The Cottage Smallholder

Pekin bantams 10 weeks old – Left to right Goliath, Prudence (at back), Dove, David (in front) and Pearl

The five little bantams are now about ten weeks old and seem to be settling down happily in their new home. We have christened their house The Pekin Pagoda as the roof reminds us of the pagoda style. BTW I’m thrilled with the house – it’s strong and build out of a decent thickness and quality of wood. The roof is heavy and would not fly off with a strong gust of wind. It was a great buy. However, it is smallish – fine for 5-6 bantams but only OK for a couple of standard sized hens.

The Pekins will remain enclosed in the house and run until I am happy that they’ll be OK sharing the main run with the big chickens.

Since the Pekins arrived the hens at the bottom of the pecking order have been fascinated by them. That’s Paris, Brittany and Vienna. In fact on the first day Paris has compressed herself under the PP trying to get to the babies and had to be rescued by me. I’m not certain whether the big hens want to mother or hurt the baby Pekins. They are not puffing up their feathers – the natural sign for aggression – when they peer inside the Pekin’s pen so I think that their interest was just innocent curiosity.

I’m hoping that the Pekins will adopt the P Pagoda as their house and sleeping quarters, when they have the run of the entire chicken pen. If every chicken wanted to roost in the main house there would be a bit of a crush.

Left to right. Paris, Dove, Prudence, Pearl, David and Goliath hiding

Meanwhile we have named all five of them. The young black cockerel is called Goliath. He has Brave Man stamped all over him. Or rather this is what I thought until I saw the photo from the session that I took this afternoon – see photo two where he has dived under the group when Paris passed by. Apart from this recorded incident which I might show him if he is being too swaggery when he’s older, he is usually protecting the gang.

There had to be a David so the other young cockerel has been given that name. He has a much gentler character. He hangs out with the little buff hen that Danny named Prudence. They love sitting on top of the water fountain – the In Place for our young Pekins – when they are not there another Pekin leaps up to take their place. The two grey hens are pals too – we have called them Pearl and Dove – don’t ask me why but the names seemed to fit. Pearl has beautiful eyes and that film star qualities – check out the photos.

The Pekins sleep in one of the nesting boxes in the P Pagoda – the furthest/safest spot from the door. They huddle together with Goliath on the outside posing as Rambo. When I come down to let them out in the morning they are looking through the window on the side of the Pekin Pagoda, squeaking for breakfast and the sunny freedom of their pen.