Louise's Chicken Diary

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sandy
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

Post by sandy »

I hope Rose and Vi are enjoying their christmas break as promised? Hope they havent got the rain we have tumbling down here though
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Cheshire Chick
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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It's wet, wet, wet at the moment and we have had snow this morning that has just turned to mush. The garden is pretty miserable, definitely a welly job the minute you step out of the back door. Girls run is muddy to but they have found a dry spot and have been dust/mud bathing this morning so I think they are still enjoying themselves. Vi is looking a bit like a hedge hog at the moment, with new quills popping through all over the place. What a time of year to have your first big moult!! The garden is too muddy and wet for the girls (and humans .. and cats it appears) and the forecast is dreadful with rain for the forseeable future. Never mind as long as we are all safe and happy and healthy and I hope everyone else is as well.
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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Well my little Vi is getting some beautiful new feathers through. For a couple of weeks she has been running around with a little bare red bottom and resembling a hedgehog. She still hasn't got her full feathers through but they are coming on a treat. She has also started laying again, which I was a little surprised about as feathers have not finished growing. Two beautiful, very large, warm brown eggs this morning. Little Rose has never stopped laying, bless her. Vi had her moult all on her own. She is once again going to look very, very beautiful very soon. Weather here awful again, rain, rain and more rain, which means lots of mud. The little ladies are still finding places to have a bath and do not seem phased by the weather. They have had lots of nice things to eat, including scrambled egg, meal worms and of course their greens. They have been having a little bit of bread with some cod liver oil for some added vitamins, which I think has helped Vi along with her moult. Hope everyone is well and all the flocks.
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kitla
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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It seems crazy for them to moult over winter, but when you see them with their beautiful new plumage, ready to look their best for Spring, you can understand why it happens! We'll all need to post some "new feathers" photos - when we have a nice enough day to show off the latest colours.
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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Just been reading Karen's updated Diary about her problems with a neighbourhood cat attacking her little girl cat. I got up on Saturday morning and next doors cat was actually inside the chicken run. The girls were locked in the coop so she couldn't get in. Needless the say I shooed her out and tried to see where she had got in, as it has chicken wire all over and on the roof. On Sunday I was busy in the kitchen and I went out into the garden to the compost and there she was again in the chicken run ... with Rose and Vi. Don't know how long she had been there, but Rose and Vi were not bothered in the least. It's a good job she is friendly cat, but I am not prepared to take any changes with my girls. Found out exactly where she had been squeezing in and husband has stapled extra wire - so hopefully that will put an end to it. Can't get over how lovely vi is looking with her new plumage. Her little bottom is so clean and fluffy, she looks adorable and has gone to a much lighter blond.
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kitla
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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I expect the pusscat is after mice, I occasionally have a ginger tom hanging around our run after mice. I'd rather he'd go after the visiting rat though!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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Hi everyone - hope you and your flocks are all OK. Hoping for a better weekend this weekend as Rose, vi and I are sick of all the rain and the mud in the garden. This month is Rose and Vi's second birthday. Can't believe I have had them 2 years in May - they have grown up so quickly. On that note, I have ordered another coop as I want to get 2 more babies (in May when we get back from our holidays). I am going to keep Rose and Vi in their coop and put the other coop in the other side of their run. They will all have plenty of room and the reasoning behind this is that if I lose one of my girls I will have two more youngsters so no-one will be on their own. Saying that, I just hope that Rose and Vi have very long, happy lives (touch wood). Husband is going to make some repairs to the roof of the run, so it will all have a bit of a make over. The new coop comes on Monday, but am not sure when that will be erected. There is no urgency as we are away in May so will not be getting the new girls until our return.
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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I am the proud owner of 2 great big boxes. Took delivery this morning. Husband is going to be VERY busy indeed!!
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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Well we bought some wood and screws this morning and husband fixed up the run roof. Rose and Vi decided that they didn't like him in their run doing all these funny things with wood and drills, so gave him a good telling off and retired to bed. Not for long though as they are just too nosey and had to keep their eyes on him. As I left for work he was just taking all the pieces of the new coop out of the two big boxes, with a look of "oh my god where do I begin?". I don't think this is going to be an easy task. At least I am out of the way while he tries to assemble all the parts. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like when it is all put together. Fingers crossed!!
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sandy
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

Post by sandy »

CC we are looking forward to seeing it too )piicy(
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/
Cheshire Chick
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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Hi Sandy, Kitty, Bob and everyone. Husband made a good job of the new coop. We are just deciding what to put on the base of it. We are thinking of putting it on flag stones so nothing can dig under and as I usually put sawdust on the floor of the run (for easier cleaning), so the flags may work well as a base. Once this is done we can put it properly in it's final position and then all we have to wait for is the new residents. Husband has also built a new door so we now have two completely separate areas ... hoping that this will make integration easier (at least for me!!). I will look into putting photo's on once everything is prepared. Took me all my time to conquer Photobucket!!! Hope everyone and their flocks and animals are well. Looking forward to weekend to spend some garden time with Rose and Vi.
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KarenE
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

Post by KarenE »

Flags are a good idea, honestly I am having such a mare with rats so if there's anything you an do to head them off then do it!

Well done to your husband, he must have worked so hard )app( Pictures would be great - use imgbox, it's so much easier than photobucket!
Karen
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kitla
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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I suppose flags would be easy. rats do like to tunnel under things like that but they wouldnt be able to get into the run! You could always leave one out in the middle for the chooks to make a dustbath.
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
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Mo
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

Post by Mo »

I found holes in the base of my plastic gardenstore / henhouse. And an underground maze. So it went onto flags.
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Re: Louise's Chicken Diary

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My intention is to put the whole coop on the flags, but there will still be plenty of room for dustbathing (as the whole area wont be flagged). I suppose at the end of the day we can only do so much and the best we can to protect our girls. Hopefully out buying flags tomorrow and them coop can be positioned into place. When I am organised I will take some photo's. Hope everyone and their flocks (and animals) are well and are weathering this freezing weather ... at least it is dry and the run has finally dried out a bit.

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