Purple Comb

I was thinking how nicely my ex-batt's combs were reddening up, then I realised one was looking far too red. It was bleeding. Clearly there'd been some pecking going on in the run. I decided to treat it with the septi-spray that I'd bought just in case. Apparently blood can trigger pecking and also an untreated wound could become infected.

So I picked up the chook and sat her on my lap (with my scruffiest trousers) and carefully held her head steady and sprayed both sides of the comb. She now has a distinctive purple comb.

The sweet thing is she must have enjoyed it. Since then, everytime I go in to give them treats (sweetcorn sprinkled on the floor) instead of heading for the sweetcorn, she heads for my legs and feet. I can hardly take a step for her. She really seems to want attention.

They all seem very perky - and it's been two weeks exactly now and I can see little quills poking through their skin. Hopefully it won't be long before they cease to look like were-chickens.

My New Ex-Batts Arrive

My 3 hens were laying fewer eggs over winter - I even had to buy some over xmas. So I began thinking about some new chickens. I'd always fancied ex-batts - giving a poor maltreated chicken a home, but not really felt confident in my chicken-keeping abilities. However after 2 and a half years I thought I was probably OK.

I sourced a 2nd had green eglu on the internet - I fetched it on my way home from work. I registered with the Battery Hen Welfare Trust BHWT . If I weren't convinced before I was now. I had my phone call with one of the coordinators - they need to be sure that you know how to care for these poor little scraps - and I was all set.
I set up an Ex-Batt photo-album on Facebook to track their progress. There is a more detailed description of their arrival and lots of pictures as they (hopefully) grow more feathers.

I assembled the eglu. That was a task of itself since the Omlet chicken Chauffeur had done my first one for me. Still, after several cold hours I had a decent looking home for them. Then it snowed! The collection date was put off a week. Finally I collected them in one of our cat baskets. They were very calm during the journey - this pic was of them when we arrived. All settled. It had been an exciting day for them, rescued from somewhere in the midlands, driven down to Hertfordshire, released in a stable, picked up, put in a cat basket and driven home with us.

On the day they I was to collect them, my ex-batt crumb feed had still not arrived. I phoned the coordinator to ask if there was anywhere near the rescue centre in Potters Bar where I could buy some on the way. She kindly put together two bags for me from her own stock. Thank goodness, it was enough to tide me over until my delayed delivery arrived. I quickly scooped the feed into the grub bowls before letting the ex-batts out. Good thing too - they seem to eat tons of the stuff.

The next morning I kept the ex-batts in their run, but let our three birds out to range free. They were curious about the new arrivals and a little bit of pecking went on through the bars, but not possible to do much damage. We're going to keep them separate for 4 to 5 weeks to give the ex-batts feathers time to grow, to let them settle into their own pecking order and just to allow all the birds to get accustomed to each other before having to establish who is boss hen.

Getting Started with Chickens

I got my first two hens - Saffy and Patsy, from Omlet in August 2007. They were delivered by a handsome chicken chauffeur driving a gorgeous van. He assembled the eglu and run and I was all set to go. Things went very smoothly, however I soon felt that two weren't enough.

March 2008 saw the arrival of Amber and Nutmeg. I found a local chicken breeder, Adam and Anna, and had a fun time selecting a lovely Amber Star and a black with irridescent greeny bits (forget the breed). Pictured here on the day of their arrival, they were both pretty young. Amber was probably no more than 12 weeks and Nutmeg maybe 15 or 16. Nutmeg soon developed into a powerful and dominant hen who soon took over the top spot from Saffy and continues to rule the roost.

Sadly, later that year Saffy died. I'm fairly sure she had a stroke as one day she couldn't stand up and when I tried to stand her, she kept toppling over to one side. I was concerned in case she had something wrong with her foot so I got my son to hold her whilst I gently washed her feet and legs. Nothing wrong so I popped her in the coop. Checked her later that evening and she looked sadly over her shouder at me. Next day she was dead.

Two weeks ago I decided I needed more chickens as my winter egg production had dropped to the level that I had to buy eggs! I decided to rescue some chickens but first I needed more accommodation. I located a 2nd hand eglu that was not to far away and bought it, then collected the ex-bats. I put together a photo album to track their progress. I can now use this blog to provide a little more detail on what is interesting me.

First Steps

I have too many blogs. Some are active, some have lapsed into disuse. That's OK. Obviously nothing to say on those subjects. But my current and growing passion for chicken-keeping and associated activities (I'm seriously considering a wormery) needs an outlet.

Although I'm keen on growing and eating my own produce, energy efficiency and minimising waste, I couldn't do without the conveniences of the modern world - particularly the internet, hence the name of this blog; The Connected Peasant (not pheasant!). There seems to be a growing trend of keeping chickens in your garden, growing your own veggies (think of the recent Gardeners World Dig In campaign) and using energy efficiently. This spread of ideas and attitudes is supported by the internet with stores and support systems providing advice and services to support this trend. For example, Wiggly Wigglers provide a range of useful products for the would-be smallholder, Omlet not only provide stylish, colourful and above all practical hen houses and related products, they also have an active set of Chicken Forums where chicken keepers new and old can share their experiences, ask for and give advice, arrange to meet up and, basically, form a supportive community of interest that is unlimited by geographical distance.

Hence, The Connected Peasant.