Carol's Chickens

Yesterday afternoon we bought a turf for the girls. They have just started selling turf at our local D.I.Y. store and we bought one to cut up into squares and treat the girls to some grass. We put a strip into the run and the girls were very wary at first.

Dotty was the first to investigate the grass

They all cautiously take a look

They soon decide this is good

Definitely good!

This won’t last long

We like grass

After half an hour I decided to take it out as the girls hadn’t moved from it since I put it in and I was afraid they would overfill their crops with grass.

I will put it back in this morning and let them have it for a few hours a day. They certainly love the grass.

A quick update on my search for bantams. I decided on a different approach and put “poultry farms in Amesham” into google search. This gave me eighteen farms with addresses and telephone numbers. Over the last few days I worked through the list ringing them all.

Most didn’t have any bantams, some didn’t have poultry at all, some didn’t exist any more, some simply didn’t answer and only the first one on the list gave me some hope. The farmer has a few silver and gold laced wyndotte bantams and although reluctant to let the gold ones go he agreed that we could go see them this afternoon and he may be able to sell me one of each.

It’s the gold ones that I really like, their feathers are gold edged in black and really striking. The silver ones are actually white with white feathers edged in black.

I also phoned the farm that I got my little girls from last year and she gave me two numbers to call. From one I got no reply but the other lady chatted to me for a while. She has a few blue laced Wyndotte bantams from last year but explained that I was looking for them too early. She said most breeders will be starting to hatch now and the bantams will be ready to sell in June, July or August. This is encouraging as it means that if I can’t get some now I can wait a while and try later in the year.

She also said that when integrating them into my flock it may be better to take bantams that are not too young to give them less chance of being bullied. I feel much better prepared for integration this time but I think she is right and if today the farmer has last years wyndottes and would be happy to sell them to me I will seriously consider taking them.

Once again watch this space!

Having decided that I would like some Dutch bantams, I went on to find that they are impossible to source. After two days of searching the internet every site I tried came back to me saying they don’t have any and one said they had stopped breeding them because they are so difficult to find.

I was disappointed but moved my search on to sebright bantams which are quite similar. They are a British breed of bird and there are golden and silver sebrights. It was the golden I fell for. They are a rich gold colour with each feather edged in black. They are similar in colour to my bantam vorwerks but so striking with the black edged feathers. The silver are actually white but also edged in black. Their body size is about the size of a wood pigeon. They are also a true banatm with no larger counterparts.

They are also proving just as impossible to find and after two days of searching I am having no luck here either.

I am feeling a bit down hearted about this.

Oddly enough the difficulty has made me more determined and I am going to widen my breed search. The reason I am more determined is because with Amber’s egg laying problems I am afraid that one day I may lose her. If this were to happen I wouldn’t want to leave Honey as a lone bantam with three big girls and now that I see how difficult it is to find more I can see that if this were to happen Honey could be the only little girl in the flock for a while.

Therefore I feel it is even more important to add some more bantams now so that if anything happened to one of my existing bantams they would still have bantam flock mates.

Honey is laying every other day at the moment but Amber hasn’t laid since her partial soft shelled egg just over a week ago. It concerns me that there may be something wrong with her egg laying equipment. It wouldn’t worry me at all if she didn’t lay often but what worries me is the problems she seems to have laying. Amber has so much character that I would be heart broken if I were ever to lose her but know that I must be realistic and would like to have the safe guard of a bigger group of bantys.

I am now going to move my search on to wyandotte bantams. The wyandotte originated in the United States. They appear in a wide variety of colour patterns and lay pale brown or tan eggs. I love the look of gold laced, chocolate laced, blue laced and partridge to name just a few.

The farm I got the little girls from a year ago had white bantam wyandottes but she said at the time that she knew of farms near by that bred coloured ones. I am going to get in touch with her tomorrow. At least this gives me a start point.

Will I be any more successful? Watch this space!

