Chickens - some are for sale, some aren't
There will be more pictures of the rest of my chickens as the weeks pass. This is just a handful of pictures taken on my new mobile phone camera (not bad for a phone I have to say)
My new Jersey Giants
This is Belladonna and Nightshade, my 2 gorgeous new Jersey Giants. They are my new favourites! For such massive birds they are are so placid and slow. Even the cockerel lets me pick him up and have a bit of a stroke and a fuss - totally fab! My kids love them, Dizzy plods round the garden (generally with Za Za in her hand) and stroke the big birds like you would a cat or a dog. They are brilliant.
Can't wait for the eggs!
Saruman
Saruman is a stunning white leghorn. He came from a lovely farm locally and is beautiful. His cockadoodledoo sets off about 30 other cockerels in a 2 mile radius of us - it's rather funny.
He is currently in a pen with around 15 - 20 of my re-charged batteries (not sure of the numbers, they keep wiggling through the fence and joining other groups!) and he is loving it!
I don't have high fences in my battery hen garden, around 3-4ft, and Saruman hasn't once tried to jump them. He spends his time with the ladies mooching around under the apple trees and digging himself dust pits on the woody floor, before they all climb the trees to roost at night - it's amazing how they protect themselves against foxes and badgers!
We're hoping to get some fertile eggs from this pen - lovely Warren x White Leghorn chicks - they'd be great!
I'm looking to get a couple of white leghorn hens for breeding too - I think I'll keep them all in the garden as the bats and Saruman seem to get on so well.
Bonnie and Clyde
This is my beautiful pair of Wyandotte bantams. They are lovely..... they are my breeding air to start next season. They're currently about 15 weeks old give or take.... They know who their mates are - every day my young pairs (who all share the garden until they're old enough to be moved into seperate breeding pens) curl up with the significant others and groom each other. It's terribly romantic!
With the exception of Houdini, who, where he evidently prefers Clarice, he's "at it" with at least 10 different ex-battery hens!
Alana and the new ducks
My gorgeous 3 year old cornering the new baby call ducks - Jamima and Sir Francis. These little guys are beautiful. They swim for hours in the paddling pool - sooooooo cute!
Jamima and Sir Francis taking a dip
I always thought you had to have a pond or a river to keep ducks - I was wrong! So long as they have loads of access to water - enough for a paddle and especially ducking their heads, then they're great in your garden. We filled the kids paddling pool and, much to the kids delight, let the ducks swim around in it! They love it!
My beautiful daughter Dizzy with loads of chickens...
This is Dizzy. She is 20 months old now and totally loves the birds. She has no fear whatsoever, even of some of the bigger more "pecky" ones. She frequently plays in the chicken gardens and helps feed them, tops up their water and is happy to go on the daily egg hunt (battery hens don't do nest boxes very well!)
where for art thou....
Ok, this is Juliet NOT Romeo, but I couldn't think of any R&J quotes (I have to admit my lack of culture, but Shakespeare is a big no no for me....although 12th night I quite enjoyed. And I was Lady MacBeth in 2 different productions of "the Scottish Play"
Anyway, this is a beautiful shot of my lovely Juliet. She is around 16 weeks old now, and is the hen of my breeding pair of White Pekin Bantams. I'm also hoping she might hatch some eggs for me, pekin bantams being excellent broody hens.
Don't turn your back on me.....
This is Houdini (the Light Sussex) and a random re-charged battery. I'm not sure which one - we have too many to name now (40 of them)
they've actually gone on strike at the moment, refusing to lay any more eggs - which is fine, I took them not for the eggs, but to give them a little freedom after their year of misery.
However, for the first time in months I've had to take down my "free range egg" sign as I don't have enough eggs this week..... I'm hoping that once they have re-feathered they'll perk up a little....
