The Ladies of Rohan

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Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

I have further confessions!
Firstly I already have the "cyclists" head light gear Annie refers to. I don't think of it as cyclist gear more lighting up do-it-yourself jobs in dark nooks and crannies. The chicken bunker in the early morning and evening is now a darker place than normal due to the layer of snow on top blocking out the thin light, and there are plenty of nooks and crannies for LBH to hide in when she doesn't fancy going to bed.

The second confession is more serious. I haven't eaten an egg for fifty years.
At least not until last Saturday!
I have a long abiding memory of being unable to eat a boiled egg, and in those days you were expected to clean your plate at every meal. I have always felt sick at the thought it of since then and in fairness to my mother was never asked to eat an egg again.
So not liking eggs sort of stuck with me, although I have always enjoyed things made from eggs - egg custard being the most obvious, creme brulee, cakes , buns etc etc. So there was a part of me saying perhaps I should try one. I knew when I asked for chickens for my birthday this would be inevitable.
With egg production in the chicken bunker now in full swing and the early production already joining with the last of those from Asda in the cupboard I knew I had to let bygones be bygones and pluck up the courage. Consultation with egg-eaters suggested that scrambled eggs may be the way forward, a good starter for the egg phobic. Mrs RoR called Saturday as E day.
How did it go?
Thankfully a Clean Plate was achieved with out too much difficulty once initial nervousness had been bravely conquered. The real test will come when Hard Boiled Egg Day is declared, I'm hoping that won't be for some time yet and will concentrate efforts in the Scrambling department maybe even try an omelette.

One thing the head light has shown up is that the Ladies once persuaded to bed do not in fact perch but settle into the shavings on the floor and appear to stay there all night. I don't know if this matters and I am tempted to remove the perches.
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!

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Annie
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Annie »

Haha thats you fully fledged then !!
I don't like eggs much either, can't stand the white )loo( but omelettes are a good option. Eck eats eggs though and I use a fair few baking and making yorkshire puddings, pancakes etc.
In the summer my girls all perch , I know when its getting colder for them as they give up perching and cuddle up for extra warmth, which is fine by me and yes I take the perches out until it starts warming up again.
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
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sandy
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by sandy »

You are not alone, my biggest dread is if I am in a hotel at breakfast time and all I can smell are eggs yike* I cannot even look at a hard boiled egg without wanting to heave
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
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aishakali
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by aishakali »

Thankfully we love eggs, poached, boiled, scrambled, fried, you name it :-D , apart from egg custard bleugh!!!
LYN
Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

A cold and snowy day.
Tried some sweetcorn on a thread for a little activity in my new role as Entertainments Manager. When I enter the Bunker everyone now stops what they are doing to see what new game I have devised for their entertainment. Most of the games such as leaning into the coop to pick out poo are not intended as games but have been taken as a signal to play "how many hens can get into the coop while he is poo picking", similar to a game popular in the 1960's known as "how many people can fit in a Mini".
Pied Sussex and Little Brown Hen play Peck Tennis, final score PS 389 LBH 376.
Image
In preparation a cold night some extra floor covering
Image
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!
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aishakali
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by aishakali »

Looks like they are having fun :-D
LYN
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Annie
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Annie »

Do you have to act as umpire as well as chief poop picker then ?Another game to keep them entertained is find the meal worm/sultana in a big pile of straw )t'
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
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sandy
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by sandy »

Oh Rohan you do make me laugh, are you sure you are not Don Roberto using another name {rofwl}
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

The stack of eggs in the cupboard requires attention.
Breakfast: Home-made pancakes, we normally buy ready made ones at weekends but its the real deal from now on.
Afternoon: Tried the recipe for Egg Custard, worked well. I've always liked Custards.
Teatime: Omelette, my first ever! Again another Clean Plate! I'm becoming an egg eater, whether I actually like them I'm not really sure.
But I can eat them, surprise, surprise.
The easterly wind has filled the run with snow. The Ladies appear to think its some sort of new food and spend most of the day pecking it. LBH and Zazu (Rhode Rock) greet my snow covered boots with glee and spend their time pecking off the snow.
I realised the snow was being blown into the coop through the vent at the top, so wandered around looking for a quick solution. Thankfully Calderdale Council managed to over supply on the plastic recycling bags so used one of those to stop the snow but still let air in. Obviously this will need a more permanent but still flexible solution. So far this is the only problem faced with the pen / coop (oh dear have I really written that!), everything has worked well including the removable perches now removed.
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!
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sandy
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by sandy »