I have started thinking about adding two more bantys to my flock. I have been doing a lot of research. I had already decided that if for any reason I lost one of my girls (this came to mind when Amber looked so ill when laying her last egg), that I would add two more bantys.

I have been reading up about problems with feather pulling or indeed any bullying within a flock and the general opinion seems that there is likely to be less of a problem in a larger flock. The smaller the flock the more intense the problems.

Bluebell chases the bantys from the treat bowls and in fact often chases them for little or no reason. I wondered if four little girls to three big girls would give a better balance than two little girls to three big girls. Bluebell would have to split her chasing from the treat bowls between four little girls instead of two little girls.

I realise that there may be spats between the the two sets of little girls to start with but wonder if four little girls would flock together and feel less intimidated by the three big girls.

I realise I may be crazy and may take on more problems and I do worry about being selfish by adding more because I want more when I need to think about what is best for my flock but I also think there may just be a chance that they would end up a better balanced flock.

Please jump in and comment and tell me if this may or may not be a good idea.

I had already decided quite a time ago that if I added to my flock I would like some Dutch bantams. I will come to more details of the breed in a moment but first I just want to add that after adding my little girls a year ago I feel I have learned such a lot and would do it much better this time.

We have an area that can be separated simply by closing the gate that is left open at the moment. I would install another small coop (actually called a small animal house) like the one we use as a second nest box now and feed and water bowls. I would keep the new girls in the coup with the dog crate attached as a small run for the first day so that they know where to go to sleep. I would then let them into their enclosure the next day so that are separated but can see and hear the rest of the flock and visa versa.

I would then start a slow integration process over the next few weeks allowing time together before bedtime and gradually lengthening time together if it goes well, always supervised and with the water spray at the ready to stop any aggravation.

The Dutch bantam is a breed of chicken originating in the Netherlands. It is also one of the true bantam breeds, meaning it is a naturally small breed with no related large fowl form, from which it is miniatureized.

Dutch bantams have many colour variations. They are hardy and good layers for their size. They are the smallest breeds of bantam. Females weigh 450 grams which is 200 grams less than my bantam vorwerks.

They fly well and their breed is friendly in temperament. They lay cream or white eggs and are suited to backyard chickens due to their small size.

These are all details which attract to me this breed. I have researched where I may find some that is not too far away from us and have found a farm in Reading that breeds them and has the gold partridge colour. I don’t mind any colour as they are all lovely. I am going to phone tomorrow (Monday) to see if they have any.

I may be disappointed and am ready for that but I also feel excited too. Am I crazy!

Just when I thought Amber was finally past her egg laying problems she had a set back. Yesterday she looked really poorly just like she always does when she is about to lay a soft shelled egg. I have been giving the girls crushed egg shells in their mash every day and limestone flour a couple of days a week. All the other girls lay hard shelled eggs and I just don’t know why Amber has such a problem.

Amber looked really wobbly and took herself into the coop about an hour before bedtime. Even the bedtime corn just got a half hearted peck then she returned to the nest box.

This morning Amber looked a little brighter but still not her usual self. I made sure she was eating by giving mash in the morning with both crushed egg shells and limestone flour mixed in then later some grapes which she loves and did eat.

The big girls were queueing up for the little coop to lay their eggs and doing a bit of shouting about it. Bluebell laid first followed by Pepper then Dotty. I am seriously thinking of getting another nest box as now that the big girls are grown up they will no longer share and there is always a lot of fussing when they all want the coop at once.

By the afternoon Honey had settled into the nest box and she often takes quite a long time so I just check on her every half hour.

I then heard a banty shout so went to see if Honey had laid and was surprised to find both her’s and Amber’s egg in the nest box.

Amber’s egg was soft at one end, the pointed end. This must have been why she had struggled with it.