On the plus side, the feathers are coming through lovely - soon I'll have loads of bright orange happy healthy chickens :-)
Nink and Pink
Ninkynonk and Pinkyponk perching on the table in the garden. I actually moved these two (plus Gary) to a separate pen 3 days ago, thinking they would enjoy the relative calm and hopefully start giving me some fertile eggs - I'm dying to hatch some baby sussex chicks!
The first 2 days, they seemed to enjoy the richer grass, the calm tranquility under one of the apple trees, then this morning as I went out to feed the birds I noticed both of them had flown over the new breeding pen, snuck across my allotment and re-joined the chaos of my main garden (which has 20 chicks, 10 batteries, 2 bantam pairs and another breeding pair). I'm going to have to re-evaluate my breeding pens I think! perhaps invest in some 10 foot fences..lol
Gwendolyn
Gwen is one of new Maran type hybrids. She is a lovely toffee colour, and has the most gorgeous speckling. I don't actually think she is a Maran, just possibly crossed with one..... unknown parentage unfortunately. I'm keeping her until POL. She is very well natured. She can also jump really high! The picture below shows her sitting on a fence that is 5ft, which she jumped to in one quick move! I bought as a one of nine birds, and they all sit on the fence together.
Fleur - the tamest bantam chick ever!
Fleur is one of 6 of my new bantam chicks. She is around 5 weeks old and is the most tame creature ever.
I also have 5 other bantam chicks who are feisty, quick and not afraid to peck out when they want to - Fleur just hops onto your hand!
I'm not here....
Ninkynonk pretending not to be in
A litter of tiny chicks
My baby bantams playing in the litter tray (which is full of dusty muck). Not only is dust bathing good for the birds (it helps keep the red mite at bay) it's also fun to watch them playing!
Gary (as in gary-baldi)
Gary is one of my most balding battery hens. She has only just started re-growth of her feathers (the little black spines are new feathers, she is not mutating into a hedgehog)
Note the difference between her and Mama (picture down the page) - they were both from the same battery farm!
The great escape
Midnight, my black bantam chick trying to escape through the chicken wire next to my compost heap. He actually succeeded as well - we had to chase him back through from the adjoining field!
Clarice
Also known as "mongrel chick" she is the most beautiful little mongrel ever. She has striking patterns, a lovely nature and gorgeous yellow legs. This is Houdini's mate.
Cammo chicks
My camouflage babies hiding on the compost heap
Houdini - trying his best to be camera shy!
Houdini is a light sussex cockerel. He is very friendly and a little docile. He occasionally gets picked on by some of the hens, and spends most of his time pottering on his own, or with Clarice (his mate)
Ninkynonk and Pinkyponk
Alana's (my 3 year old) birds. They are gorgeous Speckled Sussex
Romeo and Juliet hiding in the "chick" pen
A pair of peking bantams. These are adorable little birds. Juliet lays the tiniest little bantam eggs (which taste rather delicious). Romeo has just started crowing - which sounds rather funny as it's not quite a full "cockadoodledoo"
These birds are currently in the chick pen with some baby bantam chicks for another week, when they will be moved to a breeding pen with another 2 pekin bantam hens.
Houdini and his mate Clarice
Sharing a meal with the ex-bats. I have to say this doesn't happen often - they normally have to wait until the bats have finished before they're allowed to share the food. It's quite a strict heirachy in the chicken world!
Ninkynonk and Pinkyponk
These 2 are my daughters Speckled Sussex pair. They are ready to start having chicks of their own.
Huddled next to the toy car - my children play in the chicken gardens too..
A headless chicken?
Now, this girl (who has a head, I assure you) rules the roost. The is called Mama. She is big, fat and not a feather out of place. Brilliant given she too was a battery hen!
Refuge in Refuse
Battery hens are not used to nest boxes. When we first got them, they just laid their eggs where ever they landed. Now, half of them have chosen a spot behind my compost bin as their "private area". I was trying to encourage nest boxes, but they seem happy behind the bins!