The frontier is down and the cockerels have been named
Up until now I have kept the new Italian Leghorn chickens in a separate half of the run. There have been several escapes when I’ve opened the ‘door’ to top up the feed and water fountains. Mainly led by the Italian gentlemen who are keen to get close to the ladies that they’ve been ogling through the wire. These passionate visits have not gone down well with these elderly maidens. Our small Golden Sebright cockerel is much smaller than his dashing rivals. Beatyl now just appears not to see them and hides behind his coterie. If...
read moreZebedee the Houdini hen
When our new Italian hens arrived I divided our long run into two. The old flock of four bantams and one Maran stayed on one side. The Italians took over the other side. This was largely due to the size of Baby. This tiny Leghorn runt needs to grow a lot more before both flocks can safely combined. The Italian hens are very different from our flock. Lazing in the sun, taking endless dust baths and staying up much later to strut on the roof of the Ken Doherty Day Centre. The Min Pins are still fascinated by them and sit in the long grass...
read moreAnd Baby made four. The arrival of our new Leghorn chickens.
“Did you know that cockerels all have distinct voices?” Kevin put down his mug of tea and stared into the garden as a cockerel crowed. “That’s Sage.” Caroline nodded. She explained that ours are still finding their voices on the crowing front. And as if to order we heard a rasping cry. “That’s one of yours.” I was sitting in Caroline and Kevin’s new conservatory. Admiring their lemon tree – laden with fruit on their sunny terrace. Finally after so many weeks of ogling our new Leghorn Family through Caroline’s...
read moreGood things and bad things that begin with a C
Caroline sends photos of our leghorn chicks regularly. They are always a joy as she is such a good photographer. And we are getting to know our chicks well, albeit at arms length. The best thing of all is that Caroline and Kevin hand rear their chicks. I’ve only cuddled chickens when they have been sick I’m really looking forward to being able to pick up the young chickens when they arrive. These are good things. Meanwhile we have been experiencing bad things beginning with a C. First of all our cucumber seedlings have succumbed to some...
read moreThe best photographs add something extra to the image
When I was a teenager, my mother took watercolour lessons from Gilbert Adams . His father was Marcus Adams – the celebrated society photographer. Gilbert trained in his father’s studio and has quite a few well known portraits in The National Portrait Gallery. He also was a successful artist (easel rather than camera). He died at the age of ninety in 1996. Gilbert was a colourful, larger than life character. A real old bohemian. When he heard that I was going to study Drama and English at university he was astonished. “Why do you want to...
read moreUpdate on the leghorn chicks: first visit to meet Caroline, Kevin, Rusty and the brood
I woke early, with a semi conscious sense that something special was happening today. Apart from being a Bank Holiday Monday we were going to meet Caroline and husband Kevin to visit our new leghorn chicks for the very first time. These chicks are being raised by Rusty, one of C’s hens. Rusty is a gentle attentive mother with stylish reddish brownish feathers and kind eyes. Caroline and Kevin were welcoming and the hen and chicks were gorgeous. Caroline’s collection of photos are superb but there’s nothing like seeing the chicks in the...
read moreSometimes there is a balance
This morning I woke late, having snoozed past the alarm. I now know that a snooze of an hour or so is a dangerous path to consider. Especially as I have chickens, dogs and Danny to feed and water, plus I need to shower and dress and check the greenhouse and heated indoor propagator and go to work. The morning buzzes with questions. Have I made the thermos and lunch for work? Will Danny discover his breakfast toast after his conference call? When will our leeks finally germinate? I shot down to the chicken run and saw a fluffed up body in the...
read moreWe’ll have Leghorns in three months time, if all goes well.
I miss Mrs Boss. Somehow that small grubby bantam got under my skin. When I let the hens out each morning I miss her skippy feathered feet and her enthusiasm for the morning corn. All our flock are precious but Mrs Boss was special. Her tendency to go broody drove us nuts in the early years. We didn’t want to raise more stock but learnt a lot about how to stop a hen from being broody . I also discovered that some chickens have very strong personalities. A flock of hens are not a demure group of Stepford wives. They are a gaggle of birds...
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