway, I have put up a post about the final two, and have received several lovely messages from people offering to give them a home. I'm really touched, it's lovely. There are a couple that would be ideal - I sent one a message yesterday but it's not been delivered for some reason, and I think they're a couple of hours away. Someone else about 45 mins away messaged me last night, so I think I'll go with her if I don't hear back from the other one. 

I'm hopeful we can get them settled somewhere else this weekend. I'll be so sad to see them go, but at least they'll have a cheerful life with other chicken pals. I'll be a complete snivelling wreck when I hand them over though 🙄

edwink

Hi Cheery

So pleased you have been able to find your other two new homes. Definitely a difficult time for you both especially as you had lost so many in one month and then made the decision to rehome the other two so they can be in a bigger flock and have more chicken pals. 

I'll be thinking of you and Mr Cheery today.  Hope it all goes well.  Bless you, both.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Thanks edwink. The woman we've found them a home with seems lovely - she's been so kind to me as well.

The car is all packed, and we're letting them have a couple of hours wandering about outside before we set off.

We're taking all remaining food, bedding, feeders and drinkers, worming powder, blue spray, other beaky first aid stuff, as well as a couple of metal bins to keep food in - no point us keeping everything, she might as well make use of some of it and pass on anything else.

I spent a few hours in the garden with them yesterday in the sunshine. They came over looking for treats a few times, but didn't come and sit with me, mostly just went off exploring. Good - they're not attached to us and will happily explore and make new friends at their new place. 

We're going to see some friends for the afternoon after we've dropped them off, which will be nice and very much needed.

I'll pop in to let you know how it goes, but I hope you'll understand if I stay away from the hens & ducks thread for a bit after they've gone. I might pop in now and then, but I'm going to be leaving all other chicken groups on Facebook etc as well 😕

Thank you again edwink for all the advice and encouragement you've given me over the years. Can't believe it's been almost five years since we got our first gang of rescues, and you were SO helpful and reassuring all the way through 😊 Lovely to see so many other people popping up on this thread too. Good luck and love to all of you and your feathery pals xxx

Cheery_Daff

Well, that was so hard, and yes, I was a snivelling wreck 🙄 But they were very nice, and they've got a nice little space for them, and some other hens. I left pretty quickly - part of me wishes I'd hung around a bit longer, but Daisy was happily digging in a pile of woodchip, and Skippy was eyeing up the other chickens behind the fence, and I'd already said goodbye in the car 🙄

We're just arriving at a friend's house for the afternoon - much needed distraction and company. 

Absolutely the right decision, but still very difficult. Not something I ever want to have to do again 😕

starnac

Aw Cheery. Sending lots of love your way. If we had been closer we could have offered to rehome them.

I'm glad you found someone nice to have them. Be kind to yourself now x

StarShapedPeg

I would’ve been like you Cheery! But nice way to give yourselves a break from chicken keeping. Have a good rest and treat yourself to some Waitrose eggs every so often! 😘

edwink

Aww. Bless your heart Cheery. It will be nice for you with so much else going on to give yourselves a break from chicken keeping. I don't think I've ever known anyone who juggles things like you do plus helping Mr Cheery's dad as well. There is only so much you can do in a day and some days your day is really full on. Now your chickens have a new home with new chicken pals you can go away some weekends to see friends or go to the seaside. Having any animals is a tie and now you will be free to get in the car and go somewhere nice without worrying about it getting dark and getting the chickens into bed.

Of course, you will be sad for a while, that is to be expected of a caring chicken keeper that has had to find a new home for them but there will be less juggling to do now.  So be kind to yourself and hold your head up high in the fact that with all the chickens you kept you did everything possible for them, and I mean everything. 

You certainly deserve some treats yourself and some breaks away so go for it and enjoy them.

Love

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Thank you lovely people. Yesterday I was so upset -  I didn't regret the decision to rehome them, but I was going over and over whether I'd chosen the right home, as they just won't have as much space as they were slowly getting used to at our place 😕 BUT they were shut in the run until about 4 weeks ago anyway because of the bird flu, and they never travelled that far anyway! They people they've gone to seem lovely, they have other chickens and garden space, and plenty of treats. It's not the same life as they had with us, but it's a good life, with caring and lovely people, and a damn site better than a cage.

I do feel marginally better about the whole thing today.

edwink

Cheery_Daff said:    I do feel marginally better about the whole thing today.

So glad to hear that Cheery.  I know you have lots and lots of space where you are Cheery but most ex-battery hens have lovely gardens instead of those awful cages to live in. I'm sure they will be fine where they are now. As you say they didn't travel far away anyway with you.

I do remember once though one of yours did go for a walk about across a field some time ago.  You found her in the end. I've always had a giggle about that. I think If I had the space you have for chickens I would be a nervous wreck and I'd continually go out head counting 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Did I ever tell you that we miscounted ours into bed when we first got some? All ginger hens and one white one. We counted them when they were in bed, all 23 of them and I could hear fluttering somewhere even though the hens were in bed. Mr Edwink said it was a Pidgeon flapping and to ignore it. But, he still counted them again to make sure. About 3 hours later when it was pitch black outside Mr Edwink jumped up and said "it's the white one, It's the white one". I said what are you talking about and he replied the fluttering must have been the white hen as he didn't remember seeing her on the perches. Crikey, we rush out the front, down the road and I ran up the side of the neighbour's whilst Mr Edwink knocked on her door to tell her about the flapping noise I'd heard earlier. I crept quietly around the bushes and looked up into the trees and all of a sudden I spotted her, only because she was pure white might I add, bless her she was fast asleep perched on a branch in a tree. I couldn't quite reach her without jumping up so that's what I did. How I ever grabbed hold of her I'll never know because she was higher up than I actually thought. Mr Edwink was on his way up and was so pleased I'd found her because he felt awful. We had a chat with the neighbour in her kitchen with the chicken fast asleep in my arms and as the neighbour is a Chelsea football supporter we named her Chelsea. We just took her back to ours and opened up the chicken house and placed her in a gap with the others that night, bless her.

Edwink x

Cheery_Daff

Crikey, what an adventure! Yes, we did have one a while ago who wandered up the drive and ended up in the neighbour's house (which is quite far away!) Several times we've had to go wandering about the fields looking for them 🙄 But mostly they always just stayed between the run and our house anyway.