New hens not going into Eglu Go Up

[WitchHazel]

Well, the day finally came...and the table chicks arrived and have been installed in their lovely accomodation on our allotment.

 

They are 7 or 8 weeks old and we're planning to keep them until they are at least 20 weeks old, although we may dispatch one or two earlier if they get very big.

 

I'm not sure of the breed ("a french farm breed" is what DH remembers); I did quiz the chap who supplied them, and he says they definitely aren't Cobbs. I;m guessing they are Ixworths (sp?). I don't know enough about table breeds to be able to tell the difference - I guess time will tell!

 

Three of the birds are some other breed though, they are brown not white - so they may turn out not to be suitable for the table. It's a but of a problem for me, as a first time table chicken owner, as of course the three are easily identifiable and therefore more eaiy to get attached to.

 

 

I've put some pics of them and their new home on my blog if you are interested in seeing them http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2009/04/table-birds-have-arrived.html

 

Let's see how it goes!

[Lesley]

They look very comfy in their new home Hazel

 

I know what you mean about the ones which look different! - we've had spare cockerels to deal with.....and they are always sooooo beautiful

[Redwing]

the brown ones are unusual, they don't look like they will be a meaty as the others. Lovely chooks

 

don't give them names, or personalities, or look to closely at them, or spend lots of time with them, or make eye contact they are very good at worming their way in to your affections!

 

I am going to end up over-run with the things

[WitchHazel]

Thanks for your trplies Lesley and Redwing.

 

I found myself talking to one of the brown ones, because s/he is also extremely inquisitive. Potentially fatal mistake, I know, so I stopped myself.

 

It's going to be a hard balancing act. The reason we decided to raise our own was that I felt we could give the birds a good life before they were dispatched; but I can't give them the same life as my Girls, because then I wouldn't be able to Do The Deed. So I'm trying to give them a better life than commercially raised free range chickens, and be content with that.

 

I am helped by my belief that it will get easier. Well, maybe not easier, but certainly less difficult/emotional. I'm sure you're smiling knowingly at this point

[Lesley]

We treat all ours the same - afternoon treats etc. - we call them Dinner and we feel sick every time we have to do the deed - but it's still well worth it

[WitchHazel]

We treat all ours the same - afternoon treats etc. - we call them Dinner and we feel sick every time we have to do the deed - but it's still well worth it

 

We started calling them "Dinner Chickens" as our non-chickeny friends don't know what "table birds" mean, and I hate calling them "meat birds". I might suggest "Dinner" as the name for the individual chickens as well, currently they are all called "Bryan".