Sunday, June 7, 2009

Sunday, 7 June 2009 - Their first day of freedom

I set my alarm for 6am and got up to find rain of biblical proportions. My first early morning of henkeeping and I got soaked.

I filled their food bowl with mash and water bowl (to which I added apple cidar vinegar and a garlic clove - hens apparently love this) and took them to the run and put them under the ramp and opened the door from the house.

I took off the bag covering the door window and peeped inside to find them awake and looking at me. With a "go on girls, go get some food" I shut the door and legged it back inside with a wet bum and legs.

I made a cup of tea and stood watching from the kitchen waiting for them to come out. I will have to stop doing the tea as I also went through half a packet of biscuits and will undo all my Nintendo Wii efforts.

One hen briefly came out, but turned around and went back in.

I went back outside and moved their food bowl, which by now was damp with rain, into the house. When I looked in a little later they were pecking away and had beaks covered with mash. To stop fights I put another bowl in and left them to it.

A little while ago the sun came out and I tried again to get them to go into the run so that I could clean the poop tray. But to no avail - they just didn't want to go outside .

I took matters into my own hands when I spotted an egg over the back which had been trodden on and one of the hens was starting to eat it. So I opened the nest box lid, picked one up and popped her into the run - only to have her immediately dash up the ramp and back into the house - that was a fun game.

Eventually I got all 3 hens in the run and shut the door to the house. Cleaned out the tray and replaced the perches as they seemed to be gripping onto the ramp yesterday so hopefully will be able to roost today.

I've now got 2 hens in the house and Ginger is in the run (with her back to me as she obviously has her escape plan unrolled and is busy plotting).

To anyone who doesn't know, my Mum moved in next door a few years ago (which is very handy!). My niece, Ellis, came to stay with her today as tomorrow is an Inset Day at her school.

She has now decided on a name for her hen (the one I've been calling ElliesHen) and she will now be called Dorothy.

It's such a shame that the weather this weekend has been so awful - it's made the earth and grass under the house so damp that the hens are getting their feet caked in mud as well as poop and they can poop for England!

4 comments:

  1. What is the mash you are feeding them? We give ours layer's pellets plus a treat of corn in the afternoon. They also love bird seed and rush over to the tree where the birdfeeder is hanging in the morning to see if the birds have dropped any! I have not tried the apple cider vinegar and garlic in water trick. Cheers Sandy

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  2. All the Ex-Batts sites say to feed them Layers Mash to start with, as that's all they've been used to, and then to gradually introduce Layers Pellets. I asked my local Pet Shop to get the mash for me, however he ordered a 20kg sack so they will be having mash for some time.

    Barbara

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  3. Just thought I would let you know that we saw a couple of rats yesterday and the reamins of an egg!! We wondered why there were only two eggs in the nesting box. We have now bought a rat trap and some bait. Aparently having rats is not uncommon as the food attracts them. Next door has chickens too and a couple of rabbits so we are doomed. It is jjust a matter of having to live with them. I took a couple of photos of a cople of my birds today. I will see if I can post them on Facebook

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  4. Dave & I are back from Cornwall and glad to see that your lovely girls have settled in! It all seems like good fun and games so far! Ginger seems quite a character.

    *Hugs to all and soothing stroke to poor Ralph.*

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