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.