Chicken Refuge

OK, this is getting serious.  Saturday morning i woke up chickenless.  That's right, not a chicken in site.  The dog, Peppy, was quite secure in the knowledge that he had our undivided attention as he has for the last ten years.  Oh how things change, and quickly.  Poor Pep!

As my post of yesterday stated,  i picked up a coop and my first two chickens from Melton before having a lovely morning tea with Gav and Kim from The Greening of Gav.   Once home it was fun fun fun getting to know each other and worrying non stop as all new mothers are apt to do.   How come they wont use the ramp?  Why aren't they eating the food? I had served a full chicken buffet to tempt the fussiest of diners.   Pellets, grains, bread, fresh veg and water.  What's not to like?  Chickens get up early, why were mine still on the roost at 9am.  I mean, i had invited guests for breakfast at 9  that were expecting an encore performance after they had turned up 9.30pm the previous night saying "So, where are the chickens?" - City Slickers!

By 10am  they were up but wondering how to get down.   USE THE RAMP i was telling them, but no, it took 30 min and open doors up-stairs for them to kind-of jump down free fall.  This was their coop.  Not a knew one but they didn't seem to know how to operate it.  Poor chickens.  Their every move has been watched and dissected all day.  Not just by me.  All three of us have been ooing and arring through the glass door/windows as they dust bathed conveniently right in front of us.  My guests were suitable impressed with my ladies, Molly and Blackie.  That's right, Esmeralda has had a name change by popular vote that overruled me.  How can you call a beautiful lady Blackie?  Blackie does not pay homage to the dark emerald green in her feathers. 



The girls were having a great time dust bathing and fluffing their feathers. 

By 12, they had a reprieve.  Guests had left and i was on my way to Ballan to visit Jessie from Rabid Little Hippy.  Didn't we see each other yesterday?  Yes, but i was delivering the carpet newly removed from my sons bedroom which looks like it might find a home in her hubby's rather glamorous shed (it has a wood heater) while i had the work ute for the weekend.   Carpet in a shed?  Let me tell you that this morning it was -6.5C in Ballan.  I'd want not only the heater and carpet but full insulation if i was spending time in a tin shed in those temps.



Jess came out to help unload the carpet and when we walked inside this is how we found Orik.  How cute?

So, to the point (at last) of my tale.  Jessie has three beautiful little Pekin Bantams that were being, how can i put this politely, hmmmmm......   being molested regularly by some rather large very horny roosters.  The poor things were hiding in the dark corner of the shed whilst the beasts strutted their stuff in the sunny yard.  So, as we explained to little Allegra, Honey and her friends were going to a lovely holiday resort where they would have other friends the same size and there were no naughty boys.  She took it well, kudos to you Allegra.

So in the space of one day, i have gone from none, to two, to five Pekin Bantams and i and the "boys" couldn't be happier.   I arrived home to find more guests, my sister and her two grandchildren playing with Molly and Blackie.  They duly inspected the new arrivals and renamed two of them. I insisted that Honey remain Honey for Allegra's sake.  So now we have Molly, Blackie, Lace, Honey and Chelsea (which by co-incidence happens to be the 4 year old girl's name. Fancy That!


My nieces daughter, my sister's granddaughter, my...........cheeky girl Chelsea.

I kept the new arrivals in a box until dark and the other two had gone to bed.  In the dead of night (or around 7) i slipped them in and other than a few quiet clucks that was it.  Everyone went to sleep.  Who knew that i knew what i was doing.  All that advice and workshops must have sunk in. 

I'm expecting the worst at first light.  Well wouldn't you be upset to find three unknowns in your room. Lucky I'm up that time but its something they have to sort out on their own.  The Pecking Order!  Jess believes that little Honey (the smallest) will come out on top.  As the roosters favourite she's has some battle experience after all.  

Chicken Wars

Tomorrow my sister is coming over to hold them while we give them the once over.  I'm looking at claws that need trimming, possible scale and clipping of wings.  All pretty much run of the mill stuff that you do every day, NOT!  Hey, I'm a mother, of chickens, and so i will skill up to deal with whatever. 

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