My you are becoming a right old egg eater! I love all type of pancakes. Now when you have fixed your hole permantely can I have your plastic recyling bag as South Glos council has never given us any we have to use carrier bags! I do love it when they peck the snow of your boots I bet they are most disappointed when it tastes like water.
The Pink Ladies..Audrey,Ingrid-Bergman,Madeleline,Norma-Jean,Dora,Janice,Jo,Robyn,Chrissy and Joyce
The Peds…Mork,Mindy,Bell,Saphire &
Vorky ,Blueped,Ginger,Ninger &Linky

Sunny Clucker was ere July 12-21 2012
Sunny Clucker was ere July 6 2016 to Sept 9th 2017
Sunny Clucker is here , rehomed Aug 18th 2018/
Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

The Chicken Bunker EPU (Egg Production Unit) has been stuttering slightly with numbers gradually declining from 3/4 per day to 3 then recently 2 and today shock horror only one. This despite a stern talking to two days ago when by lunchtime the scoreboard that day hadn't been troubled. Finally two eggs were produced later that day and until today nothing more was said.
Perhaps tensions are running high in the EPU. There seems to be a lot of pecking each other going on with Little Brown Hen the usual victim and Zazu the Rhode Rock the perpetrator, but it is by no means confined to these two. Poor LBH is starting to show a little bald patch and I am concerned for her.
I have seen anti pecking spray advertised does anyone recommend this?
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!
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Annie
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Annie »

Some say the anti peck spray works others are undecided - give it a go and see how it does for you. In the meantime if the hens getting pecked are showing signs of redness then deter further pecking of that area with purple spray (gentian violet I think it is) readily available at pet shops/equestrian suppliers. Sudocreme is good for using on sore spots to soothe but the purple spray disguises the redness which is what the hens go for.

Now as for your egg eating, I must say I am getting a little concerned, as the amount you are now consuming could lead you to becoming egg bound, a very unpleasant condition, that requires you to be sat in a bowl of warm water deep enough to cover your belly for approx 20 mins followed by your wet bits being dried off with a cool hairdryer or alternatively, enclosed in a box, belly down , resting on a warm hot water bottle . Well that usually dos the trick for the hens >dowhat<
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

Wow Annie!!
How did you know? I really must find out how to turn that web cam off.
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!
Riders of Rohan
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by Riders of Rohan »

I am still seeing the feather pecking. Zazu the Rhode Rock continues to be the worse culprit and LBH the victim. Two things that I have noticed may be related, Zazu eats the feathers and secondly she does not join in the frantic feeding session first thing in the morning, instead wanders around pecking at the ground. At the moment this is a pointless exercise for her as the ground is frozen solid. This morning I threw some of the pellets on the ground and she tucked in. So I'm wondering is Zazu getting enough to eat as she may prefer to free range rather than use the feeder.
LBH isn't wounded as such but a patch on her back is down to the fluffy white feathers and she is exceptionally nervous when the other come too close.
Looking for the spray to stop pecking I visited the Pets at Home web site which came up with a perverse score of Halifax 0, Bradford 0, Huddersfield 2. I don't like visiting stripey Town and consider it too far on fuel for a small product.
So I rang a local agri supplier who offered Gentian Violet or Stockholm Tar. He described Stockholm Tar as "you spread it on and it tastes like sh/t". Sometimes I struggle to hold onto reality and I couldn't stop the image of spreading tar onto a slice of toast and eating it.
She Who Must Be Obeyed became involved at this point, the temporary loss of reality had alerted her, sometimes this can be a Good Thing, sometimes not. After delving into the back of a cupboard she eventually emerged with a small brown bottle labelled "20ML GENTIAN VIOLET SOLN. APPLY AS DIRECTED. 3RD SEPT 1987".
Our eldest son was obviously subjected to such heavy pecking that medical help was required, I do now feel ashamed to admit this but would point out he has grown into fine fellow despite his parents.
Why Riders of Rohan? Used to work for a bus company called Yorkshire Rider, now own a Rohan clothing shop, sorry I'm no Tolkein!
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aishakali
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Re: The Ladies of Rohan

Post by aishakali »

{rofwl}
LYN

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