RIP Babs Hen.

Babs died today – she came through her moult in December, and seemed fine with a beautiful new set of glorious ginger/copper/cinnamon feathers, and she seemed in good spirits despite the horrible weather.

Babs one day after rescue. She and Bunty were in the same rescue crate  together when we got them, two years ago.
 

A year ago.


But then Babs started looking a bit droopy a few days ago, so came inside the house for tlc and love and special treat food. She seemed ok, eating, drinking and chatting away to us and the cats. She was a little disinclined to move around though, and stayed in the cat carrier bottom, which was temporary home.
 

But then she finally went downhill yesterday evening and was off her legs early this morning.

So, after gently stroking her and telling her what a good hen she had been. I gave her a quick end.
Very sad, but she had two years free from the cages and had a good life here with us 

RIP Babs, gone to join Bunty, Tiny, Titch and Ginger.

Happy 1st Henniversary to Babs, Bunty, Tiny and Titch.

Happy 1st Henniversary to Babs, Bunty, Tiny and Titch.  One year ago today we went over to the other side of Hereford and met up with the BHWT rescuers and brought home five pathetic looking hens. Sadly one of them (Ginger) died soon after but the other four hens have lived very full and happy lives during this last year, laying some eggs but generally just being the most friendly and entertaining group of hens we have ever had.

Tiny Hen now, still small but top hen in every way. Still terrorising the cats and trying to get into the house at every chance she gets!

and then...



Today, from l to r,  Babs, Bunty and Titch all trying to get in through the cat flap - their latest new trick to get up to mischief!

Babs in the sunshine. She still follows me around and sits on my feet :-)

And this is what they looked like a year ago :-(

Babs on left and Bunty on the right



and Titch














 Don't they look good now!

They have had mealworms and yogurt and cuddles and played "Chase the Cat" and "House break in" and generally done what hens do, all day, in the sunshine. Happy first year of freedom, girls !



Now for the serious bit

These girls were rescued a year ago. They came from an "Barn" system, so lived crowded together with thousands of other hens, under artificial light, inside a huge shed. Never seeing daylight or going outside. "Colony"  or "Enriched"  eggs mean the hens are also shut  inside a small cage, inside the huge shed.

If you do buy free range eggs already  - Babs, Bunty, Tiny, Titch, and Yarrow and Marjoram the ex battery hens thank you from the bottom of their hearts , as do I.

If you don't - please - for the sake of hens like Babs, Bunty, Tiny and Titch and all their sister hens still in barns and cages - switch to buying free range eggs - it is the only way to make sure that the eggs you buy come from hens that have had a reasonable life.

Thank you for reading :-)

Punk hens

 I have some VERY disgusted hens at the moment. They do NOT like being sprayed with Purple Spray. But I do not like them with pecked feathers - or pecked skin - so purple spray it is, to stop which even naughty hen is doing the pecking

 Poor Titch is still bald.

 Babs has some nasty peck marks on her poor head.

I strongly suspect Tiny Hen ...she has no pecked feathers now at all and has become top hen of the ex barn girls, despite being so tiny and recently so poorly.

Update on Tiny Hen

She survived the night and was pleased to get breakfast this morning :-) More cat meat, some meal worms and some pellet porrage

She followed me outside and wandered around with me in the garden, and then went into the Broody Ark, so I shut her in there, with food and water,  for safety from the other hens.
 
 

She stayed inside the shelter bit, out of the rain, and came out to sit in the sunshine (when it briefly shone). At the end of the day I let her out to wander around with me, she spotted the cat carrier which she has been sleeping in, inside the house,



so jumped up into it :-)

 

I took the hint! So I took her back inside the house and she settled down to go to sleep.



Such a sweet little hen :-) Want her as a House hen :-)

A poorly Tiny Hen

Tiny Hen in the house as she is poorly :-( Hoping that being in the warm, with no bullying, getting some food, vitamins and drink down her will help matters.

 Tiny Hen is one of the barn caged birds I rescued at the end of April, along with Titch, Babs, Bunty and Ginger (RIP - fox attack )

Tiny and Titch were very bald and Tiny was also the smallest hen I have EVER seen.

Although she was quite ok at first, and laid some eggs, she is now looking a bit " hunched" and is not feathering up or putting on weight.She has laid a few soft shelled monster strange eggs as well.

She is also being chased around by some of the other hens and I suspect is not getting a fair share of the food, despite me putting one feeding station per hen, spread around the hen run so all the girls can eat at the same time.

Yesterday when I went out in the morning to check on all the girls she was just stood in the run, not moving, eyes closed, shivering :-(

So I picked her up and brought her inside the house. She had a box in the kitchen with food and water until bed time, but then went into the downstairs cloakroom for the night.
.

 WHAT a messy eater! can you see how she has spattered cat meat all over the place :-) I am just glad to see that she has perked up and is eating something.

Fingers crossed that Tiny Hen gets better - am hoping rest, quiet, no bullying and lots of feeding will help her get better - oh and love and cuddles from me :-)

Chicken antics

THIS is what happens when I am sitting quietly in the shade at the edge of the wood, sowing seeds and pricking out small plants

A hen appears opposite, having jumped up on the bench. It is Marjoram, who peers myopically at me from behind the seed storage box.

Then jumps onto the bench top to inspect my work

  Babs sees what is going on and comes over to have a look...

- and jumps up onto the bench, crossing over to me.

 

 

 And up onto my shoulder

Cassi Cat, who is always around me when I am outside, jumps up to glare in disgust at the liberties being taken by "one of THOSE creatures"

Marjoram, meanwhile,  has taken the opportunity (while my attention is distracted) to investigate (i.e. trash) one of my planted up pots

I sometimes wonder how we get any work done around here!

Titch the rescue hen in the Polytunnel

Here are a couple of videos of Titch the rescue hen helping me out in the polytunnel.

Some pictures of the new rescue hens.

The hens, out in the sunshine.

This is Bunty - very bright, very friendly!

 Ginger! A frighteningly bright chicken who has already captured my heart - she is actually Ginger 3 - I reserve the name for eggstra special bright hens ...!

Tiny and Titch show their bald bottoms

This is Tiny - she is so very small :-( But feisty and getting stronger every day.
 Still very shy and scared, though. Runs away if I try to stroke her :-(

And this is  Titch - a bit larger than Tiny, but not by much :-( She seems to want to follow me around and sit on my feet :-)

Ginger, Bunty and Babs enjoy some synchronised eating!

This is Babs - she is a bit slow to work things out at the moment and often finds herself on " the wrong side of the fence"  She is lovely, though.

Ginger, delving deep into the feeder for that last, tasty, little morsel of mealworm!

They are all lovely and such different characters    - and we are loving watching them become "proper" hens,

as they should have been allowed to be from birth.