karen's chicken diary

[KarenE]

Do you mean wet the bed more...?

Hard to imagine that being possible, with the amount they produce, but you never know!

[sandy]

Your girls are so lucky having a winter retreat Turning down grapes? I have a feeling that it may be sour grapes. Well they are just spiting themselves aren't they? I have a feeling Gwen may be instrumental in their behaviour

[KarenE]

Sour grapes - nice one Sandy!

Ducked out briefly to take a few photos of the girls and to have a bonding cup of tea in the greenhouse with them. They were quite happily scattering straw around the garden (there's a corner I use for composting their straw down and - disgusting creatures that they are - they love to scratch around in it to see what's lurking there to eat). I know what's lurking there, and you wouldn't catch me dipping my beak in it!

Anyway, they were happy enough to take time out of their busy schedules, especially when I brought a bit of scrambled egg out for them - gabby (or maybe Nugget) is laying again but the shells are a little thin.

Triplicate fluffy bum time!


Toffee - where's that dandelion plant gone???


Nugget has a tidy-up on my knee.


Gabby, proudly showing off her splendid new tail and head feathers


Gabby is looking for something. Not sure what it could be... (SWEETCORN you say??)


And Toffee 'I'm ready for my close up now Mr De Mille'


And finally Commander Nugget, showing off her full feathered splendour

[sandy]

I can never get enough of photos of our girls Toffee is a right poser, do you think she is really looking for the dandelion plant(or something else)? Gabby looked like she was on a mission going up that slope.

[KarenE]

God I hate it when the nights are drawing in - there's so little time to spend with the monsters, who are putting themselves to bed around 4.15 these days. Not to mention the fact that it's flipping freezing and wet.

Managed to get a bit of time out with the girls but probably very bad for my health as I have a wretched cold and sitting shivering on a damp step while Nugget snuggles is probably going to finish me off. Still, it's worth it esp as the little isn't feeling well at the moment. She's either going down the softy route (another in the nestbox yesterday but can't tell whether it's her or gabby as there was only Toffee's egg laid) or is generally under the weather. I can't believe it's still the effects of a moult. There's always the risk at this stage (and her age) that she's just slowing down.

But the damp step was doubly worth it yesterday as Gabby also hopped up to have a little roost as well, so that's Nugget on the right leg and Gabby on the left, both happy as larry. Gabby hasn't quite settled to sitting down yet but I think she will eventually.

Today the girls have had a busy day of pottering about. I swept up a load of leaves yesterday (they helped enormously by scattering them about and making me do it again) and today they've had a great day digging and scratting around in the piles. I've popped a load into their run as well so they can have a borrow in there.

Also fantastic treat day (I hear there's a vicious rumour doing the rounds that they never get treats - shocking fib!) as they've had sardines in tomato sauce (mainly for Nugget as a protein boost) and at one stage there's 3 chickens and a cat all gathered round the dish having a lovely snack. Jasper really enjoyed it and licked every scrap of tomato sauce - I heard a right squarking and i think he'd chased off Toffee.

[sandy]

Ooh Nugget, please get better soon lovely If you must sit on a damp step(not you Nugget) I put a garden kneelerdown to sit on, got a nice thick one in £ land Hate these early nights

[KarenE]

Thanks Sandy. Nugget seems a bit perkier today - must be the amazing restorative effects of sardines in tomato sauce. Her tail's stayed up and she seems a bit like her old self, albeit a bit slower but then she is a lady of a certain age now and does have her dignity as top hen to maintain. She has a very very mucky bum though which I'm sure can't be comfortable. I might give worming a go at the back end of this week, and if she hasn't cleaned herself up by the time I'm back (away for most of the week) I shall have to brave a bath for her.

Gabby a bit fluffed up today so I'm expecting a softie in the nestboxes tomorrow.

She isn't half a fussy madam though - she really is sticking her beak up at any treats which aren't corn, although she did tuck into the sardines and some mash i made up as well, but grapes and tomatoes definitely went down like a lead balloon yesterday and today, the fusspot. Nugget and Toffee got stuck right in, but not miss fussy knickers.

God knows how I'll manage her worming, as I was using the grape method (which worked really well in the summer, Gabby was riddled with worms when she arrived) but now she won't eat them, the little so and so. Little does she know the horror of no treats awaiting her! (Or perhaps she might, if some henpals have warned her)

I can expect an awful lot of over the next week!

[sandy]

Glad to hear Nugget is a bit better. Karen why don't you use flubernet pellets? I get mine from farmandpetplace they are very reasonable plus the postage fee and they let you choose when they can deliver. So much easier to worm the darlings

[KarenE]

I thought about it Sandy but I hear a lot of people saying they waste the pellets because of the quantity. And i have a massive tub of flub. I might just put the girls on a diet of mash - they love mash. Pre treated pellets would be a lot easier though.

Mind you it's only 1 fussy girl I am having to change tactics for, little madam

[sandy]

Hmm they do do a 10g bag, I soak mine down sometimes. Shane you havent anyone near you could share a bag with?

[KarenE]

I'll stick with the grape method for my 2 good girls - it worked really well when I used it over the summer - maybe the dose is unscientific but it cleared the infestation from gabby right up. And I'll dunk a bit of corn in it for gabby, she'll eat that. Or maybe I'll get creative and administer it via sweetcorn! I have some stashed away for me and the girls you know ;)

[sandy]

Just incase, do you give them a grape dunked in flub every day for 7 days? Bit impractical for me with 11 as you just know the same girl will have nearly all 11 grapes

[KarenE]

Would that same girl be Gwen X Hen? Whoever it is will be extremely worm free

I cut a grape into 4, dip one of the little cut sides in flub and give a quarter to a girl each day for 7 days (this was when i had cass still, will only use 3 bits now) - I find that with my lot, if i offer them just the bits and no more, each will take one very politely and eat it. It's the scramble for more grapes that kicks in after that momentary politeness. Not sure I could cope with 11 either

[sandy]

Thanks for that I think I will try it on the neighbours, they have 3 big girls and 1 silkie and as their daddy mixed corn in with their pellets they tend to throw any pellets out looking for corn all the time Gwen is in the cube bedroom tonight but I forgot to take her phone down to her

[aishakali]

Glad Nugget is feeling better Karen, and hope likewise for Gabby too. One of my girls didn't like grapes, so I dipped a small square of wholemeal bread in olive oil and the flub stuck to that. It went down no problem