Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

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tosca100
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by tosca100 »

Well, in the last few days the ladies have experienced the range of weather conditions usual in spring, but as long as they have food and more food they will cope with anything, they assure us. They have had rain, sun, ice, snow, wind and sometimes all at once! They don't like the feel of our sticky mud on their feet and are inclined to stand on one leg telling you all about it and asking what we are going to do about it!

But they are all looking so much better, feathering up nicely and with better colour. Even Mandy's comb is more perky. They are all laying regularly in the right place rather than wherever they happen to be. They are still being picked on occasionally by the others, but they don't seem to care, and though Chubba can be a bit naughty with them, she will still happilly go and sit with Mandy.

With the rain we have had there has been a bit of a worm fest. Although they must be alien to the ladies, they are voracious hunters of small worms, much more so than the others. We do, however, have some monsters, more like small snakes. None of them will tackle these! The rain has also made the weeds and grass grow on the plot, though the runs still look like mud wallows where no shoot which dares to poke it's head above ground will last long. So Dave has re-arranged the fence to take in what will be my seed/nursery bed so that the chickens can clear it for me. The first to realise that there was more food on offer were, of course, the one-time scrawnies, closely followed by Chubba. Happy hens, but they still had to keep going back to the feeder just to make sure it was still there!

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Fluffy bottoms making an appearance
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Milly
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Molly
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Mandy
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Because my memory is not brilliant......http://debrazzaman.blogspot.com/

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sandy
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by sandy »

Hello Tosca )wav( Brilliant another diary to keep up with )t' Your girls look absolutely splendid. They have a lovely place to explore, I am not surprised they don't tackle snakey worms
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/
tosca100
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by tosca100 »

Well there is not a lot to say about our three lovely ladies, except that they are thriving. They look better every day, are so friendly and chatty, and give us lovely eggs every day. Molly has developed a foot fetish, tripping me up if I don't watch my step and worrying the woman next door (you would have thought she was going to be eaten by a chicken!) {rofwl} They still cuddle up in the same box every night, which was the same box everybody lays in. There is often a queue, and occasionally they use it two at a time. However, one of the shumen pullets has started to lay and chose a different box and today one of the older hens followed suit, so maybe they will start spreading themselves about a bit.

Milly, Molly and Mandy also dust bathe together, but although they do stay together a good amount of time, they are a lot more independent than they were. I feel that they are happy, and we are happy with them and recommending ex-batts from the market to anyone looking for layers in BG.

Molly, a foot fetishist
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Milly, chunky lass with an appetite for mole crickets (((shudder)))
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Molly with Mandy behind. Mandy is continuing to become more sound daily
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In the bath
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Because my memory is not brilliant......http://debrazzaman.blogspot.com/
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Spreckly
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by Spreckly »

What beautiful girls, Tosca. Love your diary.
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sandy
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by sandy »

They certainly look very happy contented beautiful girlies )t'
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/
tosca100
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by tosca100 »

The ladies are still doing really well and laying lovely big eggs, a rarity in the villages. They seem so happy, but are desperate, always, to get whatever is beyond the run fence....mostly lovely young broad bean and pea plants. Thank goodness flying is as alien as perching to them!

But today three have become six as Tulip, Till and Tansy join the family. They are ex-commercials, but we don't think they are battery as they have feathers and can perch. The Ms still don't get that! Also they are strong on their legs. We have a skinny, an OK and a heavy...and they stink, phew. They have been put in the garage on the other side of our plot in isolation as we don't want to risk anything with having chicks in the nursery.

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These two went straight to the low perch. We didn't bother putting a proper one in as we didn't think they would use it.
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This girl was so light she perched on the side of the dish before paddling in it. Water dishes a new experience I think.
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Really must stop going to the market!
Because my memory is not brilliant......http://debrazzaman.blogspot.com/
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HenPen
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by HenPen »

Ooh lovely, it will be great to see how they come on. I for one vote you don't stop going to the market! )t'
tosca100
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by tosca100 »

HenPen wrote:Ooh lovely, it will be great to see how they come on. I for one vote you don't stop going to the market! )t'


I don't go in! I stay in the car or I would fill the car, we have the space. But the markets here are not quite the same as the UK, they are not ordered or regulated and last week a goat was butchered in the middle of the market. Someone must have said they will buy if it was not walking! There are welfare laws but no-one takes much notice of them. {cry}
Because my memory is not brilliant......http://debrazzaman.blogspot.com/
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HenPen
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by HenPen »

yike*
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KarenE
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Re: Diary of three ex-batts in Bulgaria 2014.

Post by KarenE »

Oh my god yike* Thank god they don't do that in tescos

Your girls look absolutely gorgeous and your 3 newbies will so enjoy the same life. Better stay well clear of the market though or you could soon have a smallholding on your hands!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper

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