My attempt to keep chickens.

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bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi all , Well the flock are good better than me , 4 hours on a 2 hour journey done my back and drove home again 4 hours . My navigation is hopeless . (I was nearly at Peterborough before I decided I was driving north not east .....
same on the way back head west in stead of south...
Well I locked the girls up last night and let them out at 10am today .
With them all day .
pain killers and heat rub .....
Work today and days all week .
worried now about suit case pulling .
Bob

bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , Desmond awake at 4.00am this morning , something / someone disturbed him . Early risers in my area . (blue collars ) . Quiet again till I got up at 5.30 am.
No bending for me at the moment , They have to jump up for treats .
All good .Locked up till I go home soon . Not sure if I will let them out straight away as mate working on back doors finishing of and the front door frame replaced and a wide door fitted . (Wheel chair size .
Eggs are well down. Chocolate is a hedgehog in disguise as all her back , sides and under belly is bold and new feathers coming through . She really did moult .
Be glad to see her dark feather coating again.
Bob
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , 2 bags saw dust and the 5 CRATES delivered yesterday . Going to deliver my flock Sunday am before 10.
Chocolate is really growing her feathers back and keeping out the way. Poor girl looks a mess. Never had a girl loose her feathers so quick and so many all over . Wonder if she will keep her colour dark brown. Have been looking for someone that breeds naked neck chickens . Thinking I might hatch a couple from Capt. Chaos and a hen or two .
Sure I will find him a couple of girls. ( Do not suppose Desmond will be to happy or Champ either come to that ). Be after I come back from hols . All doors now firmly shut , locked and kitchen raid prof .
Lots of egg orders , but no eggs available . Hard to explain moulting and rest periods for the girls.
Bob
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Not sure if you know this , Ferns from woodlands , Chickens love the green leafs .
They ate my garden one , now I throw them leaves when I come back from dog walking in the woods.
Bob
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Hi all , I had the great pleasure this morning of WAKING Desmond up.
He refused to crow before my alarm. Now I say getting up with the cockerel crowing is looking better every day . Shame the neighbours will loose a month of benefits .
SHMBO is now getting her glad rags out , into the case . looking forward to meeting Amanda the over side of the world. (Thank you )
Sunny Cluck in the case already .
Bob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by Cheshire Chick »

Can't believe it was you waking Desmond up and not the other way around. Your neighbours will be able to have lie in's when Desmond and the boys go to the farm while you are away. Gosh ... visiting the other side of the world - sounds fantastic - when do you go? I bet you and SWMBO can't wait - What an experience!! Hope you have a really wonderful time.
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

in hols section.
Mon evening airport fly Tues am.
Probably up walking mountains.
bob
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sandy
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by sandy »

Bon how long does it take to load up your boys and girls? My Desmond is going to be confused with no human bedroom to reside in in the mornings?
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/
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

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Well the holiday home is looked up at 10.00am so it will be a early start , plan is to catch /grab in run shut pop hole in the big coop and extract as many as possible . Then treats and after that (Woos ) net with a fish net.
Take an hour to walk back and forth from back garden to van . crates to heavy with 8 in . Have 5 crates 38 . I will put the special girls Lit- al - N (Beardie ) , Goldie and Pom-Pom in a cat box. Lost a lot of leg rings which I will have to replace. will take the neck collars off the boys so as the can crow there hearts out whilst away . Plenty of other boys at the hatchery /Health farm. 4 eggs yesterday ....
Desmond woken up again this am BY ME . Champ hears me in the coop and starts the morning of with the rest getting louder all the time. It is a sad day for me on Sat the day before they go off. As I think it maybe the last time I will see some of them in the garden alive . Not anyone`s fault just a chicken fact that they are old ones amongst them .
I also know they will start laying as soon as they arrive and the eggs will go off to some lucky person with no benefit to the bill when I return.
Cost I am putting at in the region of 300 pounds . Worth every penny.
Vets are all lined up should they be needed . Bills get paid when I get back.
So I will let them out in the garden later on this morning , with the knowledge that they have two full days left before they are kept in a large run / coops . Another thing also is it is quite possible that when I return the Flu will have returned .
Not sure what happens then if a travel ban is put on and I cannot get them home (legally ) .
That's a thought 400 pounds a month , Plus fuel for visiting etc (time ) .
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by KarenE »

Not long to go now then Bob! You'll have a great time over there, it's a fabulous country, so beautiful and the people are so friendly. I loved being there.

