Winter Draws on...

The hens from the last two seasons have done well - sadly except from the missed Nugget - we all look forward to new chicks in the spring! See you all next year!

Sad News

One of the original five hens, Nugget, has been ill for a short time and passed away today. She was a lovely hen, always a little different to the others, and loved being given a bit of attention. She did not suffer in any way and was happy up until the last few hours. We will miss her.

Mystery Eggs

Ok it now seems they have not stopped laying - just wont lay in the coop! I think there is something in there they don't like - used barley straw this week so that might be it! Have to go search under bushes for eggs at present!

Dull Days

The last week or so has made the original five hens stop laying! Hopefully today's sun will encourage them!

Growing Up

The chicks are now out in the school quad getting used to sunshine, wind and rain!

PS The big chickens just had roast beef and raspberry jelly for lunch! Nice!

Chick Pics

The new batch...

Another wet day...

At least it makes the willow shoots grow! 

New Chicks!

The school has now successfully incubated a second set of eggs! The good news is that there are now nine new chicks but the potentially bad news is we think only three are hens...

Photographs to come soon!

Chicken Licken

Chicken Licken has a blue leg-ring and she was enjoying the sunshine a few days back...

Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain...again

Thunder, lightning and rain today. Not good for chickens. Sunshine and fresh willow buds are better though....

Spring Weather

Hens have loved the weather today - dust baths and sunbathing were the order of the day. They are adjusting to the longer days and have not gone to bed yet... 8pm now

Locked out...

Chickens normally go to roost without fuss but tonight they were pecking on the windows to get my attention. It turned out the wind had blown the coop door shut! Clever girls!

Chickweed for Chickens...

Tidying some patio pots today and found the best way to weed them was to let the hens do it!

Spring is in the air...

A little sunshine has cheered the hens up and they are busy digging up the garden! Henny Penny is digger-in-chief!

If you like chicken pictures then look at this Flickr group!

Chickens!

Homes needed for these hens...

Link to poultrykeeper.com

Windswept

Terribly windy day here today...blew our "run" that we sit on over and over and four of us ended up the wrong side of the fence by unknown mechanism....tornado perhaps?

Bedraggled...

A dog's day for chickens... it is dark and has been raining ALL day... 

We cannot work out why they don't go back to the coop in the warm and dry! 

Who are you looking at?

One of my "instagrams" a few months ago...

Remember when we were young?

One regret is that we didn't ring the chicks when they were small - this is definitely a hen but not sure which one! 

Stuck again - this time 3 of them!

Got a panic phone call to say that three of the hens, Henny Penny, Henrietta and Chicken-Licken were REALLY stuck up the back of the shed! All three were firmly stuck, one was upside down and they were almost out of reach of the broom! Knock down the garden wall or cut a hole in the shed? Thankfully we were just about able to drag them out but they look a bit disheveled! We are keeping a close eye on them but think they are ok...and the gap has been sealed up much better now!

Losing battle...

No photo but I spent the day (a) cleaning out the coop with 5 hens standing on what I wanted to move (b) using the leaf blower to try to get most of the borders back into the, well, borders. Realised we now have a small lawn...or bits of lawn... never mind they laid 5 lovely eggs again today even if one was outside the coop....

Temptation

Greenery is a bit short in the garden at present - so the chickens tried to get at the herbs on the kitchen windowsill! All five were there at one point! 

Thanks...just what I have always wanted...(not)

Santa did not forget the chickens - but the cranberry suet he got them was not to their taste! The wild birds ate it all up when the chickens were cooped up so it was not wasted!