Windy hill chickens - first flock(s) of my own

[kattabelly]

So, chicken maths.

Only two of the 18 Rhode Island Red eggs I was meant to be hatching for somebody else look viable. I messaged someone fairly nearby who'd said they might have hatching eggs available in future - they don't right now but they are looking to sell off a few small breeding groups, including RIR. I also messaged the breeder I got the Shetland and Rock eggs from, and they don't have their RIR penned up for breeding atm but they do have BR eggs from a different cock with better fertility rates, and the rock chicks I already have from that place are really lovely birds...

At the same time as that conversation was happening, a friend here got in touch to say one of his Scots Dumpy hens has just turned up with a single surprise hedge hatchling and would I be interested? (I wouldn't take it this young unless mum wasn't caring for it, of course - and only then if I could find it a companion in case neither of the RIR eggs hatched.)

Trying to keep reminding myself I really don't need more chickens.

 

[kattabelly]

Update from my pal with the Dumpies: he's found two broodies sitting on the chick and about six eggs in a patch of nettles. Thought he could hear a second chick but if there is one it was either hidden under a hen or peeping from inside an egg.

He laughs when I rant about my latest chicken dramas (they're still friends with the rats) so I don't feel too bad about doing the same. One of his hens already did a great job raising her surprise hedge chicks last year.

 

[kattabelly]

Dumpy chick didn't make it, sadly. I've not heard if any more have hatched. Briefly considered asking for the body when I found this beaut of a carrion beetle (Nicrophorus investigator, or banded sexton beetle) looking knackered and lost in my bathroom, but I just gave it a tiny piece of beef mince to perk it up before releasing it outdoors.

I've not been able to be around at roosting time much lately but turns out the younger chicks are mostly sleeping in the propcorn barrel, with a few of the bigger ones roosting in random spots about the place. Probably because they stay up later and then don't want to run the gauntlet of getting pecked by whoever's roosting between the door and the nest boxes. Weather's meant to be warm and dry here until Monday, so I'm not going to bother moving them tonight at least. They're all still really tame - most will let me groom them if they're in my space, including the one (I think) pullet who was way more flighty than the rest for ages, and several will step up onto my hand without much encouragement.

Saw the oldest pullet actually going after a rat tonight too, so bonus points for her. The black and white cockerel has started tidbitting at their feeder when I fill it, so he gets points for trying I guess Lazy boy! Mr Fancy-Pants gets no points at all after I caught him jumping five foot straight upwards from standing to eat all the flowers and tiny, just-set fruit off the raspberry canes in their run. I'd understand them eating the ripe fruit but really mate?! Gave them all a ripe raspberry from another patch and told the other teens he's the reason they can't have nice things. I don't think they were listening though.

 

[thistlewick]

omg you're so nice to feed the beetle haha <3

 

[kattabelly]

omg you're so nice to feed the beetle haha <3

It's been really hot here today (ok, just under 22C / 71F but that's like apocalypse level fiery burning death heat here) and it looked in pretty bad shape - think it had been there for a while. And it was pretty cool to watch it eating! They supposedly eat live insects too but my initial offerings of a moth, a stunned fly and a slater were all rejected.

I keep a sachet of sugar in my wallet for hungry bees, too.

 

[BDutch]

I keep a sachet of sugar in my wallet for hungry bees, too.

We have extremely few bees and other flying insects this year. Even less flies to clear the chicken poop. All bc of poisons spread over the fields for perfect crops and flowers.
We use the insect door in our house mainly to keep the chickens out these days.

Yesterday we had a visit from the first annoying wasp this summer when I was drinking a schorle (apple juice with sodawater). Thought it came for the apple smell but it started to nibble on my freshly washed toes. I suppose the raspberry flavoured soap did the trick. Finally he went off but returned when MDH came home and took a beer.

