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redsunset

This morehens disease again

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Two Amber stars, one Speckledy and three little Isa Browns joined the gang today. Wheelie bin may be pressed back into action until my next beach hut arrives next week! The Amber stars have already wandered around plus the Speckledy. The little Isa Browns are huddled together having seen a pigeon, a crow, my old cat, grass, sky and enough trauma for now thank you! Tomorrow will be a nice day weather wise so no doubt will explore a little more.... :)

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Yep, they are all settling in fine and have met the dogs and other cat as well (not impressed but know now they are no threat) New henhouse here and two coats of paint on it. Left it on the gravel outside my bedroom window and found an egg in it this morning?? Not even in position yet but newbies (little isa's) still not used it and slept in my living room window ledge the last three nights. Not to bothered as weather has been so warm. I am lucky in the sense that no predators around and half my new fence of 6-7ft is now up. Have just heard some chirping and turned round to see the little isa browns back in my window ledge peering in and probably going to sleep there again tonight??! Oh well they will go to a house soon enough and if not will be a case of lifting them in soon to show them it's home?....... :roll: Will post pics soon. :)

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Thank you! Hope the girls appreciate them as they are spoilt daily! Getting 6 hens last year was a lot I thought, now it's come to the stage when friends and family are asking me how many I have as they don't trust me to stick to a certain number and am probably now well and truly in the eccentric bracket in their eyes!!

 

The head girls have commandeered the new 'fresher sweet smelling' house and the little Isa Browns are back in the window again.....! :wall:

 

On the plus side the garden is weeded and the grass has never been so green as all moss removed by said chooks last winter and grown in beautifully so they do their bit plus pay rent of an egg a day! :)

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Thank you! Bought two of them locally and the other on eB*y (£120 cheaper!!)along with the wooden hearts which I just glued on! Took no time to paint at all. MIGHT be a couple of little black and white Seabrights joining the gang this weekend.................. :whistle:

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Thank you! Bought two of them locally and the other on eB*y (£120 cheaper!!)along with the wooden hearts which I just glued on! Took no time to paint at all. MIGHT be a couple of little black and white Seabrights joining the gang this weekend.................. :whistle:

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I certainly will if all goes well and they are not camera shy! Latest chooks are settling in just fine although some are still al fresco in the sleeping department! One little Amber is a sweetheart and my Lhasa Apso has taken a real shine to her and follows her everywhere. Tonight whilst eating dinner outside she jumped on to the table and squeaked (yes it was a squeak) until some pasta was handed over or she was going to take it off my plate ! No manners as I discovered last night whilst eating a lamb curry as she jumped up, stole a piece of lamb in a blink and ran off with about 8 chooks in hot pursuit trying to avail her of the spoils! Cheek!

 

Noticed some people advocate water melon in this hot weather so it's on the list for tomorrow as well, no they are not spoilt......much.

 

Hope you found some nice hearts to stick on to your henhouse?......I recommend using 'no more nails' to stick and they will never fall off.

 

Having a bbq tomorrow night so hope they don't embarrass me by trying to steal any ones food! :roll:

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No Sebrights today I'm afraid after all. Saw them, 3 gold laced and one black laced but nearly dropped when I saw how wee they were! They were the size of a blackbird and would have needed separate housing fenced off, as big girls would have killed them not to mention the cat. Came home with two dainty white leghorns and if the Sebrights are still there in around 5 weeks and a LOT bigger would consider it.

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Bit sad and down in the dumps today as lost my last little Speckledy yesterday at teatime. Found her dead in a nest box and I had only had her two weeks. No idea what happened but felt she was a bit thin on lifting her out and her little comb hadn't grown yet. My mum was over and she went down to the nest boxes at lunchtime and said only three eggs as some still on the nest. Never paid much attention and thought I'll get the rest later. Kicking myself now incase I may have noticed something was up, but then again maybe I wouldn't have. :(:(

Thankfully all the rest are fine and enjoyed their watermelon yesterday and Mrs Amber did embarrass me at bbq by constantly trying to jump up onto the table to steal food!! No shame!

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To cheer myself up after the first chicken (natural?) death last week another two little isa browns fell out of a box today! Saw the Sebrights again, they have 4, two gold laced, one almost brown laced and a black laced and they are so tiny. I guess they are only 8-9 wks old, but told the chap if you still have them in around 5 weeks then I would consider them depending on size.

 

Am amazed at how little damage they have done to the garden considering I have so many, 28 now (had to stop and think there!!) All iris, paeoneys, ferns, lupins etc are blooming. They got a bag of mealworms to detract them from the newbies as everytime I have new intros I find lots of treats, and they couldn't care less as all they think about then is their bellies!

 

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I love your dust bathing chook :D and your irises are just stunning! What a fantastic blue. I know you have a lot of chickens now but they clearly all have enough room which must be why it is easy for you to integrate them.

 

I'm sorry that you lost one. I wonder if it was an egg laying problem as you mention that the eggs depleted :think: Poor wee soul.

 

As you rightly say the others are very spoiled and any hen coming to your place must be a lucky chook indeed even if they are not a Sebright. If you want a larger hen but like the lacing pattern on the feathers how about a Wyandotte?

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No idea re the wee chook who died as only had her two weeks and don't think she was quite ready to lay. I am going to assume that something was wrong with her as no other explanation, as loads of food and water. The explanation for lack of eggs that day must be that the chooks knew there was a death (my mum may not have noticed when she went down for my eggs at lunchtime and poor wee thing may have been dead since morning) so it put all the others off for the day due to the stress?

 

I have had the silver pencilled wyandotte on my wish list for a while but due to my location impossible to source and would mean going down the hatching egg route. As I work full time that would be impossible right now, even though I have one broody in all three houses right now!!

 

Found a pure white tiny egg tonight so one of the white leghorns has started to lay. The spoilt little madams have a quarter acre of garden as their 'run' and are never shut in at night as quite safe up here so guess I am very lucky in that respect. One downside is what goes in must come out x 28, so a pressure washer has just been bought for all the pavements and to even hose down the gravel as well!!

b8a41149-7d04-4836-a702-d54f4199e30e.jpg Feeding time at the zoo!!

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What a lovely flock - it looks almost like a Victorian painting :clap: My chooks free range all day too (though they have rather less room, but then there are less of them) and I know what you mean about poo on the paths etc. My poor OH has OCD so their little marks all over the paths is quite a challenge for him. :anxious:

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Sheesh, will the newbies EVER use the hen houses? Have at least 11-12 chooks sleeping alfresco! 2 in living room window sill (and had to don parka and shoes 2 nights ago in torrential rain, as they were standing there like ski slopes to carry down to a house!), 1 in my bedroom window, 4 under patio table and all Isa Browns in trees/bushes? Maybe the fact that I have three broodies are putting them off or they just don't get the fact that the houses are for them and prefer to be outside as is probably natural for them in the wild? Hope they learn soon as Hebridean winters can get very wet & windy! Found a nest behind blackcurrant bush with 18 eggs on Saturday so dogs are on scrambled eggs for a week. I'm sure there is another one but darned if I can find it! :roll:

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