Julie's chicken keeping diary

[sarabee]

Not long now until your new girls arrive

[aceface]

cant wait to see the new girls and hear all about the intros

[julie62]

I got some paint today to give the little hen house a spruce up before the batties arrive easter weekend and I also got a run to extend the run on the small house (I hate them not having much room) - the house has an 8x4 run but its only a low one not a walk in run and I've bought a run on fleabay thats 6x4x2ft high to give them a bit more room (I"ll add it to the front of the existing run).

I'll put some pics on when I've done it ... I've been doing lots of early shifts recently so I'm knackered all the time and my knees been hurting and I think I've got sciatica now as well as I've had a pain in my side all day so not had much get up and go this week!

[sandy]

Julie I think you need to stop over doing it Look after yourself girl, those new lucky girlies are going to need a fit mummy

[julie62]

Well the sun is shining but it's sooo cold - let the chickens out for a bit of lawn action when I got in from work. And decided to start painting the old chicken house for the new arrivals at the end of the month. It was so cold though I only painted the roof - I couldn't feel my hands!


Here's the old chicken run in relation to the big house and run where the current residents live.


I've painted the roof blue - the house will be cream coloured.


Enjoying the sunshine




Now how do I get down?


How they love to get at that lawn - nothing tastes nicer.

I hope it warms up soon - seems wrong to be smashing through thick ice after the lovely sunny weather we had a couple of weeks ago.

[Annie]

It would seem that speckaldy hens have a spirit of adventure, hope she did get down ok.

[aceface]

the house will look lovely julie and they are a fine lot of looking ladies

[sandy]

It looks an absolutely lovely Chicken village, lovely photos I know what you mean about your hands, if you take off your gloves and put your hands down a place where you will be touching your posterior they soon warm up(not sure how to type this don't want Richard having a fit)

[MissEllie]

The hen house looks lovely Julie, I've got a real soft spot for spreckaldys, she's very pretty

[aishakali]

The roof is a lovely shade of blue and your chooks are beautiful

[sarabee]

Great pictures Julie. The blue roof is a lovely shade, those new girls will be happy to be there.

[julie62]

Well the new ladies have arrived - all the way from Leicester via Knutsford and then on to Swinton!

I was going to call them Liberty and Freedom but decided it was far too poncy so it's Muriel and Phyllis after my favourite dear departed aunties. They are surprisingly well feathered - just bald patches on their chest and a bit raggeddy lookings but so pale ... look at their poor big pale combs and faces

When they arrived I put them in the little run and the three established residents were completely quiet - this is going well I thought. Anyway 30 seconds later all hell broke loose and they were wailing like babies. I let them out to free range and they soon quietened down. The new arrivals are just in the small run while they get used to the big wide world.

Lovely to meet the people at the re-homing and other re-homers - so many nice people in the world.

Next will be trying to get them to go to bed.

Anyway here's what you all like - loads of photos

[aishakali]

Ahh lovely girls wont be long til they have some colour in their cheeks and their bonnets will be standing upright

[jemberelli]

What beauties! Look forward to their updates

[julie62]

Well they went to bed - I put a torch in the house and they worked it out which was good as it's difficult to catch them and put them in because it's a low level run - one of them has found it's feet and was being nasty to the other one - why can't chickens be nice

Hopefully it will be a bit better behaved tomorrow - I'll have to dig the anti peck spray out.