Oh what a pity about having to leave some girls behind, that must be heartbreaking {cry} Lockdown is a pain, there's no getting away from that - if you haven't had chickens before I can understand that putting you off, but if you have birds already you're going to have to cover them anyway . So sorr...

Oh dear, we are so sorry to hear of the losses in the Ped and Pink flocks. We send our condolences to the Peds and Pinks and of course the Pink Mummy. How very sad to lose two henpals, especially at this time of year

Dory Grey, Pokey, Smudge and Coco

We have had terrible trouble with rats this year, at the start of the year it was just awful! They went though my shed and took bags of mealworms, and were trying to get into the plastic tub of seeds. They were even dragging boxes of unopened rat poison away! That seemed to do the trick and they hav...

All very quiet here and of course with lockdown starting on Monday this is the last time for a long while (probably) that the girls will have free reign of the garden. I've got my footbath and disinfectant all ready - virkon - and just now need to break the news to the girls, stock up on things to k...

I can't say I'm looking forward to it at all - my girls hate staying in their run and like yours are spending all their time hanging round our back door. They so desperately want to come in. Talk about an awful year. Still, I'm betting we'll all be joining them in lockdown again in January! Got to t...

It's perfectly natural, they usually moult anytime from Sept onwards. Mine are all going through it at the moment. If your friend's hens haven't moulted, that would be very unusual unless they were Point-of-Lay this year - younger birds really come into their first proper moult around 18 months (whi...

All ok with the Ginger Ninjas. Pokey's having another moult spurt - wing feathers now - as is Smudge. Dory's in the growth stage but will lose feathers again soon, and miracle of miracles Coco is still laying!! Dory's personality always changes when she moults. On saturday she decided she needed to ...

It's been so wet and miserable, and with the evenings getting dark so quickly, I've hardly seen the girls. Dory, who is moulting heavily now, is doing her usual moult-related disappearing act and lurking in the depths of the garden, only venturing out for treats and trying to figure out ways of gett...

Hi CC! I do add poultry spice whenever the girls are having mash, which I do as an occasional treat as they love it. If anyone's appear under the weather or are struggling to get food (because the other greedy guts get it!) then I whip out the mash and it goes down a treat. I'm worming them at the m...

It's been ages since I posted on here! Pokey has moulted - well, is moulting, and is looking in a sorry state although seems quite happy in herself. She seems to have half moulted so I'm wondering whether she'll lose the other half when these new feathers are fully grown in. Dory has joined the part...

Hi Bob

So sorry to hear you've lost some hens. I suppose if we should choose a way for them to go, quietly and of old age after a very happy life would be the one we would choose.

Hope you're looking after yourself as well as the flock!

Huge condolences for all the hens lost recently, Bob's hens and Ivybelle. May their days over the bridge be spent with the sun on their wings and peace in their hearts

Dory Grey, Pokey, Smudge and Coco

Yes, mine are dying back now too. I've dug most of them up, but left a few in the hope (vain I think!) that they may get a last burst of life

This is a really interesting thread! I don't believe that history is history - the past shapes the present and we feel its effects far into the future. Also I believe the past offers us lessons if we would only learn them (but as humans we will continue to make mistakes anyway!) Definitely we are fe...

It's the rest of the unnecessary plastic packaging that also gets me. Why does everything have to come wrapped in plastic, insde plastic or cardboard boxes? So much waste and pollution