Recent content by Icemaiden

Thanks Josh. Happily I was on holiday dealing with an invasion of horseflies instead. I've come home to find that my Cream Legbar hybrid has gone broody. What were the chances of that???

Oh, and provided that your coop is in a fox-proof run, there's no harm in having an automatic pop-hole opener to let them out into the run in the mornings. It'll only take a few evenings of training before they learn to put themselves to bed before the door closes again.

Hi Marius. If your flock are to free range, you or another responsible person need to be there while they're out, to defend them from predators. When I first started researching, as you're wisely doing, I mentioned on this forum that I planned to adopt some ex-battery hens. The last thing that I...

Chris's replies didn't...

You did the right thing in adding a greater number of new birds to a smaller number of established birds. E.g. adding three newbies to two existing hens would be much better than adding two new birds to an established flock of three.

I use them to encourage my girls to lat their eggs in the nestboxes rather than in the coop. I've lost a couple too- both when other people have been looking after the girls when I've been on holiday. I suspect that they had a tough time making their breakfasts!! I resorted to writing on the...

Have you tried ringing the BHWT hen helpline? tel:01884860084 (that's a UK number so if you're elsewhere you'll need +44 1884 860084.

Hi Blaine. Welcome to the forum.

I notice they've got a glockenspiel in their run. Who plays it? It would certainly liven up an egg song, if one of the others provided an accompaniment 😊

That is one unusual looking bird. It makes me think of 50% faverolles & 50% planet of the apes!!! No offence intended either to Chet or the rooster...

Hi Tru. Sorry that I don't have space to adopt your flock, but hopefully someone else will be able to help...

And, as anticipated, 6 days later Repecka has gone to join Margot, Harriet and Nibbles in heaven, having passed away in her sleep overnight. As with each of her predecessors, she'll leave a claw print on my heart. I'm very grateful for the work of the British Hen Welfare Trust...

3 1/2 years on, we've just laid to rest the third of these ex- commercial layers, Margot. Repecka is hanging in there, now about 5 years old, but I think she'll be joining her sisters in heaven soonish. But then I didn't expect either of them to make it through the winter, so you never know...

Hi Hayley. My heart goes out to you; they look gorgeous. Rather than giving up your remaining runner drake, could you not fox - proof your run / garden & then get him a couple of young ladies? There are quite a few old threads on the forum under "chicken runs, houses & equipment " to give you...

Hi Igor's hump. I'm not familiar with Phoenix chickens- it's just nice to see a bird in real life, where anything that touches the floor gets dirty!