Amber’s latest egg on the right and Honey’s egg on the left

Last summer when she started laying it followed this same pattern of a few soft shelled eggs then normal for a while then one like this, soft at one end. After that she went on to lay normal eggs so I am still hopeful that she may now lay normally.

The drama wasn’t over yet though. I had just removed the eggs when Honey and Amber started to spar again. They both had their hackles raised and were flying at each other. I scooped Amber up and held her while Honey calmed down. I felt that after being poorly Amber didn’t need any more aggravation.

I put Amber down and the next minute they were at it again. I picked Amber up again and waited a few minutes before setting her down again.

I don’t know why they do this. The big girls have never done this. I said to my husband that I wondered if Honey sensed Amber wasn’t feeling great and thought she had a chance of moving up from bottom hen while Amber was out of sorts. My husband said if that was the case I should probably not interfere but let them sort it out. I said that I couldn’t just stand by and watch them fight, especially when poor Amber has just had a rough time.

After this everything returned back to normal and this was our second five egg day this year.

This post is a tribute to my mum. My lovely mum, Marion, was born in Sheringham, Norfolk but when my lovely nan had a large family she moved them down south to ensure that her children would have a better chance to find work.

When my mum reached retirement age she moved back to her roots for a better quality of life (cheaper houses) and to be near other family living there too.

Now she is a three to four hours drive away, at best, and it is really difficult for us to see each other especially as we are self employed and often work six or seven days a week.

My mum doesn’t like technology and doesn’t have a computer or even a mobile phone. Since I have been keeping my chicken keeping blog I have been printing out each weeks posts and sending them to my mum. I then phone her a few days later, giving her time to receive it and read it, and we have a good natter, for anything up to an hour.

I feel this helps to keep us close and lately I have included the garden and outside trips sometimes too, so that my mum can see what is going on in my life.

Usually I send my mum flowers for Mothers Day but being one of three daughters I am always aware that she may get three lots of flowers so this year I wanted to do something different.

I want to start by saying “HAPPY MOTHERS MUM” and instead of a bouquet I will share a little spring from our garden.

Spring bulbs in the garden

Primula

And I am also sending a few goodies for mum to enjoy.

Some gifts for my mum

The little cushion says “mums are like flowers, they brighten up your day”, the chocolates are a little treat and I do have to choose things that can be sent through the post (not too heavy).

This may seem a little early but I also have to be aware that there are no post deliveries in Sheringham on Saturday or Sunday so to reach mum by Friday, I must post by Wednesday, to be sure it will get there in time.

Anyway to sum it all up, this one is just for you mum. Happy Mothers Day with lots and lots of love, Carol xxxx

I have a storage cabinet in the chicken run on the covered patio area. It houses all of my chickens supplies including food, bedding, medicines, cleaning products and also their treats. I go to the cabinet many times a day to clean up the run but twice a day the girl’s get some treats from here.

On my early morning visit the girls get either a handful of corn, dried meal worms or sunflower hearts. Mid morning the girls get their daily greens and mid afternoon something to peck at such as apple. An hour before bedtime the girls get a handful of corn between the five of them.

Although I go to the cabinet many times a day and they only get the treats from there twice a day they all run to the cabinet every time I open it just in case they might get lucky.

If I have the cabinet door open for more than a few seconds the big girls will have jumped up onto the cabinet. They crane their necks down to look in. I swear if they could learn to open this cabinet and open the treat tubs, all the treats would vanish very quickly. They even tap the tubs with their beaks. There is absolutely no doubt that they know where the treats are.

We know where the treats are

Please get the treats out

If only I could get the lid off that box

Come on Mum, you know you want to give us some treats

They are so funny. They deserve some treats though, yesterday was our first five egg day this year. They are really back in egg laying mode. Well done girls.

I am so sad to see the girls getting gradually more and more plucked. Sadly last years pattern is repeating itself.