Have a great time, and say hi to Manda!
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
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi , thank you ,
Did not disturb Desmond this morning still quite when I left this morning . Not working weekend , so last of my writing on Monday day .
Not packed , not tidied the house . Done nothing so far.
Rush this weekend as no chance on Monday .
Want to spend time with the flock as well Sat . few girls under the weather . (Moulting I recon ) . Feeding them up with lots of meal worms and treats .
Going to do the normal and pay the girls at the Hatchery to hand feed them when the opportunity arises . Like a stable girl .
Hope they all survive the stay .
Bob
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sandy
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by sandy »

Bob gonna miss you and your 'family' on here for awhile, make sure Manda lets you do a post )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/
amber66
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by amber66 »

Enjoy your holiday Bob.
Amber.
bikesandbirdsbob
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

Hi all , what a week end . Sat chaos . Cleaning and getting ready to go .
Sunday up crack of dawn to load girls up . 6.00am still dark so crept around till 7.00am . Crates ready first girls in crates . Trouble the stupid ones walked straight into my hands , the Quakers , box , new girls , Pom Pom on her nest .
Hungry girls that did not know better till next time .
Got down to the last 12 8.00am . Well plenty of time I am thinking . places closes at `10.00am ` Well last 5 -time what 9.00am . Managed to corner 3 , ranger , spec and Evil. Well the last ones was the DESMOND who was having none of this lark at all . He got through some wonderful gaps .Door on a jar and off ran the moulting crazy spec into the garden , Air went blue . With this Desmond made a dash and he was in the garden as well Well more chasing and getting desperate for time . NETTED Desmond. Well could not find the Spec . Gate was open so up and down the road just in case . She was hiding under the hydranger . She took more time to corner . Well at 9.30 am I left . Last eggs dropped off for SHMBO neighbours (6) for looking after her cat . Got to Rettendon Common at 9.50am I thought she (Karen ) the owner was shutting the gates , drove in , pointed to the run they where going . Apologising for being late . Then found out that the OPEN at 10.00 shut 12,00 pm . Relaxed .
Only one sad thing is 1 ring Green r/l will be dead soon as she has water belly (same as Cuddles . Penelope etc girls from the past . ) . Karen will look after her till such time as she is pain . Not surprised as suspected that she was not well . told rest of the flock was good looking . that is to be seen .As I am not happy with their claws / feet . But a bowl of aniseed seeds and bits soon had them scratching about the sawdust flooring . Plenty of nest boxes , which was in and out of . Why do the all cram into one box I do not know. . Paid the money for the holiday camp and worming . Total cost was /is 200 pounds plus any vet bills etc. that may occur which she will sort out when I get back.
had a wonder about , she has made some alterations , due to last years Flu and the potential next one , she has down sized as not going to feed birds for 5 months and not able to sell or move on. I fell in love with a Seabright girl/boy . Not sure which , believe it to be a hen . The size of a pigeon Full grown . Black and white , a real pretty girl.
trouble is she will look like a pigeon and the cats will think fair game .
If it is still there when I return I may purchase her as she is a real little darling . Another little brown hen came to the wire and I thought she was a tame lap sitter if ever I saw one , then realised that it was owned already by some lady and hence friendly.
well got home more packing and tidying . Dogs out . Now I thought I would catch the mouse and let it loose int he fields . BIG MISTAKE ..............
I took off the lid . Box at the ready went to catch the devil it jumped on the box and out of the tank and escaped....
Well with that I had the whole house up turned , complete chaos . Managed to find it ,missed , the cat caught and I crabbed the cat , It yelped and the mouse escaped again . Well midnight I am still after it . So many escapes . Put the house back again and re-tidied . Had to go to bed . This morning Mouse is still alive and under washing m/c this morning so the cats are telling me.
Working today so not much chance of catching it.
Suit case was packed , unpacked , re adjusted . Shut then weighed over 25 kilos .
Today in the space of a hour window will have to do more fiddling with the case . Sunny Clucker has put to much weight on I think.
Went to bed and then remembered no swimming suit packed , so Birthday suit job .
Going to have to take stuff out and put in hand luggage .Leaving 2 pairs of shoes out and a few other essential but not taking with me stuff .
My going in position is go without or have a shopping experience buying it in a non English speaking shop. Great fun.

Well air port tonight , fly tomorrow and worry about the flock for 3 weeks .
more neighbours going to look after the dogs and take home for company so that is the last worry gone.
had the speech on dos and don`ts on the phone last night , about do not annoy the fellow travellers , eating habits , not wondering off and general snoring and other nasty habits I have being on my own so much. (Worst is getting up at 4.00am and shouting ` SHIPS BERTHED ` crashing about the room drinking coffee.
Well enough said but the most thing I thing is how many of my flock I seen for the last time and till I see them again .
Bob
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KarenE
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Re: My attempt to keep chickens.

Post by KarenE »

Bob you should be a comedy show {rofwl}

Take a third of the stuff out of your suitcase, and find a washing machine while you're out there. You'll be lugging that case around so lighten it up. By the way, New Zealand is great for fleeces and stuff, I still have one that I bought there nearly 20 years ago and its still in great condition. And the T shirts are good, see if you can find a shop called Global Culture in Auckland and I think they may have one in Christchurch or Wellington too. Great t shirts, lovely maori designs

Hoping you have a great time, and that your girls and boys are safe and well looked after )t'
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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