My apologies / Pekin chicks

I've not been updating anything for a while as I've felt crap (to put it bluntly) With my health being quite unpredictable, sometimes I can corpse for ages and then the longer I'm off the computer, the longer it takes me to get motivated as I know I'll have hundreds of emails to face.
For a while, well since the last hen rescue....all I've done is deal with chooks with my dear other half's help. I've been on a real downer after seeing Doctor Doom.

We put 9 Pekin eggs in the incubator on the 7th March of which 8 hatched yesterday (and one was a late death) The children are thrilled, especially Mini whom they belong to. The chicks have now been moved under the heat lamp and another 9 eggs have gone in the incubator today which will hatch a couple of days after Easter....so if anyone is interested in any, get in touch. There will be a price for these (£10 each) as they are my 7 year old daughter's chicks so any money is going in her bank. We cannot sex them yet as have previously not had experience sexing chicks. Click pics to enlarge them.








Mini, (aged 7) who the Pekins all belong to. Mini is our daughter that comes to the rehoming days at Norwich LHR and everyone thinks she's a little boy as she's a tomboy, happiest when upto her knees in muck and sitting with her chooks. She DOES get quite annoyed when people call her "young man" or "mate" though. Bless her.

Here are the Chicks' Daddy and Mummies

Please see our extra web pages, devoted to hens http://www.rosahhenrescue.eshire.net

We have also advertised the poultry housing sold by Power Poultry as to us, it looks very good at a reasonable price.

The next Little Hen Rescue is Easter weekend so please give me or Jo a ring if you are wanting any ex battery hens from that rescue.


Hopefully now I've got online, I will now be motivated to be on a bit each day ....unless I get wiped out again.

Hubby has been redoing the garden so the rabbits we have left (no, we don't want any more as I'm allergic to them) have somewhere to run. He's built up the fencing for their safety.

Back soon x


HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

HEN RESCUE CANCELLED AGAIN AAARRRGGGHHH

I've missed a few days online as i've been so drained.
The hen rescue is cancelled again. Not due to Bernard Matthews this time or DEFRA but the farmer wants to hang onto the hens a bit longer for their eggs. Poor ladies, almost free....then this!
There *should* be a different rescue on the 13th/14th March so hopefully everyone will get their ladies from that one.
It's so frustrating though especially with so many new homes lined up.

Past few days I've not done a lot. I borrowed Ruth's incubator and set 9 Pekin Bantam eggs in it. 7 of ours and 2 lavender ones of Ruth's.
I am so hoping we've done it right and they'll hatch into lots of Pekin hens :-) (prob all be cock birds that i'll have to rehome)
We got another Pekin egg yesterday but I let Mini eat it as a treat.


HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

Our pet Pekin Bantams & Dolly

The Pekins have settled in really well and the kids adore them.
They make such nice pets and are only about 9 inches tall and they have the most delightful feathered feet.
Amber and Fenella haven't laid any eggs yet but we're hoping they will be fertile if they do, then we'll have our own little family of them as Amber is broody.







Dolly the pony had her booster jabs today for flu and tetanus and also had her teeth done this morning. She was really well behaved but I suppose at her age she's had it done a fair few times in the past and knows what to expect. Ruth had also put on her quilted leg warmers to keep her joints nice and toasty warm in this bitter cold weather and also held Dolly while Eve, the vet filed away at Dollys teeth. I propped myself up on the barn as I'm on both crutches and in a crappy way today.

We've moved a large guinea pig cage that has a run below it next to the hen pen for when Rita's feathers are back. She will be able to associate with the flock without being menaced and replucked. I've posted a wanted message on Lincs-Pets4Life if anyone has a hen saddle I could have or borrow. It may protect her from the vicious mob.

Our ex batts, ex barn hens and free rangers managed to lay they grand total of 2 eggs today!

The Pekins have gone outside now

The Pekins have gone outside today and they're all having fun scratting in the straw on the ground.
When I gave the ex batts their warm oats around 3.30pm, I added tinned sweetcorn & a little garlic powder and popped a bowl over for the Pekins and they swooped on it.
Mark has put 2 nest boxes in the "Pekin Palace" (former duck house) and lovely deep sundown bedding so they'll be cosy tonight.

