12 December 2010
On arriving at the collection point it was a very different scene from September. Less than half the chickens had made it due to their bad condition and when I asked if I could choose the two sorriest looking ones a lady said “take your pick”. Every single one was in a state of featherless undress. I was given Helen who was having a cuddle at the time. She was shivering and withdrawn and the lady holding her said I’d be lucky if she even survived the week. I said that I wasn’t bothered about how long they live for just that they have a happy time while they’re with me. Then they picked up Joan. It could have been any one of them though – as I say, they all looked the same.
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I had purchased a large dog cage, because I’d already been told that whatever state the girls were in it would be too cold for them to be kept outside. I positioned it under the stairs and put newspaper on the base with scrunched up newspaper for their bedding. Once home I opened the cat box they had travelled in and tried to get them to come out of it of their own accord but in the end I lifted them into the dog cage. I’d already mixed up a lot of feed with flubenvet (wormer) so I was able to give them a mix of porridge and mash straight away. They wolfed it down – loved it! I let them have a quick wander around the hall but then put them back into the cage together. Helen was covered in mud all over her legs and where her tail should be but there was nothing I could do about that, she wasn’t up for being fiddled with! You see them here in the photo Joan is on the right and helen on the left.
Buffy was at mum & dads so I went out for a couple of hours and when I came home they were both snuggled up together asleep. This morning they woke me up at 8am, clucking away. I let them out of their cage and they had a little wander around the kitchen. They were getting on fine together until I put them back in the cage with their food. Helen went for Joan – so much that Joan was scrambling to try and get out. Helen was absolutely horrible to her.
Dad dropped Buffy off and by then I had separated them both, Helen in the Dog cage and Joan in the Cat box. I went to work then came and checked on them an hour later. Both happy in their own cages so I went out for another couple of hours. When I came back I put a large towel out in front of their respective houses, closed the shower room door and kitchen door and put a couple of little stools so they couldn’t get past the stairs. This meant they had an area they could roam around in quite happily. Buffy didn’t take any notice of them at all. The other girls came into the kitchen and they too didn’t seem to notice Helen and Joan. Both our new girls were fine but as soon as I tried to put them in the dog cage together Helen went on the rampage again and Joan was very distressed. I put some calming music on (Dido) and let them both roam around the kitchen together with me. They are fine with Buffy and she’s fine with them so that’s one problem out of the way. I put them each in their own home for the night and came upstairs. After an hour I tiptoed downstairs to see if they were OK. There was a large poo at the foot of the stairs! I went further down and saw Helen had managed to get herself out of her home (I obviously hadn’t locked it properly), she wasn’t in the kitchen, where on earth was she? She’d made her way into the lounge and was standing by the television on one leg with her eyes closed. Obviously that was her favourite place of rest! I carried her back to her home (she wasn’t happy). That was half an hour ago and she’s still up clattering around her home now. I can hear her trying to get out. Maybe she wants the company of Joan but unless she’s going to be nice to Joan she’s going to have to get used to her own space. Joan on the other hand is happily snuggled down in her home for the night. All sleepy eyed and cozy.
Wednesday 15 December
Today Helen and Joan were out in their conservatory for 2 hrs. They sported their new fleeces but Joan soon found out how to get hers undone. The original ones had buttons and she hooked her claws into them so I had to make new ones (seen below, Joan on the left and Helen's red raw bottom on the right) with velcro which she struggled to open.
Joan is the climber, she climbs up onto the stools, stands there for a while then jumps off and likes to roam around the other half of the hall. I think she gets fed up of Helen bossing her around. She even settled herself by the radiator! Hens aren’t supposed to like it too warm so I moved her away as soon as I saw her there. Don’t want her getting used to it or she’ll have a hell of a shock when she goes outside permanently. Joan is much more adventurous than Helen, she'll have a go at anything - including different foodstuffs - for example, she loves sultanas whereas Helen is a bit sniffy if she doesn't know what it is.Friday 17 December
Joan was scrambling round in the screwed up newspaper trying to nest before laying an egg. She also has started perching in the dog crate. She’s getting a feel for being a proper hen now. She still likes to escape the play pen and be on her own on the other side – maybe to get away from Helen who is till bossing her around a bit.
Sat 18 December
Tonight I’ve put both of them in the dog cage together for the first time. Helen has been bullying Joan so they have had to be kept separate but tonight Joan was sleeping at the back of the cage so I put Helen in the cat box then decided to put her with Joan in the cage. I took away all food and water so there was nothing to fight about and Helen for the first time has climbed up on the perch. Joan is underneath it and Helen is on top. Both seem happy at the moment. See you in the morning ...
Sun 19 December
Helen climbed over to the other side of the hall for the first time. Went outside but only for 10 minutes as it was very very cold. Won’t be letting them out again even in their fleeces until they have more coverage. Helen seems to be getting some down on her back.
Mon 20 December
There are definite signs of down coverage on Helen. Joan seems slower at producing feathers but her comb is a good colour. She loves to position herself by the radiator – thought they didn’t like the heat!! Today they had spaghetti for the first time and while Helen took one piece at a time Joan wolfed it down.
Thurs 23 December
Helen seems to be the stronger of the two. Still the bossy one and showing more down than Joan. Helen also seems to have put on some weight whereas Joan is still tiny. Also, I catch Joan with that sleepy look sometimes that was too familiar in Tess. She is still eating well though and is perky 90% of the time so no need to worry yet.
Sat 01 January 2011
Well, I’ve had the girls for almost 3 weeks now and they are very much pets now. Helen is sprouting much more plumage now but Joan is still naked. She has a couple of tufts on her bum that are new but other than that she only has the feathers she came with. They have been kept inside since their last excursion but on 30th I let them out for about 10 mins in the afternoon, then Philip (my gorgeous nephew) and I let them out together for about 30 mins in the morning of 31st. Mary seems to be the most argumentative of the “old” girsl. Next would be Doris. They have both been sizing up Helen and Joan but Mary is the one that is keen to have a scrap and usually comes away with a feather or two in her mouth. Penny and Hetty bless them are quite uninterested. They seem quite happy to just let things go. Strange really as both Doris and Mary had to fight for their place in the gang.
Today I put out 3 bowls of noodles and put them all on the grass and all girls were happy to eat together. Mary did make a few lunges towards both Helen and Joan but I just picked her up before she got the chance to pounce and I moved her on to another bowl of noodles where she seemed very happy. Joan came in after only a few minutes – she was shivering and obviously didn’t want to be out in the cold for too long but Helen stayed out munching away before noticing she was all on her own so she made her way back inside again. It’s been raining today and Mary still doesn’t have the water resistance on her feathers that Penny, Hetty and Doris have. Before they went to bed I wrapped her in a towel to get off any excess cold water.
Our neighbours (3 doors down) have lost their two girls to a fox. It was just before Christmas and I don’t know how securely they were put in but the fox got into their coop and killed the both. It’s making me extra vigilant and I now won’t let our girls out unless I’m in the kitchen with the back door open and lots of noise going on to scare away any predators. Also, at night time I’m locking their inner gate too. That means a fox has to get his way into their “conservatory” which has a wire gate and wire roof, then get into the inner area with a double wire gate and corrugated plastic on the roof. I know it’s the circle of life but I’d just hate it if they got “got”.
Both Helen and Joan have been coming upstairs when I’m up here. I have to barricade the stairs off when I’m out so they don’t roam around everywhere and when I come home if they know I’m upstairs you can guarantee that after a few minutes Joan will be up here with us and then if she spends too long here Helen will come up looking for her.
