Sarabee's chickypops

Start your own thread and let us follow you through the year
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

We only started with chicks at the beginning of June, last year. The weather was already foul so we built a large Walk-in-Run with roof, having read so much on DTL about mud!!
The girls were allegedly 9 weeks oldish, 2 buff sussex and 2 speckled sussex. The buffs were bigger then. Now the speckled are the largest:
Gaia - ruler of the roost, laying well but no stooping for this warrior girl. Can knock a box of mealworms flying in a second and gobble them up just as quickly
Dottie (almost identical) hangs on to Gaia's status to award herself second place but really she is a wuss and quite sweet really.

The buffs are far more easy going:
Rhoda - the smallest and most biddable, stoops at the drop of a feather, friendly, inquisitive, oversees all cleaning activities. Anyone's for a strawberry!
Lady Buttercup - had a bit of a do with a broken beak and hence handled the most. Loves to be hand fed and even takes mealworms gently. She won't eat them off the ground if I'm there. Usually first to bed. She has big fluffy knickers. Laid her first little eggs last week.
These little girls really have stolen our hearts - they take very little looking after, compared to dogs and horses and they are so entertaining which was unexpected.
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx

sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

It's a fair day here so we are doing a full clean out then hubbie wants to make a gate for their FR area. The feeder has been jamming a bit so we are off to look for a better one.
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
User avatar
s33xpt
Lively Laner
Posts: 346
Joined: 24 Jun 2012, 13:01
Gender: Female
Location: Huddersfield, W Yorks

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by s33xpt »

They sound a lovely little flock...looking forward to a pic ...and how on earth do you get hubbie to 'want' to do chicken stuff ?? {rofwl}
sharing my home with Kasa the Kelpie Dog, Trouble & Chaos the cats, 8 ex batts and an ever suffering animal suffocated OH
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

s33xpt wrote:They sound a lovely little flock...looking forward to a pic ...and how on earth do you get hubbie to 'want' to do chicken stuff ?? {rofwl}


He loves them and got lots of new power tools when the run was required. I do need to post some more pics now they are so huge.
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
User avatar
MissEllie
Legendary Laner
Posts: 7706
Joined: 29 Oct 2011, 13:03
Gender: Female
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by MissEllie »

Your girls sound lovely, looking forward to some photos.
I bet you're enjoying those long-awaited eggs )t'
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have
Woody Allen
User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sandy »

Gaia is an unusual name, be interested to know it's origins
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/
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

from Wiki: Gaia was the goddess or personification of Earth in ancient Greek religion,one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods, the Titans and the Giants were born from her union with Uranus (the sky), while the sea-gods were born from her union with Pontus (the sea).

My daughter chose the name. DD is a determined feminist (in a deceptively gentle way) and rarely loses the opportunity to mention powerful or successful women!
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

Well, 3 eggs again today so the pattern seems to be one egg followed by three eggs. All are slightly different so I am quite sure they are all laying but one is laying brown eggs which surprises me.

When one of the hens started laying outside the coop and the egg kept being devoured, a dear friend called Terry (a very informative naturist and entertaining to listen to) suggested putting the divider back in the nest box which was an instant success - no more eggs outside. Funny thing is that they all lay in the same half of the nest box!
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
morbidia
Lively Laner
Posts: 269
Joined: 24 Sep 2012, 17:35
Gender: Female

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by morbidia »

They all sound like a lovely bunch, I look forward to seeing some photos. My girls don't lay in the nest box they use it as their bedroom :-D
User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sandy »

Thanks for the info on her name )t' Yes they all want one spot cause it has to be the best one {rofwl}
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/
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

Well, after losing Rhoda yesterday I feel so down. Last night Gaia wouldn't go to bed, she kept calling for Rhoda and looking round the run. Gaia is the bedtime marshall, she's a real bossy madam but she was so upset by Rhoda not being there.
So just three now which is a real shock - we didn't expect to lose one so early.
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

This morning I caught Dottie shredding a carrier bag that had blown in and settled by the run. I don't think I've accounted for all the pieces and it's likely she's eaten some though I can't see anything. The last thing we need is another crop problem.
Things seemed to be running so smoothly lately. :oops:
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
User avatar
sandy
Legendary Laner
Posts: 9915
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 21:59
Gender: Female
Location: Bristol

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sandy »

Don't panic I am sure Dottie will be fine, I had one eat half a finger of marigold glove once, they are such madams sometimes
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/
sarabee
Legendary Laner
Posts: 1572
Joined: 07 May 2012, 08:08
Gender: Female
Location: Somerset.

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by sarabee »

Thanks, I have been more than a bit paranoid today. The girls went to bed ok tonight so they seem to get over losing a friend quite quickly :?
Sara

"Harm no living thing"

Brilliant hubbie, 2 great teenagers, Sasha the elderly dog and Fin, the evil but loveable cat! 3 chickens; Dottie, Gaia, and Buttercup
Night night Rhoda xx
Benny&Co
Project Hedgehog Leader
Posts: 13793
Joined: 03 Jan 2011, 11:51
Gender: Female
Location: South

Re: Sarabee's chickypops

Post by Benny&Co »

sarabee wrote:Thanks, I have been more than a bit paranoid today. The girls went to bed ok tonight so they seem to get over losing a friend quite quickly :?


{hug}
Bev x
Our family: my-Lovely-Hubbly and I, Benny and our two little Ladies - Betty and Gloria.

RIP dear little Ladies - Lottie, Cottie, Elsie, Dottie, Hilda and Margie. You may have gone, but are never ever forgotten.

Post Reply