November 2006

1 No rescue hens available.  Maybe next month, but can we wait?
2 Silly question really.  Been out and bought two most beautiful and quite tiny bantams.  Meet

Muppet Muppet  and Lacey Lacey.

As far as we know, Muppet is a buff Polish bantam and Lacey is a silver laced Wyandotte.  We'll have to wait with baited breath for further confirmation because, if we are right, Muppet should lay white eggs, but Lacey's should be brown.

On arriving home with them, we let Aggie, Titfer & Tat out and settled Muppet & Lacey in the run, where they squeaked and twittered, but eventually scratched about, found the food and water, had a good feast and looked reasonably happy.
I'm quite emotionally drained as I write this, as we've just had to let Aggie, Titfer & Tat back into the run to join the new chicks.  So, of course, the pecking order battle began.  Aggie was first to have a go at the new ones whilst twittering her "I'm in charge" noise, closely followed by Titfer who squawked & squawked & squawked.....  She was bottom of the current pecking order, so made a great deal of noise to assert that she's bottom no longer!!  Tat just ate and serenely stood by.  Not one peck or noise from her.
When they finally went up on their top perch, Lacey tried to fly up to join them, so another fight ensued, which Lacey lost.  Muppet just ran around the bottom of the pen in a quandary.
As it got dark and the others settled, Muppet & Lacey were still nervously unsettled.  In the end, we picked them up and put them into the covered hen house with the nest boxes, as there is also a perch in there.  Muppet perched & settled.  Lacey just sat on the floor behind the perch and, at last, all fell quiet.
Goodness knows what will happen in the morning when feeding and laying commences.  At least, if Muppet & Lacey haven't ventured out, the first to go in to nest is likely to be Tat.

3 6:50  Crow has to venture outside in the cold to keep the peace, resolved by throwing the "old" birds out as the "new" chicks need to stay in the run for a few days so they understand it's their new home.
Aggie in hay bag8:20  Chick has to go out because Tat needs to be in to lay.  Both Aggie & Tat go in,  Aggie has a little peck at Muppet, Tat goes into the nest.  Titfer denied access as she's a bully at the moment.  It's too cold to stay outside so I get food and water and put it in the inner enclosure (under the nest box), get the new chicks in there and open up the run.  Titfer goes in the nest with Tat, Aggie tries to empty mash from the feeder onto the ground.
9:20  Tat has laid, Titfer hasn't, but they're both out of the nest.  (I think Titfer just goes in there to be near Tat.)  Search for Aggie and find her nesting in the half full hay bag - that beautiful new home and she wants to lay in a plastic bag!!
and so to perch....10:00  Aggie's changed her mind and gone to the proper nest to lay, now that Tat has vacated.
12:45  New chicks are fast asleep, heads tucked under their wings.  It seems Lacey already has a favourite spot, on top of two breeze blocks that used to be the steps into the old nest (they probably get nice & warm in the sun).
16:45  And so to bed....  Considering events this morning, we decided to erect a temporary barrier to try to stop the early morning squabble.  What happens?  Muppet & Lacey decide to try to perch on the barrier!  However, Muppet wouldn't settle and kept trying to push Lacey off, so we put them both to bed on the nest perch again.
4 Well, the temporary barrier worked in keeping the chicks separate and preventing an early morning bun fight.  I went out at 8:30 and put Muppet & Lacey into the inner enclosure to allow Aggie, Titfer & Tat into the nest.  As we were out & about, they had to stay like this until 3pm.  When we got back Aggie, Titfer & Tat had a run out in the garden and then we separated the five of them again for the night.  However, Muppet obviously fancied the treat tray and flew up and over to join the big chicks.  She seems happy to try to defend herself, but I couldn't bear it, especially when Titfer pecked and pulled out two of Muppets head feathers.  I had to go in and "rescue" her.  We finally put Muppet & Lacey into the hen house where they squabbled together for a while before settling.  I think they're having their own private pecking order struggle, which Muppet is winning.  They both sleep with their heads right under their wings, something Aggie, Titfer & Tat don't do.
5 PerchedOh dear, no eggs today.  It is said that hens stop laying between Bonfire night and Valentine's day but Titfer & Tat didn't seem to know this last year.  Do you think Aggie has had a word to make them wise?  Hope not  ;-)Lapped

Muppet & Lacey have found & perched on the main perches today.  Then when we went in to get them settled, Muppet & Lacey climbed all over me, up my arms, around the back of my neck and tried to settle in the hood of my coat - I think I've bonded with them now!  Seeing them both snug on my forearm gives you some idea of how small they are.
6 Bonding with CrowPhew!  The usual two eggs arrived from Aggie & Tat.  Titfer sat on the nest and made a big announcement, but didn't produce.

Unfortunately we don't know exactly how old Muppet & Lacey are, just that they were born this year.  So, no idea if they should be laying now or not.

