chookaholics chookalicious ladies

[Chookaholic]

I had to put it all back in as in was chucked out with the scratching around in their excitement.

I never knew rescue chooks smelt so bad..(glad they dont know ).

Rusty and Hyacinth have had a go at each other through the mesh.... I think this will be the toughest integration as theyre not babies , theyre older than all my girls bar Hyacinth so I have a feeling the feathers will fly. Hopefully like last time itll last a few minutes then theyll behave...my 18 year old Daughter was a nightmare last time and screeched more than the chooks!

[Chookaholic]

What a day!....so lovely and sunny but stressful ; fun and full of surprises

I was up at the crack of dawwn this morning to check on my new ladies, although they look great and arent too tatty theyre very pale and i noticed Nibs was very quiet and last night i ended up on my hands and knees fishing her out from under the coop as she didnt know to go upstairs into the coop where it was safe . but: theyre grand they were alert and eating and drinking so all was well

As it was nice Mr Chookaholic (he who pretends he isnt interested) came out to give me a hand refreshing water and food and cleaning bedding where needed. he opens the small run door within the big run where the girls are quarantined and turns his back: no prizes for guessing what happens next.... Nibs and rusty are out like greased whippets , the big run door is open as the girls are free ranging and Nibs and Rusty are out. So i am directing Mr Chookaholic, My daughter Katie and trying to herd them back in without my lot noticing : too late and they all come over .

Tikka squared up to rusty straight away and they had a 20 second scrap : then Hyacinth and Merryweather had a go ...same again but no feet involved was more bumping and flexing ...then my baby Speckledy Miranda Crumpet! I was shocked the cheeky Madam ... but all is restored. Rusty and Nibs both took THEMSELVES back to the big run and pop out when they feel brave and are left alone to be honest. I think I have the most well mannered chooks ever

Tikka was NOT impressed she went on for a good 30 minutes


youll have to excuse Mr Chookaholic telling her to "shurup"as he had been trying to ply her with mealworms which she ate then carried on

Im happy to leave them out as I know theyve been wormed and have no lice / mites..though id have prefered to have been more organised !!

It is good to see them scratch about and feel the sunshine though , and them being out has made me realise just how pale they are as I can see them properly

looking around the garden


Rusty


sticking together in the sunshine





staying out of Hyacinths way


todays quota! our biggest yet! Thankyou Chooks and dont you just love the sun ! the middle egg is the palest blue



its only 3pm and Ive got bedtime to get through yet! Its all fun and games with chickens theyre like naughty children but my word they do make me happy

[Chookaholic]

Casper having a dust bath

[Chookaholic]

Went out to lock the girls in .... the 2 new ladies had a coop all to themselves as the others still arent happy with them... and there was 9 in one! Poor Gertie was under Crackers bum and the banging about you could practically hear them saying "will you get your foot out of my face!"....." Well you move over then !" ....

4 were in the other coop with a ton of space so why they all piled into one i have no idea: they never cease to amaze me ....

[aishakali]

Brilliant that you have taken on 2 battys They are fantastic little hens! Cant wait to hear about the mischief they get up to when they are running the place

[Chookaholic]

Aishakali theyre wiley arent they?

Nibs is a duck and diver but Rusty is making her way up the chain.... the Leghorns already bow to her totally now she is working on the others.

2 of the others slept with them in their coop last night which i think was a shock as they stuffed themselves into 1 nestbox facing inwards... seem to have the mentality: if we cant see them theyre not really there

Generally though they now range fully round the garden, one has stopped laying which i expected but theyre thoroughly enjoying the sunshine and the treats. They still dont run to me but maybe they never will. I dont mind its good to see them building up and being chickens, dust bathing and scratching about. Theres rarely any aggression from the others but Puddin (who was the bottom hen) will insist on tormenting them so i sit out a lot and place a foot or leg in front of her, if she persists she gets squirted.

All the novelty of my sand box wore off very quickly so the sand went under the conifer where they love to dust bathe : that went down very well

All happy healthy ladies

[sandy]

Well I don't blame Tikka(lovely videos ) the poor girl has intruders moving in! Is Miranda Crumpet the bottom girl? Bottom girls find their inner raptors when joined by newbies. Shame about your dutbath, fickle girls aren't they?

