At the end of last summer, we made the decision to no longer keep hens as we just couldn’t offer them the quality of life they deserved. Mandatory lockdowns due to bird flu were becoming more frequent and lasting longer, and the hens were confined to a run for months at a time. We’d always…
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This beautiful lady is a Dutch Barnevelder. She’s a big, sturdy bird who lays beautiful dark brown eggs. She isn’t our friendliest bird, but she’s super entertaining. She occasionally upsets herself with hiccups! If you’ve never heard a chicken hiccupping, I’d dare say you haven’t lived.
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Leghorns originated from Italy and have traditionally been used as laying hens. They’re supposed to give you at least 280 eggs a year, but ours has spent so much time being broody, she’s barely laid at all this year. She’s also very flighty and doesn’t like humans at all. I’m not sure if our leghorn…
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We have two of these beautiful birds, both cuckoo. They’re both big, friendly birds with bags of personality. The one in the photo is a recent addition to our flock. Someone in a nearby village was moving to a house without a garden and needed a home for three hens. Of course, we didn’t hesitate.…
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Vorwerk hens can be quite hard to come by, so I jumped at the chance of owning one when the breeder let me know he had a spare. This breed originated in Germany and is known for being fairly laid back and economical with food. Our vorwerk is a bit of a loner and lays…
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It’s done! With no building or woodworking knowledge, I’ve put together a really cute little egg stand from which to sell eggs in front of my house. For the base, I used this ODDVAR stool from IKEA, but instead of fastening the base to the seat of the stool, I attached it to this hen…
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My hens are in overdrive and producing more eggs than we can eat. It’s too hot to bake, so I’ve decided the best way forward is to construct an honesty box for the eggs and place it in front of the house. The fact I’m even considering this is a bit of a miracle. I’m…
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After a couple of false starts, we were finally able to collect three new hens yesterday. We made the decision a couple of years ago to rescue battery hens instead of keeping pure breeds, but the poor ex-batts don’t live very long, so we’ve decided to add a few hearty birds to the flock. We’ve…
Read MorePearl is a marans and will one day lay chocolate-coloured eggs. She is also an expert on the balance beam.
Read MoreOn Monday, one of our lovely hens tried to crow. She’d had a red face, wattles, and comb for some time, but hadn’t laid any eggs. Yesterday morning, we spotted the beginnings of spurs on her legs. After a quick trip to a breeder nearby, our fears were confirmed — our beautiful buff Orpington hen…
Read MoreMeet Violet, aka ‘Violent’, ‘The Poo Poo’, ‘Meanie’, and ‘Bossy Butt’. She’s a Dutch partridge bantam and the smallest girl in our flock. She’s also the fiercest little bird you’ll ever meet. Next to June, Violet is commander in chief. She keeps the other hens and bantams in line by chasing, biting, and pulling their…
Read MoreSam is a silver duck-winged Welsummer. She came to us with that wonky toe. It doesn’t seem to bother her at all, and she gets around just fine. Sam lays beautiful terracotta-coloured eggs. She’s a lovely little bird.
Read MoreOne of our new girls laid her first egg yesterday. Sam — a silver duck-winged welsummer — laid a tiny egg. It’s the same size as a bantam egg.
Read MoreThere is nothing tastier than a freshly-plucked leaf from an elderberry tree, and it’s even nicer if you pick it yourself. June the Light Sussex hen will jump again and again for her favourite treat. She’s nearly ready for a place in the WNBA.
Read MoreIt’s been a tough few days, but we’re gradually getting back to normal. I miss my girls a lot, but at least the horrid raw feeling is gone. Two hens survived the attack. June was untouched. Olive was badly shaken, but she’s doing much better. She’s been laying, too, which is an excellent sign. We…
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Fig and Pen 