Bonding with Crow today -->
7 aaaah!  Minor panic this afternoon when Muppet escaped from the run when I was letting Titfer out.  Luckily the bonding paid off and she stood still, allowing me to pick her up and put her back.
Slight poo accident in tonight's bonding so I had to disinfectant the front of my coat.
8 Bonding is lovely, but I got pooped on again.  This time down the back of my neck! Coat and T-shirts in the wash and me in the shower!
9 Muppet & Lacey made it to the top perch, but only while Aggie, Titfer & Tat were out.
Egg laying may be tailing off to one per day  :-(
10 Muppet ate corn from my hand for the first time this morning.  Bonding now takes place with my hood up and a towel over my lap.
11 Muppet & Lacey had their first outing into the big bad world (well, garden) this evening.  We're starting to let them out about half an hour before bed time to see how they react.
12 Aggie, Titfer & Tat have spent most of the day digging around in the soil outside of our bedroom window and all three have got dirty heads as a result.  In the meantime Muppet is available for stroking at any time in the run, but Lacey is far more wary.  However, Lacey is first in my lap when I sit down with them before they go to bed.
13 Muppet is so sprightly, it's tricky to keep her in whenever the door to the run is opened.  She obviously has a taste for the great outdoors now.  I don't know how long it will be before we can let Muppet & Lacey out all day though.  They're so unaware of dangers and will be so difficult to find if they wander off.  We're still having to physically put them on their night-time perch before they settle down.
14 It rained today so I hoped Aggie, Titfer & Tat would get their heads clean, but it didn't work.
I didn't want to stand guard out in the rain so Muppet & Lacey didn't get out.  However, Muppet got her head completely wet.  Not her body, just her head.  It's a mystery!
15 Aggie went next door this afternoon.  I would never have found her if it wasn't for Titfer & Tat standing for an unnaturally long time next to the fence where she had gone through.  I had to entice her back with corn.  Does that make her naughty or clever or both?
Lacey spent ages snuggled in my lap today.  As night falls, Muppet & Lacey can now find their own way to bed, up the ladder into the henhouse, onto the perch, squabble & tweet then settle down.  Clever things!
16 First time 5 chicks perched togetherHorrible dull, rainy day, I got the big chicks in early (around 15:30) before we went for a walk.  It was quite dark by the time we got back.  I couldn't see Muppet & Lacey in the hen house so I went to get the torch.  Still couldn't see them and was just about to go into the run for a closer inspection when I panned to the right and found them on the top perch with Aggie, Titfer & Tat!!!  
Can't imagine the bun fight which must have ensued to get to this result, and I'm sad we missed it, but it's another integration step in the right direction.  (They were all settled, but taking the photo disturbed the big chicks.)
17

Muppet & Lacey like carrot topsMuppet & Lacey like carrot tops!

We watched, with anticipation, when the chicks went to bed  tonight but Muppet & Lacey went into the hen house, not onto the perch.  Perhaps because it was very windy?

18 Titfer hasn't laid at all this month.  In fact, she hasn't had a full laying month since June.  I wish I understood why......  Meanwhile, Aggie & Tat are still laying very well for November.  Normally Aggie has stopped completely by now for her winter rest.
19 Muppet & Lacey were let out to play, unsupervised, today.  When I came out with the treat tray, I momentarily panicked as I couldn't see (or hear) them anywhere.  Then I looked in the hen house and they had already gone to bed.
20 Titfer's appetite isn't what it should be, so I'm still a little concerned about her.
21 The titchies were out from 14:00 today, so that we could clean out the chicken run.  Then, at nightfall,  they were up & settled on the top perch first but Titfer pecked Muppet so much when she came up that Muppet had to vacate and Lacey followed her, of course.
22 Mohican MuppetMuppet & Lacey's first real drenching in the rain.....

...... and ain't it always the way - when you've got a special hairdo, the rain really messes it up - meet Mohican Muppet -->

23 Poor chicks were locked in all day as we weren't!
24 Filmed two chicky flicks today - one of Aggie, Titfer & Tat dirt bathing and the other of Muppet & Lacey doing the scratchy dance - but you'll have to wait until I've mastered the movie software to see some clips.
More concern about Titfer  - she's got a very red bottom and this evening she's gone into the hen house, instead of roosting on the top perch with Aggie & Tat.
25 Ron came to check on the chicks as we went off to Yorkshire this morning.
26 Lonely chicks today.  No human company as we didn't get back until after dark.
27 Aggie got onto the top perch at bedtime, then looked for a higher perch and chose my arm.  She's done this on rare occasions before with Crow & me but tonight there was a "first" as she settled down to roost on my arm!
28 Both Aggie & Titfer are moulting, so there's quite a few feathers around.  I'm a bit puzzled as to why nature allows chickens to lose their feathers in the winter, just when they need them for warmth.  Usually something more instinctive & protective goes on......
Aggie did her trick on my arm again tonight.
29 When Muppet's out & about she often comes running to me and hangs about under my feet, just wanting to be petted and picked up, but I can't get near Lacey.
30 5 chicks grazingAll five chicks grazed together (on my newly cleared garden beds) for the first time.  All heads down pecking in unison.

Aggie's only got one tall tail feather left.  All the others have dropped out!

Titfer went into the hen house overnight again  :-(

eggs this month
eggs since 1 May 2006