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Last post (I promise) on this until she comes back into lay (or doesn't) next spring - but I'm so chuffed how well she has feathered up! Including flight feathers now and, with a huge stretch of the imagination, she's now laced! :) P.S. She's very miffed in this picture but my attempts to get...

The week before last there was a stock of turf rolls at the DIY store and I got one on a whim. Put it on the roof and watered it till it recovered its condition then cut off sections to put in the run. They went crazy for it and it also seemed to do them the world of good digestively. They...

Showing off her tail feather!

Quick post as need to investigate but hope someone’s around as looks very strange An object could best describe as like the end of a cuttlefish shell is protruding from Betty's rear. Smooth bone like. Going to see if it moves. any ideas? Cleaned her up and its gone now. Was like the point of a...

Just cleaned out the nesting boxes and refreshed the straw. Betty and Linden are in there both making ridiculously contented burbling noises.

That's my hybrid Teabag of course! (mumble, mumble) No, they look like this (pictures from a google search): I cant work out if they are still rare - often referred to as endangered but also quite popular. Apparently they are very friendly (except the cocks in mating season when they get...

Just out of interest for the currently distant future, Has anyone kept Nankins? Would they be fine in a sheltered covered 10sqM aviary? In winter? I've seen them in a book I have and they look really good!

Blaze is going to the vet this evening for an implant to stop her laying. I've been posting bits and pieces about her condition lately but thought it would be good to start a record of what happens next. She is a 2 1/4 year old commercial hybrid that appears to have burned herself out with...

This may be a silly idea so I thought I would run it by you all before subjecting Blaze to experiment - but it seems that she will be laying soft eggs now until she either moults and stops for the winter (maybe for good) or runs into some other difficulty. Trouble is the other girls now know...

After a couple of weeks of no laying, Blaze produced this whopper this morning. I'm glad I checked just before going to work as it's quite thin shelled and would have got broken and eaten before I got home. I have some eggshell improver that the vet reccomended but don't want to OD Linden with...

Saw this ex cage hen posted on Twitter earlier (thankfully with a new home) And I worry about a few feathers missing on mine! Shocking! What's puzzling me is their skin looks unpecked even though their feathers are totally obliterated.

This is a silly question considering the recommended use of the stuff but - It doesn’t matter if they eat scratch from the floor where its been used does it?

Blaze has done her time (in isolation and on Flubenvet but in view of the others) and her rear isn’t the angry red that it was but is still quite red. She is laying with shells now though the quality is a bit rough. I thought that a bit of purple dye would be a good idea to avoid any of the...

Blaze has laid a fairly decent egg with a full shell and no wrinkles. Its a big relief! I am quite possibly over thinking this but... it was laid pointy end first. I know this because I've got straw in the nest box and the base is a bit too hard - it landed with a clunk and cracked at the...

This really made me smile. I'm sure the bit about Monique getting on his nerves is a joke! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36475672

No, I really do appreciate your suggestions. Looking closer there seems to be inflammation around the feather bases and then the solid red area where there are no feathers. The blotches on the left are feather bases above the vent.

** In the end it wasn't vent gleet. Best guess: it was feather pecking by the rest of the flock caused by her laying shell-less eggs. See 'Big Egg' and 'Implant for Blaze'. Will recognise vent gleet if it happens now though!** As a relatively new chicken keeper there are lots of minor issues...

Addvatizing itself was a bit of a clue! Interesting times ahead :)

Well - I think we're getting there although I won't say its been easy - especially with only the space in the coop available. Different areas, passageways, levels have given them all a place to escape the crowd when they want to, which is good all round. Now we're out of the woods I can freely...