[Chookaholic]

Hi Sandy..Puddin is bottom girl and was the problem...she is starting to relax a little now around Nibs . She really was relishing letting them know they were at the bottom of the pecking order. Watching Rusty lay down the law with the Leghorns seems to have broken her spirit a little though and peace has been restored

I have a lot of hidey holes in the big run and theres a lot of space in the garden so they dont seem to scrap much at all to be honest. At 15 though im definitely full!

[Chookaholic]

Miranda Crumpet has spent all day wandering in and out of coops... making nests then leaving them.....wandering into corners ....wandering back to the coops. Now she has been in a coop for 30 minutes....are we going to get our first Speckledy egg?! Im so excited! Sat outside in the Sun though it is quite cold today with my cup of tea watching her through the window of the coop

Mr Chookaholic said i should be a Midwife the anticipation is getting too much !

[aishakali]

Maybe they never will run to you??? . Soon you wont be able to go anywhere in the garden without two brown bossy boots following you. Let me know when it happens

[Chookaholic]

Nibs did run to me later today when i went outside! ....and she stands by me as she knows ill treat her and she gets protected , she reminds me of Dandelion who i lost...funny as Dandelion pecked me once too: theyre the only 2 ever to do it : cheeky madams. suprised me though as she is a shy, submissive little thing. Makes me wonder how she survived in the battery conditions

Rusty on the other hand just eats and eats, dust bathes , ....then eats some more theyre both coming along a treat

Miranda never laid: im like an expectant husband this is ridiculous, I could never hatch eggs im sure id be sitting on them myself !

Chickens should come with a warning: Highly addictive, your life will never be the same: youll talk to ANYONE about chickens and read the same articles over and over : youll also talk to your chooks and be convinced they answer : much to the amusement of your neighbours who can hear you over the fence

[aishakali]

[quote="

Chickens should come with a warning: Highly addictive, your life will never be the same: youll talk to ANYONE about chickens and read the same articles over and over : youll also talk to your chooks and be convinced they answer : much to the amusement of your neighbours who can hear you over the fence [/quote]

But they DO answer!

Didn't take long for them to run to you lol

[sandy]

Hmmm Miranda Crumpet seems a fussy madam, checking out all the best haunts Wait until they start attaching themselves to your legs, mind you its them who end up being kicked(accidentally of course). Oh and they do answer you you know

[Chookaholic]

today i spent most of the day in my new polytunnel planting tomatoes, peppers, sweetpeas and pumpkins surrounded by chickens who thought what i was doing was the most interesting thing ever : nothing to do with seeds and compost honest!

Miranda Crumpet still hasnt laid an egg though she makes the deepest nests... she followed me everywhere today with Gertie chattering to me about bugs, seeds and the weather and managed to tip the barrow over yet again. She is the only one to do this as she is so heavy and STiLL growing ! I have noticed the past 2 days theres white softies in the Leghorn choice of coop so I suspect theyre also starting to warm up. Theyre eating plenty of shell and have a good diet so maybe soon we will have our first Leghorn eggs !

The Ex batties Nibs and Rusty are doing great. Both have stopped laying and are picking up fast whats good to eat. They hung back a lot but have twigged when i go out theres something nice on the menu... today was roast dinner peelings boiled up... cabbage, broccolli, carrots and some boiled potatoes. They all got really stuck in. Their still pale but already look so much healthier and so much more confident. Nibs definitely enjoys contact and will lean on your leg if you sit long enough which I like to think is a thankyou very sweet and so far from the cheeky madam who pecked me

Jock Pepperpot is uhm...... feeling frisky shall we say? He is definitely lurved up and tormenting the girls. The big girls look at him like he must be mad even trying but he who is amorous shall not be defeated ! He even beat a poor pigeon up (twice his size) and strutted round like Rocky Balboa! Mrs Pepperpot however is not interested : poor love

Sandy they do hang round my legs and I stand there saying well i cant give you anything if i cant get to it ! Chickens have the uncanny ability to know exactly where youre going and stand right there , many time ive been doing the chicken waltz with a handful of something and nearly broke my neck....daft chooks

[Bridgets Mum]

Just caught up with your most recent posts. So happy your ex batties are settling in. You made my laugh when you said they might never come running to you. Tripping you up more like. And lovely pics.
Thank you Chookaholic