New Beginnings

Well we're pleased to announce that the hens have a lovely new home, free ranging in a woodland, which they are most happy about. I think the big hens got quite bored recently as they started to pluck one another's feathers out. Now I've heard of oven ready, but I didn't expect the hens to quite do it themselves!! Anyway we bought some anti-pecking spray called 'Scarper' which seemed to do the trick and so, besides the bad smell of the spray, the hens have stopped attacking each other and are starting to look their normal selves again. Did I mention how bad the spray smelt? Like an old ashtray! Yuck!
On a more somber note, one of our Pekins, Speckle, passed away yesterday............ it's so very sad as we knew something was wrong with her crop. The crop for those who are unsure is the place where hens keep their food so they can digest it at a slower pace. This enables them to grab food on the go and save it for later!. Anyway we'd been trying to empty her crop for her by holding her upside-down (I know this sounds harsh but it's the best way)and massaging her crop. This helped somewhat but I think we picked up the problem too late as the next day she was gone. Chickens are brilliant at hiding illness, mainly for fear of being attacked by the other hens. So they pretend to eat and act normal so it can be difficult to spot a sick bird until it's too late.
Well such is life and we carry on.
As one of our pekins, Urchin, has turned out to be male, even if his crow is feeble! we are hoping to breed some chicks this year, so watch this blog for further developements.