Amber up close and chatting to me

Amber’s neck is becoming more bare. Amber is easy to get a close up of because when I crouch down she runs over to me chatting away. It’s just a case of clicking before she is too close. She is always chatting and photos of her are often open beaked like this. I look at this photo and can almost hear her.

Honey is now also getting a bare neck

Dotty is getting her head plucked too

The light patch on the back of her head is where she is losing feathers.

This really saddens me as I felt I could just about bare her neck being plucked if she didn’t get her head plucked. Steve, my eldest son, did warn me that the most likely outcome was that the same pattern would just repeat itself.

The awful thing is, that after just a few months of being fully feathered, they will probably have another year of being partly bare.

As before Pepper is intact except for a bare patch on her bottom

Bluebell has a bare neck

Pepper has a small bare patch on her bottom which I know from experience will get bigger

Bluebell has some of her head crest feathers broken

It is also sad that Bluebell, as a crested bird, has no crest most of the time.

I have been through all this before and know that there is nothing more I can do. The girls are happy and healthy and laying well and I know it doesn’t bother them, it only bothers me.

On a lighter note little Honey laid three days in a row for the first time ever and Amber laid another hard shelled egg with only one missed day in between so it seems the little girls have really got the hang of egg laying now.

It’s that time of year again. I worm the girls twice a year as recommended. I do it in March and September with Flubinvet which is a powder. The sixty gram tub is enough for a year so does both the March and September worming. This must be given for seven consecutive days. Another great thing about this product is that there is no need for egg withdrawal.

I find by far the easiest way to do this is to make up some mash each day and add the Flubinvet which comes with a measuring spoon. Then I divide the mixture between three bowls to make sure they will all get a chance to have some. Three bowls ensures the bantys get their fair share as it is like musical bowls with the big girls moving from one bowl to the next causing the little girls to do the same.

It very quickly all gets eaten so I am sure they all get a fair share. I switch to fish or scrambled egg in between to ring the changes. The girls don’t notice the Flubinvet at all.

Musical dishes

They are constantly circling

I don’t need to worry about each dish containing the same amount as they will all eat out of all the dishes. I do wonder how enjoyable eating is when constantly on the move but I guess they are used to it. The bowls are soon empty and worming couldn’t be easier.

I seem to be accumulating egg cups. We always had a plain white set of six egg cups that go with our every day plain white crockery, long before we had chickens.

My youngest son and his girlfriend bought me an egg cup with a little blue chicken on it and a chocolate egg in it, for Easter, last year. It’s a perfect size for my banty eggs.

My neighbours bought me a pair of egg cups back from their holiday in Mallorca last summer as a thank you for the eggs I give them.

My husband gave me a chicken shaped egg cup among a few chicken based gifts for Christmas this year.

We have been collecting vintage tea sets for our afternoon teas as part of our catering business and a recent set had an egg cup in it. As we don’t need the egg cup for the teas I claimed it.

Finally yesterday I succumbed and bought one myself. I was browsing in an antique shop when I found this cute little double egg cup with a chicken and a chick on it. It was only five pounds so I couldn’t resist.

I found this in an antique shop

My egg cup collection

My egg cups with my girl’s lovely eggs in them

So there we have it. My unintentional egg cup collection.

After Amber struggled to lay her soft shelled egg six days ago, yesterday, she laid a perfect hard shelled egg. She also laid it fairly quickly and with out any struggle. It was only five days after her last egg too, which is less of a gap than usual. I am so pleased and hopeful that she may lay normally from now on.

Honey had already laid earlier in the day followed by Bluebell and after Amber, Pepper laid too. Four eggs out of five girls and both little girls in one day which doesn’t happen often. Dotty had laid the day before so skipped a day but laid first thing this morning. It was nearly a five egg day.

Yesterday’s four eggs

Then today came another surprise, Honey laid again. It is the first time this year, since her moult, that she has laid two days in a row and last year she only laid two days in a row four times during the five months she was laying.

It looks like these girls are maturing and getting into the swing of this egg laying lark!