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[hxgumdrop]

I was worried about it being too bright too but its only the one wall and im facing away from it or not in the room the majority of the time and with black out curtains for when im bad it hasnt had a bad effect so far. I get them because of my blood preasure being to high so the slight bit of stress is what causes them really.
Iv only seen Ginger get up on the the roost so far Babs doesnt seem to have worked it out yet, although she may have done and the others may have pushed her off. Sounds like a lovely set up for them do you not just feed all the flock chick crumbs? I have no way of feeding youngsters seperatly so I feed them all the same food that suits the youngest of the flock as far as I no this causes no harm to the older hens? One roo out of 4 is pretty good though. Are you any closer at making a decision on what you will do with the roos you do have?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi again

Sad news tonight is that my little Dippy, my silkie, is missing. Ian and I have both looked high and low..... well low anyway, since she isn't able to fly.... and no sign whatsoever. They free range so she could be anywhere. Ian thinks she has got a nest somewhere and has gone broody but I've never seen her lay an egg or even show any interest in the nest boxes. Harry does mate with her but I find it hard to believe that she could have been sneaky enough to stash all her eggs somewhere, without me seeing one..... it's not like she can get up in the rafters like Tasha.
I'm just heading back up to the village where my yard is to have another look and I'm hoping against hope that she has turned up. Keep your fingers crossed for me please. I'm so worried about her that my knees have gone all wobbly!

 

[hxgumdrop]

Oh no I hope that it is the case and she has been extremely sneaky! hope you find her soon. Me and the girls have crossed everything for you and Dippy xx

 

[rebrascora]

Thanks so much for your good wishes.
Sadly there is no sign of her so far today. I've raked around quite a bit more and poked in gaps and holes that I couldn't see into but she could be underneath one of the old sheds where the wild rabbits have excavated large holes..... or she could be in some fox or dog's tummy. With being a silkie and not being able to fly, she would be easiest pickings of them all.

Tasha was trying to be sneaky this morning. She hung around wanting to be up onto her secret nest in the rafters to lay an egg but I was busy cleaning the hen house and she obviously didn't want me to see where she was going. She kept coming in and climbing up the ladder towards the roost and then looking at me and getting back down again and when I momentarily left the building for all of 5 seconds she was up and out of sight, by the time I came back. She thinks she's got one over on me, but I already know her secret hiding place!
Frances came off her nest this morning, had a quick run around, grabbed some food, had a poop and was back on the nest within 30 mins. She only comes off every other day, but she looks incredibly well. She has food and water within reach but she doesn't seem to bother with it. Like her, her nest is really neat and tidy and perfectly formed with nice deep sides. It is certainly not possible for any of her eggs to accidentally roll out. I think the chicks, when they hatch, will have a hard time escaping from it!

Keep hoping that Dippy will be there when I go back up, but I guess if she is sitting, I probably won't see her for a day or two when she comes out to eat and even then, if I'm not about all the time, I could miss her. I dread to think what a partridge silkie cross cream legbar will look like, but I will be overjoyed to find out if I can just have my Dippy back with half a dozen of them in tow!!

Hope all good in your hen house today.

Barbara

 

[hxgumdrop]

Oh no hopefully she will re appear with lil chicks following her will keep everything crossed in the hope that happens!
Tasha is so funny, isit normal to be so sneaky about creating a clutch? mine have only laid in the nest boxes or just on the coop floor if spooked and once in next doors garden but that was Cluckles' first lay so we can let her off on that one! Mine have all gone broody apart from Charlotte (and the chicks obviously) but none of them have hidden eggs away from me. This has made egg collecting pretty easy but I feel Im missing out on the egg hunt fun
So glad Frances is doing so well, sounds like she is getting into the mother hen role very comfortably :-D Clarissa got really run down and was so aliment she wanted chicks the de brooder didnt help at all so I gave in, in the end and got her eggs as it was too late in the year for chicks really but as soon as she was actually sitting on eggs she started to perk up and eat daily. I was really worried about her at the time though her cone and wattles has all shrivled and shrunk to pretty much none existent, she just looked like a depressed chicken and I guess until I gave her the eggs she was, bless her she did so well though.
All ok my end. Girls had a lovely treat of burnt pineapple upside down cake and some tomatoes this morning. Babs and Ginger are loosing their chick chirp chirp but havent figured out the cluck just yet although I cant explain what noise they do make as they both make different noises and Iv never heard anything like it before! Very cute and their colours are looking amazing and handily Ginger is staying alot darker than Babs so wont have to put tags on them. I put tags on Clarissa and Cluckles but Cluckles has now lost her but I can see the difference in them as long as they arent muddy (which is pretty often they are!) but they have come out in their different characters even more the past 6months so I dont have any problems telling them apart but now everyone else does.

 

[vegplottyhen]

Hi everyone my name is lyn , I'm from Herefordshire, have 10 welsummer chickens and 1 cock and a cockerel of 17wks. I'm very new to chicken keeping just 3short months but love every challenge I've had, they are wonderful!! I'd really like some hybrids too!!!!
Best wishes
Lyn

 

[LittleGecko]

Im so sorry about Dippy I do hope she returns soon with a clutch of little Dippies in tow!
Broodies are so strange I have two at the moment in their own little coop! Clara is very no nonsense but Amy seems to be in a trance most of the time, it is her second cluch she didn't seem to know what she was doing the first time and none hatched. But she is sitting tight this time and both clutches are due to hatch in about eight days.
And hi to Lyn! That sounds like a lovely flock and you're right all the challenges just make the successes all the sweeter!

 

[LittleGecko]

A few pictures. ..
Astrid my sultan pullet with Evangelista the brown leghorn pullet

And my araucana cockerel who is going to a lovely new home soon with his own hens!

And my little sablepoot cockerel who is looking for a home but may end up staying with us.

 

[vegplottyhen]

Oh my goodness your chickens are beautiful and such lovely names too! I have hector, and Houdini as my roosters names! I'll try and upload photos but for some reason I have found I can't do this from my mobile? Not sure what I'm doing wrong??

 

[LittleGecko]

The site has been playing up today, I had a job uploading photos too. Give it another try later hopefully it will be back to normal! Hector and Houdinia are lovely cockerel names, are you going to keep both of them? I have two and may well end up with three! Can't wait to see photos, welsummers are such beautiful birds.