5 chooks are installed in
the house with Peck (the rooster). All but 1 slept through the transfer from
car to house. The dark one (Mirri) went in first, followed by Whitey then the 3
brown ones (Rosie, Ruby and Merida). The one with the most, white speckles (Rosie)
went in last and she was the one who woke a little and spread her wings as she
went in through the door. Did you know
that it’s a tad difficult getting a flapping hen through a small door into a
hen-house when it’s getting dark and all you want to do is shut them in and get
them to go to bed? Anyway they all went
straight for the perches and settled instantly. Peck looks like he's still
claiming the nesting box as his bed!!
Just about to go and let
them out now - usual time is between 8.30 and 8.45, but Peck is in full voice
this morning (he's usually fairly quiet until I let him out!!)
Well, the look on Peck's
face was an absolute picture this morning when I let him out, he was absolutely
astounded. He came out first and looked in absolute amazement as 5 hens
followed him - as if to say "What? Where? How? And who are you
lot???" Fun has been had with at least 2 chooks. They had only spent all
night together- but he seemed to look at them as they followed him out this
morning as if to say "what the ****? Where did you come from? Oooooo
GIRLS!!!" and then he got some exercise (much to Lian's disgust -
"Mum, is he really having "it"?")
We just had a bit of
excitement! Lian opened the nest box to see if there were any eggs in there without
checking that all the hens were in the run - one of them (now called Rosie) vaulted
out over the top of another two (Whitey and Ruby) and made a run for it – all
over the cleared bit of the field!!! Picture this, if you can, - me in wellies
(black with multi-coloured
stars), jeans slowly slipping down and not really doing their job at modesty
(dratted hipsters!) and elderly “T”-shirt flapping round in the breeze as I
“sprinted” (well faster joggling than usual, lol) through the clouds of
midgies, tripping over all sorts of ivy, vines and tussocks, chasing this
dratted bod all over the field at the back of the garden with Abbie and Lian
"helping" by standing there looking on, trying not to wet themselves
laughing, flapping their arms around in a more than somewhat useless fashion
every time Rosie got anywhere near them.
That did a lot of good towards calming her down, I can tell you! Eventually I got her cornered (for the third
or fourth time) and managed to get a hold of her by chucking Abbie’s hoodie
partially over her and then grabbing her from another direction, almost going
arse over tip in the process!
While putting/stuffing
her back into the coop another 2 decided to make a break for it - but I got 'em
beat now!! It’s amazing how fast you can close a coop door when you truly
believe that you’re going to have the same trouble twice over! Hmmm - maybe I'll end up losing weight by
having chooks after all!!
Oh, we’re up to 2 eggs
now, and the girls are demolishing food like it’s going out of fashion –
scratching up roots and weeds and seeds (good girls!). Peck is very protective of them (I think
that’s the best phrase to use). He’s
making a bit more noise than usual (I had thought that all the extra “activity”
would have tired him out, but no such luck!) and he tends to peck at everything
that goes anywhere near to the run, including wellies! Dozy bird!! Hope he calms down soon or
feeding them is going to be a nightmare.
The “new” (to us) coop
has arrived, and it’s considerably bigger than the one we’ve got. It needs a bit of a facelift and some
loose/sticking out nails banging back in – so that may start to get done
later. The big plus is that it came with
some fencing and a few fence posts – so I’ll be able to expand the run in a
couple of days to make sure that the chooks have enough room to each have their
own personal space, and to get away from Peck for a rest!
Next stop – to get more
fence posts and get the BIG run constructed so that they can be more free-range
than caged.
That is, if I ever get
the chance to – another escapee! Oh
no! How did she get out? A quick look round the fencing revealed
nothing, and the girls swore that they hadn’t opened the nest box area
again. But, first things first – to
catcher her and return her to the rest of the flock. Sneaky plan, I have, a really sneaky
plan. I go to the shed and fetch their
supper. Going up towards the hen run I
start the inane shout of “chook, chook, chook.
Chook, chook, chook” – and they all turn to look at this stupid person
who thinks she can fool them into getting close to her. But wait, what’s that? What’s she got??? FOOD!!!!!
They all run towards the
fence in that stupid “full nappy” way they have of running – including the
escapee! This should be a doddle.
Famous last words –
doddle indeed! Even with her head down
eating the food I carefully spilled within easy reach, she could still do a
fancy dodge. I grabbed left, she feinted
right. I tried straight on and she
showed me that hens can run in reverse (and I never knew that!). I grabbed
right and she simply side-stepped and I ended up with fingers within reach of
Peck’s beak – my reactions were, fortunately, quicker than his and I escaped
uninjured (phew!!). Finally Merida was
tricked into eating with her head directly towards me and I managed quite a
spectacular swoop and grab movement and got a hold of her. She was really friendly snuggling in for a
cuddle and then promptly pooped down my chest – this old “T” shirt is now fit
for the bin.
Once Merida was reunited
with the rest of the flock (do you call 5 chooks and a rooster a flock? I suppose you must do, but it does sound a
tad pretentious), it was time for some serious examination of the run to see where
she had managed to escape. Merida must
be the Houdini of the chicken world – it took me ages to find it – a small slit
in the wiring which she must have absolutely crammed herself through to get
out. Needless to say, that slit isn’t
there any longer. I wonder why Peck
hadn’t found it before? Something to do
with the fact that he’s male, and food was always delivered to his “boudoir”?
Today’s egg count is now
3. I think it’s perhaps Mirri (the
oldest hen) and Ruby who haven’t laid today – but it’s only tea time, so there’s time
yet!
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