I replied to the rainbow bridge post by accident - Bob I am so sorry to hear this totally unexpected and shocking news! Nobody could have expected a fox brazen or desperate enough to actually come into the house! Poor FM, and poor you. Yes I think lockdown for the flock is the best idea for now, you...

Oh my god Bob, that is so shocking! Poor little Fridge Magnet, I am so sorry Who could ever have imagined something like that would happen??? I hope your other hens are ok. Sugar water and keep them in the dark - do keep an eye out for shock, that and a heart attack is probably what did for FM, bles...

what he means is that it's usually better to get 3 at first, in case you lose one so that you don't have just one chicken left if anything happens. As you've found! So the next sensible thing would be to add another 2, as you are planning, as that helps to dissipate aggression during introductions -...

Here we are coming into mid to late summer and it feels like autumn already. The blackberries have already ripened and I have apples starting to come down far too early. Most alarming is the pumpkins - I have a lot this year, all medium sized but most worryingly, all ripening and a couple ripe. It's...

You're not kidding Sandy! I've now locked Dory out of the coop, as she seems a very determined broody Woo so far. She is quite distressed, although is being so in a dustbath in the run (!) so - y'know... And she is a stroppy mare as well, chasing everyone away but I guess she must be starving as wel...

It's all going on over here. Firstly the red mite are back, quite inevitably really. I spotted a few on the bottom of the cardboard boxes I use as nesting boxes while I was doing a big clean, so they have been burned and everywhere cleared out - I was due to do a treatment anyway, so everywhere has ...

Marvellous news! Being at home all the time is really helping me get to know Smudgie and Coco so much, you'll love it And it sounds like they are point of lay, so don't worry about intros too much, they'll probably be fairly meek and mild. My Pokey, who is a holy terror, was Point-of-Lay when we got...

Louise, I'm so sorry to hear Olive has finally decided to cross the bridge. We know it is on its way but it never gets easier. At least you can take comfort in the fact that she was in her home, in safe and comfortable surroundings when it happened, and she passed peacefully. This when you think abo...

Condolences on the loss of Big N, and we are so sorry they are belated Huge condolences on the sad departure of Olive, who fought a good fight just like our lovely mango but really just couldn't resist the call of the bridge and all her friends on the other side. We know her mummy is bereft at her p...

Oh CC I am so sorry to hear you are having such a bad time at the moment. My condolences on your losses and my thoughts are with you for the rest. Yes I agree with Bob, sadly redundancy is and will be a sign of the times to come. I remember mass unemployment from the eitghties very well and it's ext...

Oh poor Pat, sorry to har he's not well Mo. I hope he's doing better, and that is a grand age for him.

I don't have an electric fence, but my neighbour's rigged one up due to badger interest in both our coops. He's used a solar powered battery for his. Got it off amazon, just search electric poultry netting and loads of units come up. I think yo can get battery powered units or mains units, and of co...

Don't pull feathers out, that would be painful and cruel. I've never heard of anyone recommending that. Wing clipping as has been said is more what is recommended if you have birds who really are a flight risk although most are quite happy staying in their own gardens and on the ground. I've never d...

Hello henpals Dory Grey here Oh dear, henpal good wishes are on their way from us to the Pink Ladies Merle and Madeleine, who by the sounds of it need all the wishes they can get and that's a fact henpals! It also sound like the Pink Mummy could do wth some special henpal pot-of-gold-lucky-leprechau...

Good news that Poppy is doing well, although that thinness is a bit of a worry. mango lost so much weight over a period of time and you don't really notice because of the fluffiness, only when you pick them up. Hope she puts a bit of weight back on. I do also hope that things aren't becoming immune ...