I wonder how the birds who eat insects are coping with this change. I was genuinely surprised when I saw 2 swallows in the air around sunset.
My chickens love to eat insects too. They didn’t eat much ants in the past (less tasty?) but I see them eating them more often this summer. Our famous football ️ player Johan Cruyf used to say: “ Every disadvantage has its advantage. “

I did an outside painting job last week after the rainy days we had and was hurrying to finish it bc the weather forecast predicted a spell of tropical weather from Friday and this weekend in the Netherlands. But it changed to nice temps around 25°c . The hot weather decided to go a little more to the east.

 

[kattabelly]

We have extremely few bees and other flying insects this year. Even less flies to clear the chicken poop. All bc of poisons spread over the fields for perfect crops and flowers.

This is a big issue further south in the UK but it doesn't seem to be so much of a thing here, yet. Lots of swallows in the sky at the moment, and this time of year there should be a big colony of sand martins at the top of the beach where I used to live.

We have great yellow bumblebees (B. distinguendus) here - one of the few places they're found in the UK - so there's a big drive to plant red clover and other native wildflowers for those and other bees and insects. Hardly any ants, strangely! I had a huge issue with what seemed like millions of ants building giant nests everywhere when I lived in the south of England. Here, I almost never see them. Loads of black millipedes which the chickens will sometimes eat but don't seem to like very much. They absolutely love catching flies and the air is thick with them right now - some days the only way I've been able to talk to people up at the community garden without getting a mouthful of flies is to keep waving my hand right in front of my face the whole time or wear a midge net. It's quite funny, you can tell who's on site just by where the swearing and swatting noises are coming from Chickens are all enjoying eating caterpillars at the moment too. The black and white cockerel (he really needs a name) caught a butterfly the other day and made a big thing of giving it to the pullet to eat

 

[BDutch]

I keep a sachet of sugar in my wallet for hungry bees, too.

We have extremely few bees and other flying insects this year. Even less flies to clear the chicken poop. All bc of poisons spread over the fields for perfect crops and flowers.
We use the insect door in our house mainly to keep the chickens out these days.

Yesterday we had a visit from the first annoying wasp this summer when I was drinking a schorle (apple juice with sodawater). Thought it came for the apple smell but it started to nibble on my freshly washed toes. I suppose the raspberry flavoured soap did the trick. Finally he went off but returned when MDH came home and took a beer.

I wonder how the birds who eat insects are coping with this change. I was genuinely surprised when I saw 2 swallows in the air around sunset.
My chickens love to eat insects too. They didn’t eat much ants in the past (less tasty?) but I see them eating them more often this summer. Every

I did an outside painting job last week after the rainy days we had and was hurrying to finish it bc the weather forecast predicted a spell of tropical weather from Friday and this weekend in the Netherlands. But it changed to nice temps around 25°c . The hot weather decided to go a little more to the east.

 

[kattabelly]

We have extremely few bees and other flying insects this year. Even less flies to clear the chicken poop. All bc of poisons spread over the fields for perfect crops and flowers.
We use the insect door in our house mainly to keep the chickens out these days.

Yesterday we had a visit from the first annoying wasp this summer when I was drinking a schorle (apple juice with sodawater). Thought it came for the apple smell but it started to nibble on my freshly washed toes. I suppose the raspberry flavoured soap did the trick. Finally he went off but returned when MDH came home and took a beer.

I wonder how the birds who eat insects are coping with this change. I was genuinely surprised when I saw 2 swallows in the air around sunset.
My chickens love to eat insects too. They didn’t eat much ants in the past (less tasty?) but I see them eating them more often this summer. Every

I did an outside painting job last week after the rainy days we had and was hurrying to finish it bc the weather forecast predicted a spell of tropical weather from Friday and this weekend in the Netherlands. But it changed to nice temps around 25°c . The hot weather decided to go a little more to the east.

Did the boards do something weird? Somehow you've replied with the same post that I was replying to before!

 

[kattabelly]

You're ten weeks old, why are you sitting there like a broody pancake?!