Rita is inside (as expected) looking rather jaundiced from the iodine on her back. She seems to be herself though and is now freeranging the lounge and will be sleeping in the dog crate (well she sleeps anywhere, bloomin' narcoleptic chook)














Look at these lot, crowding around as half past 3 is porridge time and I get mugged until I put the troughs down. Quite nice to get a picture of them close enough together though rather than one here and 2 there.

PS The hens only laid 3 eggs today. I think it was due to the work going on in their pen, they were too nosey to dash off and lay an egg. I imagine the nest boxes in the morning will be full with early morning eggs.

Newton & his wives

We're so pleased to have bought 2 wives today for Newton, our Pekin bantam.
Here are some pictures of them all....we couldn't get them all on one shot so took a few. You'll need to click them to enlarge them.
Anyway the Lavender lady is called Fenella (Ella from the fens) and Mark named his Gold Birchen one Amber as she looks like she has flames.
The kids were thrilled when they came home and saw them.....in fact they never got put in their coop and are still here with me now at almost 9.30pm so it looks like they'll be overnighting in the dog crate.
We just want to say a huge thankyou to Karen & Simon at Power Poultry for the hens and the introduction to all the breeds.

Fenella Newton


Fenella Amber


Our main flock also laid 5 eggs today taking our total this year to 40.

We went to Bearts to get the animal feeds and supplies and OMG it cost us over £100! (and we go fortnightly and still have fresh stuff to buy)
Fair enough though, we did buy a kids boiler suit for Mini (for £14) when she comes on the next hen rescue as her legs had grown too long for her current overalls. She's such a star when it comes to the chickens though and was thrilled with her bright blue Dickies boiler suit, lol.

6 eggs today & Rita has joined the flock

Our hens laid 6 eggs today for us taking the total to 35 in 5 days.

Hubby and Mini delivered some as freebies to 3 of our neighbours so that makes us feel like we're doing our bit to promote eggs from happy hens.

A chap called Declan from West Norfolk M.I.N.D came to collect all our sacks of duck and chook manure for some allotments they are starting for their group members so that's gone to a worthy cause and should help them. Sadly he didn't knock on the door or we'd have given him some eggs too! (If you read this Declan, knock or ring the bell next time)

I'm concerned about the weather forecast saying it will be minus 5 in places tonight as Rita has joined the flock in the old playhouse (now known as Duckingham Palace as the Aylesbury's reside in there too) I do think they will all keep each other warm though and we've put really deep bedding down and there's plenty of space to get up from the ground on either the ladder, old toyboxes or in the tyres full of bedding. I do worry about her though and hope she will be warm enough and maybe snuggle with the other white hens who seem to stick together.

Newton is eagerly awaiting a new wife or two tomorrow. I just know we'll get two.....and I was telling my mum on the 'phone and she said "you must have a trio" and she's been brought up with poultry and every other animal under the sun so I tend to listen to her advice, so it looks as though the lavender lady will have a friend coming with her too. I just have to show you the website of where the wives will be coming from http://www.powerpoultry.co.uk/ They're not far from us and we have to go to Bearts anyway to load up with supplies.

Trying to think of some lovely names for them (see I'm pluralising it already) The ex batts & rescues all have old lady names but I don't think Pekin ladies will suit old lady names and posh names would be more appropriate. No doubt Mark and I will decide before the kids come home from school....or Chloe & Mini will call them Piglet & Tigger!!!! I have noticed that a couple of hens I had my eye on, on the Power Poultry website now say sold so we'll just have to wait and see what the lady has for sale tomorrow.

I'll update this blog tomorrow, no doubt with pictures of 1 or 2 spoilt rotten ladies with the new man in their life.

Today- just 3 eggs :-(

Rita was going to go outside today to join the flock in the hen house overnight but she's still not 100% and when I put her on the lawn earlier she was shivering. We're going to try tomorrow evening if it's not icy cold. We noticed she had longer feathers this morning so she's quickly getting a full coverage but I do worry about her especially as she sleeps so much and just nods off wherever she is. Hopefully she'll be fit to go tomorrow.
We only got 3 eggs today from all our ladies. Suppose it was so cold they were clenched, lol


Mini Newton Mini


Mini & Newton Rita


PS We're getting Newton a wife or two this week. Can hardly wait. I'm so excited. Hoping to get a Lavender Pekin hen and possibly another too, see what catches our eyes, lol