Our weekend

We've had two lovely pigeons lodging with us for most of the week. I managed to hold the darker one and see blue ink on it's flight feathers which clearly showed a 'phone number so I called it and eventually got hold of the owner in Bridlington. I thought the birds had left us last night as they were nowhere in sight at bedtime but today they were back with us. I REALLY love them and secretly hope they never get their bearings and leave. Click to enlarge the pic. They're stunners. No idea where the mainly white one hails from. It has different rings to the grey one who I call "Bridget from Bridlington"

Yesterday Mark built "The Peek Inn" and a fun day was had by all of us and especially the Pekins at bedtime who had to sleep in the same hut for the first time. It started out as a brand new garden store. We've already got one for the ex batts but that is at ground level rather than being raised like the bantams one has been. It's customised to suit them. Roosting bars, cat litter trays as nest boxes in case of chicks, correx floor for easy cleaning and it'll hopefully be painted on the outside this week and look like a Southwold Beach Hut along with the Des Res too ;-)

Today Aunty K came with my dear nephews and we spent the day outside with the chooks. Amber laid an egg that rolled all the way down their carpeted ladder and Fenella laid one at Aunty K's feet so of course we let her take them for the boys breakfast.

In fact K took all of todays fresh eggs which I *think* was 14. No duck egg today but when Jemima does lay an egg we have to get it quickly as the ex batts seem to have a liking for duck eggs.

After K and the boys left I got cracking on the computer sorting out all the hen people for next weekend. Sending reminders to people who registered an interest but hadn't replied when given a date. I'm trying to get everyone on Sat but again, it depends how many reply. I do have one lady coming on Sunday but I'll be over there anyway so don't mind bringing her 7 back then.

Mark will have to go to Bearts this week and stock up on mash again. Seems the best way of doing it rather than lugging it all the way from Norwich when we'll be going to Bearts anyway.

Have now given Chloe a trim and am feeling knackered. Am just eating some cheese ravioli with Reggae sauce then I'm off to sleep.

HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

Chick Pix

HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

Life...so far

We're (so far) bringing back 71 ex battery hens + 1 cockerel for new homes in Lincolnshire & Cambridgeshire so we'll have a full van load. I'm going over in the car on Fri then sleeping over with the chooks and Mark will come along on saturday for the half day and to collect the hens.

The Pekins are growing gradually, the Lavenders are the biggest. Their wing feathers are huge and they keep flitting about now so we've moved them from the indoor guinea pig cage and into the dog crate with Correx panels around the sides so they can't get out and the dogs paws can't get in to play with them. Little Flipper is fine and there's no sign of the splayed legs that "it" hatched with.

Sadly we unexpectedly lost 2 of our ex batt ladies recently. At least they had a lovely happy life whilst here.


HAPPY EGGS FROM HAPPY RoSAH HENS

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

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.

Little Hen Rescue 29/30 Nov 08

Click to enlarge pictures

These were all taken on the 30th November at Little Hen rescue which we helped out rehoming the hens to their new families.
Some of the hens on the above pics are barn hens and some are free rangers.
The barn hens look well feathered but had scrapes down their fronts as the nest boxes in the barns were sharp metal at the front.
We weren't at the actual barn rescue on the Saturday but apparently it was disgusting with the smell of ammonia and the catchers had to watch where they put their feet as between the slats of wood was a huge slurry pit containing a year or so's chicken muck.

The Freerangers were in fairly good health and a lighter, almost blonde colour. I pulled one out with a marble sized tumour in her wattle and she went in the "sick bay".
One hen appeared to have black eyes so Sarah and myself caught her only to find she had "eyebrows" as the feathers either side were missing, When rounding a few hens up, we found another with eyebrows and a young couple were thrilled to take both of them and I think theirs were had were their first hens so they were really excited.
We met some lovely people, both helping at Jo's and the people collecting hens and won't hesitate to help again even though I'm seriously paying for it today and well dosed up on tablets.

We bought some new family members back ourselves. Gertrude, Flossie, Newton and Lizzy.
Lizzy is poorly with what appears to be a tumour on her neck. She hadn't eaten for days at Jo's place and needed encouragement and I felt a need to nurse her but don't hold out much hope for her long term. We're spoon feeding her porridge, layers meal and glucose water. Her legs are strong but you can see she's not well. The tumour wasn't obvious at first as I thought she was just puffed out looking generally unwell with a strange stance but upon closer inspection she doesn't stand right and has a solid mass in her neck (above and to the left of where her crop is)
Gertie, Flossie & Newton (the Pekin) were put straight in the hen house when we got back last night and shut in with the existing hens and this morning I suppose they saw each other when daylight appeared but there has been no squabbling at all.
Lizzy is in an open dog crate in the lounge getting some TLC. I really hope she will just get well enough to exhibit "normal" hen behaviour. I now wish I'd also brought back the one with the tumour in it's wattle. She was quite feisty though and the only reason I spotted it was I waded in a stable to intervene in a squabble and she was the instigator and I saw it when I pulled her out.
Hens are just amazing. Can't remember my life without them....well My Grandad kept them all his life and my Grandma on the other side of my family kept Bantams so I suppose it's inevitable I'd get hooked too!

Below are pics of our own newbies- Click to enlarge them





Poorly Lizzy


Newton


Gertrude & Flossie

Jo is appealing for anyone who can knit to start knitting hen jumpers for the hens due to be rescued from a battery farm this month and also in the new year. They are expected to be baldies so if you can knit, please see details here on Little Hen Rescue's website

We're helping on the future rescues so anyone wanting to rehome any ex battery hens, please contact Jo at littlehenrescue@aol.com