Ribh's D'Coopage

[Grammy60]

Good evening everyone

 

[Shadrach]

Knock is looking for a nest site. She and Notch were doing the rounds this morning. Notch is not happy about being in Tribe 1's territory.

 

[Ribh]

Knock is looking for a nest site. She and Notch were doing the rounds this morning. Notch is not happy about being in Tribe 1's territory.
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You always seem to have someone wanting to sit. I'd go slightly nuttier with that happening all the time. Bad enough with the couple of persistants I already have.

 

[Shadrach]

Yes please! I love seeing the transformation.

Are any of the chickens apprenticing with you Shad? Moon perhaps?

They haven't been in the house much recently. They come in to eat, have a bit of a rest and go back out again. It's a bit of a relief to be honest. There was a stage where I was a bit concerned about the amount of time they were spending in the house.
Tap has had a good peck at a few of the pieces of wood and doesn't understand how I can spend so much time messing about with something that isn't edible.

 

[Shadrach]

You always seem to have someone wanting to sit. I'd go slightly nuttier with that happening all the time. Bad enough with the couple of persistants I already have.

When I'm banging my head against the wall in frustration I remind myself that it is in fact a compliment. 'Unhappy', stressed and sick hens don't tend to go broody the other chicken keepers here will tell you.

 

[MaryJanet]

When I'm banging my head against the wall in frustration I remind myself that it is in fact a compliment. 'Unhappy', stressed and sick hens don't tend to go broody the other chicken keepers here will tell you.

Do hens stop going broody when they're old dears?

 

[Shadrach]

Do hens stop going broody when they're old dears?

I am told not. From my own experience Blue Spot was still going broody at ten years old.
Fat Bird has never been big in the babies business but she went broody last year. Some here swear by their senior hens for being the best mums.
A few breeds (I would have to look them up) tend not to go broody for the first two or three years or more which is not what happens with the breeds here. most go broody in their second year or even late in their first if they were hatched early in the year.

 

[MaryJanet]

I am told not. From my own experience Blue Spot was still going broody at ten years old.
Fat Bird has never been big in the babies business but she went broody last year. Some here swear by their senior hens for being the best mums.
A few breeds (I would have to look them up) tend not to go broody for the first two or three years or more which is not what happens with the breeds here. most go broody in their second year or even late in their first if they were hatched early in the year.

That's very interesting. To me it suggests a willingness to hatch and raise other hen's eggs. It takes a village...

 

[RoyalChick]

Where you see the blackthorn bushes is extended ground. When the hole for the house was dug out, the soil was tipped down that bank. I don't recall any blackthorn on that bank before so I have no idea where they came from.
I haven't seen any of the chickens eat the berries. I don't think they are healthy to eat.
I'm going to have to take a couple of the small bushes out. I'll say this for blackthorn; once it gets established it spreads easily.

I think Blackthorn is the same thing as Sloe (as in Sloe gin). In which case the berries are not edible off the bush. But dump them in a bottle, add sugar, fill the bottle up with gin and then forget about it for a year and you will have the most delicious Sloe gin.

 

[BY Bob]

That's very interesting. To me it suggests a willingness to hatch and raise other hen's eggs. It takes a village...

Indeed. If your not laying you must be willing to raise someone else's children. You would think an older hen that has survived would have a lot to teach them and would better know how to get it done right.