Posts Tagged chicken
The curse of broody Bruno
Posted by Beth in Beth's Blog on October 2nd, 2009
They tell me chickens are low maintenance. Hmmmm… not our broody Bruno!
For the past three weeks overall egg production has dropped our coup and the dreaded broodiness has set in. Our once inquisitive, loving Pekin Bantum has been transformed into an agoraphobic, angry recluse.
No matter how fast we remove eggs, as soon as they’re replaced, Bruno is back at her post, guarding her spoils.
Experienced poultry keepers have suggested a variety of tricks and witchcraft to snap her out of her spell but to date her motherly instincts have overpowered our efforts.
A dunk in a bucket of water just left her a little damp, a night in the garden may have made her shiver but did nothing to deter her and a run around the garden simply heightened her aggravation.
Any attempt to lower her body temperature has been met with blunt refusal. So, where do we go from here?
I’m tempted to wait it out but I miss my daft ball of fun that is Bruno!
Want to hear the chicken’s point of view? Visit my Chicken Talk Blog.
You can also follow my chickens on Twitter.
Which came first, the chicken or the cat?
Posted by Beth in Beth's Blog on May 18th, 2009
Disgruntled cat on coup
Following the events of Black Friday, our flock pecking order has had a regig with some curious results. Fajhita, who was one of the birds injured in the attacks, now controls the coup and Bruno, our tiny Pekin, seems suddenly to command some respect. The one lasting victim has been our long suffering moggie cat, Smudge.
Poor Smudgie has always feared her daily routine, which usually begins with a claw to the nose from a neighbourhood tom. When the chickens arrived, she truly believed she had regained some power. Once she had taken her daily beating, patrolling the coup gave her a sense of purpose. Perhaps she was a sheepdog in a previous life but the glee she gained from rounding up the chickens surpassed even her favourite treats and bedtime tickles.
This weekend, Pingu and Fajhita decided enough was enough. As Smudge emerged for her morning skulk round the garden, the chickens had a different agenda. They would not be stopped from destroying my flower beds by their furry master. Neck feathers rose, wings flapped and a disgruntled cat was left running to me for comfort, tail between her legs.
One of our initial concerns when adopting poultry was the sheer volume of cats that inhabit our garden. It is now feline welfare that we fear for. After nursing Smudgie’s hurt feelings I couldn’t help but be impressed by the potential for ferociousness our birds sometimes exhibit.
Do not be fooled by the beautiful balls of feathers – a dark side lurks within our chickens, waiting to be unleashed on any being brave enough to challenge them.
Want to hear the chicken’s point of view? Visit my Chicken Talk Blog.
You can also follow my chickens on Twitter.
Black Friday
Posted by Beth in Beth's Blog on May 11th, 2009
The Trouble Makers
I’m sorry to start on a sad note but, last weekend, devastation hit our coup. Our slightly special yet superb Silkie Mr Fantastic passed away. After we had overcome the emotional upset we realised we had a somewhat larger problem on our hands. In our tendency to humanise the birds we explained it away as mourning but a few moments later it was clear – the birds had gone mad!
Whether it was the loss of a friend, a glitch in the pecking order or even the unseasonable sunshine we shall never know – either way the birds appeared to be killing each other. Oscar had a bloody beak, Fahita was crying in the corner and the general mist of feathers in the air sent a chill down my spine. We had found ourselves in the middle of a feather-pecking spree.
I took my usual solution to everything approach and hit the net. I was told to tar the injured birds, cover them all with anti-peck spray, install a pecker block and fit an unusual device to their beaks known as bumper bits. All very well for those with easy access to a shed of supplies.
Since I began my obsession with all that is feathery, I have acquired a strong network of poultry fanatics who, in my hour of need, clamoured together. Other local owners sprang out of the woodwork, as if by magic, bumper bits in hand. After a short trip over the boarder into Romford in Essex and a crash course in the difficulties of fitting said bumper bits, my birds slowly returned to normal.
Although the experience was truly traumatic, I was strangely left with a warm and fuzzy feeling. When you enter the world of all things chicken, you are also welcomed into a new community of help and support. Urban farmers can sometimes feel isolated but this need not be the case when a keyboard is on hand. I only hope I can one day return the favour to a fellow poultry fancier in need.
Want to hear the chickens point of view? Visit my chicken talk blog.
You can also follow my chickens on Twitter.
