Izzie, Skye and Morag,

[dianefairhall]

http://poultrykeeperforum.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=4878&sid=5e94c0c296c791af295c92b952606c44http://poultrykeeperforum.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=4879
http://poultrykeeperforum.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=4880

 

[dianefairhall]

I 'm having difficulty posting more than one pic at a time.

 

[Marigold]

What pretty pullets! they make a lovely group.
Their combs will need to grow a lot bigger and redder before they're ready to lay, though.

 

[dianefairhall]

Yes, I'm not sure whether they are really 20 weeks.
http://poultrykeeperforum.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=4881

 

[bigyetiman]

What lovely girls, we had 3 just like this, only the Light Sussex is left now Dizzie Izzie, in her younger days she tried on many occasions to make friends with the Bluebell who was a year older and got beaten up on a regular basis, strangely in later years they became inseparable. She tried to fly through a fence, oops, tried dust bathing in mud, not a good look and chased a Canada Goose into the lake, and also had a prolapse. In spite of this she is now a very stately serene matriarch of 5 1/2. The Bluebell having died very peacefully aged 6 1/2. Our barred Rocks were very peaceful girls and fantastic layers.
Hope yours are as entertaining as ours

 

[dianefairhall]

You have a hen called Izzie, too! Izzie is my Bluebell, Skye is the Sussex and the Marans is Morag. They appear to get on very well and go around together, no squabbles witnessed to date. I love the way they come running up when they see me. Cupboard love, I know, but it's fun.
http://poultrykeeperforum.com/download/file.php?mode=view&id=4882

 

[Hen-Gen]

Interesting background, Diane. Where do you live?

 

[Margaid]

Lovely birds and glorious view!

 

[dianefairhall]

Interesting background, Diane. Where do you live?

We live in the South Lochs area of the Isle of Lewis. The loch we overlook is the sea loch, Loch Erisort. It looks much better with a bit of sun.

 

[Hen-Gen]

A bit windy at times then!?

 

[dianefairhall]

You're not wrong. You can see the girls' knickers blowing up in the air! They were bred on Skye, though, so it's nothing new to them.

 

[bigyetiman]

Here is a pic I took of our Izzie, not looking bad for her age.
what a lovely place you live, glad they are used to a bit of wind

 

[dianefairhall]

She's beautiful - I hope our Skye turns out as well. She hasn't got her grown up feathers yet.

 

[Marigold]

In BYm's pic of his Izzie, you can see what your Izzie can aspire to in the comb department!

 

[bigyetiman]

Her comb does lean to one side. I forgot to say she and her two sisters we presume were found dumped in a cardboard box by a friend, aged about 9 weeks. The other two lived to 4, so they were lucky girls. Happy and placid, her motto in life is "don't stand if you can sit, don't sit if you can find a sunny spot to lie in"

 

[dianefairhall]

Why on earth would anyone do that - it's horrific. One of our cats was dumped in a carrier bag at a few days old. He's now 10. I don't know what happened to his siblings.

 

[bigyetiman]

Beats me why anyone does it. Your cat and the hens were the lucky ones. The only thing amiss with the hens was each of them had a bit of one toe missing, obviously some kind of birth defect you can see it on Izzie's left foot, one toe is a bit stumpy. Perhaps someone thought they couldn't get sell them.

 

[dianefairhall]

Maybe that's the reason. We think our cat is half-siamese and that the owner/breeder thought they couldn't sell the kittens. It's no excuse, homes or rescues can always be found, it just takes a bit of effort.

 

[Tweetypie]

Beautiful hens and equally beautiful scenery. My bluebell is going through a moult so looks terrible at the moment. She's the quietest of my hens. I also have the same feeders as you, too.

 

[dianefairhall]

The hens do eat out of the feeders but seem to prefer eating off the ground. I expect that's natural.

If you're feeding treats or a warm winter mash, it's better to put it on a large plate, supported on a concrete block to get it off the ground a bit. Yes they do naturally feed on the ground, of course, but if it's on a plate less of it will fall on to dirty ground area where the hens could pick up bacteria or worms from their poo that got mixed up in the food. Feed contaminated with poo will transfer worms back into their gut and perpetrate the worm cycle.