The Cottage Smallholder

Pekin bantams just three months old – Goliath, David, Dove, Prudence and Pearl

At three months old the Pekins have crept into a very special place in my heart. They are beautiful little birds with large eyes and feathered feet. They communicate with each other with teeny, high pitched cheeps. Although they are still tiny, I’ve been letting them out of their run to mix with the rest of our flock for a few hours each day.

Initially their steps into the big run were tremulous. And then they had to negotiate the Krypton Factor of finding the open door when they wanted to return to the Pekin Pagoda. A couple of panicky Pekins got stuck in the bottom of the hen house and had to be rescued. After a day of discovery and adventure they cottoned on to the tricky process of locating doors and escapes.

This was lucky as Vienna, Brittany and Paris had been giving them a bit of a hard time. Now the Pekins have discovered a perfectly sized retreat under their nesting box when they can huddle if things get tough. They are also very flight of foot, their little feathery feet move like lightning.

Like The Famous Five they’re constantly together and became quite agitated when they can’t locate each other.

As I’d hoped, they sleep in the Pekin Pagoda at night. Sharing a nesting box in a little feathery pile. They also eat in the Pagoda, as the big girls have been known to strut into their run and steal their food. But the Pekins get their own back when they have the chance – I’ve spotted them feeding at the big girl’s food station. This requires a terrific stretching of necks.

They are becoming a bit more comfortable with me now as they know that I bring them daily gifts of fresh water and food. Soon I will start to try and feed them little treats from my hand. Slowly, slowly catchy Pekin.