Keeping hens and ducks chat.

Cheery_Daff · 9 December 2018 at 12:01PM

Thank you edwink :kisses3:

They certainly seem lucky this morning roamibg around the fields in the sunshine :wub: although we're out this afternoon so they'll be in the run the rest of the day. I did find a pile of hay in an outbuilding though so I'll throw some of that on top of the mud for them.

Might make the switch next weekend - it'll involve carrying the hen house from run to stable which is a bit of a palaver.

Just been out trying to clean the windows - the sunshine has highlughted just how filthy they are :rotfl: unfortunately my efforts have highlighted how rubbish my window cleaning technique is :rotfl: Mildred was 'helping', pathering round under my feet making encouraging noises, which helped with my spirits but didn't do much for the windows :rotfl:

Xx

Cheery_Daff · 13 December 2018 at 9:56AM

Morning chickeny pals :hello:

Hope your ladies (and gents) are all cheerful (or as cheerful as it's possible for a chicken to be in this dingy grim weather!)

All fine with us, although we were enveloped in thick fog yesterday so our ladies stayed safely in their run (the local farmer warned us that foxes are often out in the daytime fog so we're a bit paranoid...) They did come out for a couple of hours when it lifted though, and caused mischief following Mr Cheery around :rotfl:

I was off work sick yesterday and feeling very sorry for myself, and apparently he nearly brought one of the girls into the house to cheer me up :rotfl: :rotfl: but he thought better of it in the end, figuring we'd just end up feeling like we had to let her wander around a bit, and then would have to spend half the afternoon cleaning chicken poo out of the carpet :rotfl: Probably wise but it would definitely have cheered me up! :rotfl:

We did give them a cabbage yesterday though :j Tried them with a solid cabbage last week and they didn't touch it, didn't seem to recognise it as food, and it ended up in the compost bin (I'm not too fuss about food but couldn't quite bring myself to eat it after it had been rolling round the chicken run for a week :rotfl: ) This week I bought them a savoy cabbage which was MUCH easier for them to get into and they've been demolishing it with relish :j

Pyxis · 14 December 2018 at 5:08AM

Merry Peckmas!

Pyxis · 14 December 2018 at 11:45AM

Pyxis · 14 December 2018 at 11:47AM

Merry Chickmas!

edwink · 23 December 2018 at 1:46PM

Good news on the egg front here. We have kindly been laid 3 eggs over this past week so looks like our favourite egg and chips will be one of our suppers next week. Just need one more egg so hubby and I can have two each

My beautiful man is still mite free which is excellent. I was rather worried about the last treatment we used to get rid of them but it really worked well, so now I wouldn't hesitate to use it again if it was needed.

Still have the 3 ex-batts running around like loonies as if they own the place, typical hens I guess. The elderly ducks just mainly sit around now chilling and sleeping and we have to encourage them to go in to the pond

. When they are in there they have a right old splash about with water going everywhere so why they just don't get in there themselves is beyond me. Maybe it is just a duck thing when they get old.

No more news from here today. How is everyone else and their hens?. All thriving I hope.

Not so Eggless Edwink x

edwink · 27 December 2018 at 6:45AM

Merry Christmas everyone, a bit late from me I know but I've been rather poorly and still am. I'm still reading posts on the forum but not posting much. Up again for a walk about at silly-o-clock with Sciatica at the moment so thought I'd give an update on our egg situation.

Big surprise of two more eggs for us yesterday, so its looks as though our very old hens have started laying again. Not tried them yet to see if they are ok but will do when the time comes to eat them in a few days time.

Our ducks being old now mainly just sit about outside or go for the odd splash about in their pond. Hubby made them an outdoor dry shelter yesterday which looks fab. I went out to check on them yesterday afternoon and two of the ducks were sitting in there preening their feathers after coming out the pond. So looks as though it is going to get a fair bit of use and keep them dry in the wet weather. He scattered the base with dry shavings for them so they will get a bit more comfort whilst in there.:)

Edwink

CAFCGirl · 27 December 2018 at 4:39PM

Belated festive wishes to one and all,

We are now down to 2 feathered friends. Oddly enough the two I'd always presumed would go first - Nugget and Dipper. We lost Pie a short while back. She went peacefully in the nest box.

No eggs of late so at least they're not eating them. Maybe the winter break will be enough to break the habit (if it was in fact those 2 doing the eating.

Cheery_Daff · 28 December 2018 at 10:25AM

Morning hen-keeping pals, and merry Christmas! :j

Glad to hear you've got a few eggs edwink! :j We're still mostly on 3 or 4 a day, although yesterday I think we only had 2 (Mr Cheery brought them in and there were already a lot so we kind of lost track :rotfl: ) Another 2 so far today and I'd expect at least another one as sometimes they lay later in the morning.

We've got 18 eggs packaged up to take to family today :j (Sorry edwink and CAFCgirl, not trying to make you jealous

:rotfl: )

I'm pleased to report that Hermione has FINALLY started growing feathers back on her head :eek: All four have been moulting and looking rather scruffy - the others are filling out a bit now (and Mildred and Maud are looking alarmingly similar :eek:

) but poor Hermione, who's always had the best feathers, hadn't really moulted that much except for her completely bald head :eek: But now there are tiny feathers appearing on it, thank goodness or I might have had to knit her a little woolly hat! :eek: :rotfl:

The ladies are out marauding around at the moment :j I do so like them to roam free :j They don't actually tend to go that far, although they have been exploring a different field these last few days :rotfl: Funny how they have their little routines

They're only out for a couple of hours today as we're off to visit family so they'll be back in the run later.

We left them out when we went out for the first time on Christmas Eve :eek: Normally they roam free if we're here, but stay in the run if we're not. But Christmas Eve we only nipped out for a couple of hours in the morning, it was a gloriously sunny day... and they were fine (of course!) Wouldn't do it if I was going a long way away (like today, we won't be back til after dark) or if there was any risk of fog (it rolls in quickly here and the farmer insists it's full of foxes...) but a cheery sunny day I'd leave them when I nipped out for a bit :j

Anyway, best go and get family presents rounded up and sorted out :j

Pyxis · 29 December 2018 at 5:46AM

Cheery_Daff wrote: »

I'm pleased to report that Hermione has FINALLY started growing feathers back on her head :eek: All four have been moulting and looking rather scruffy - the others are filling out a bit now (and Mildred and Maud are looking alarmingly similar :eek: ) but poor Hermione, who's always had the best feathers, hadn't really moulted that much except for her completely bald head :eek: But now there are tiny feathers appearing on it, thank goodness or I might have had to knit her a little woolly hat! :eek: :rotfl:

:j

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Keeping hens and ducks chat.

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