Wednesday 11 February 2009

Joan is ready to live with Rita (we think)

Joan is doing really well, just a slight limp now but she puts her wings out to hold her balance then pootles off on her way.
I bought some Anti Peck Spray for poultry today so tomorrow evening I shall spray both her and Rita and put them to bed together and hopefully they'll keep each other warm and be kind to each other on Friday. If not, they'll both get a mouthful of foul tasting feathers which will hopefully nip it in the bud.
If Rita REALLY doesn't want a friend of her own variety, I'm sure Joan will fit in with the rest of the flock.
Then who will I mother?? I should have brought more than 1 sickly hen or one more needy.
We've got 2 prem baby guinea pigs but in all my years I've never successfully hand reared any. They always fade away on about day 5 so I'm just leaving them with their mother and letting nature take it's course :-( I really can't bear it when they die in my arms.


Photobucket

HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

2 comments:

Buddhist in Training said...

My two ex-batts were a nightmare when I first brought them home, they hated eachother!! I had to adapt a run for them with a gate in the middle so they were living together but couldn't actually fight. It took quite some time but now they are the best of friends. Good luck with the guinea pigs, we lost a whole litter of bunny kittens last autumn, very sad.

The mad chook woman said...

We had a bad downfall of snow last night so they didn't get put together but today they both had anti peck spray on their feathers and freeranged the garden with the other hens. We have then put them in together overnight so hope that by tomorrow all will be well.
Rita is a difficult hen, bullied, yet is a bully herself. Joan seems quite sure of herself so I don't feel bad about trying them together.
If it fails, Joan will join the flock and Rita will be in a run within the main hen pen so they can communicate but not get near each other.