Friday 7 May 2010

Meet the girls at long last.

For years I have wanted chickens but have never got any because of worrying about the neighbors complaining, which is really silly as we live in the country and have sheep, cows etc all around us not to mention a gazzillion barking dogs! We also have a small garden but last year we got our piece of field enabling us to make an allotment there thus freeing up space in the garden. I did a lot of research and found out about the allotment act of 1950, which put my mind at rest, to a degree, about the neighbours. Anyway last Sunday we collected them a black Maran which, I've named Maude, a light Sussex named Delilah and a Silkie named Flossie.

We shut them in their house when we got them home, Mr CB had made it on legs to discourage rats, so they have a ladder to climb down. Maude was out first then Delilah eventually after a little nudge Flossie looked out and there she stood for 1/2 hr or so! She has the hang of it now and is straight out in the mornings.
Maude is quite noisy she seems to be the announcer of any eggs being laid by her or Delilah.
Flossie is such a cute little thing but I don't expect her to lay many eggs, I had to have her as I do love Silkies.
And Delila is definately Mrs bossy boots and the greedy one she goes inside to lay her egg Maude starts cackling I go to quieten her, which makes Delilah come out to see if I have some food for her, this makes the egg laying process quite a long one.

Maude laid the first egg within 2 hrs of coming home and her and Delilah have laid each day.
As they are on bark in their pen I've put a shallow flower pot of soil in there for them to have a dust bath it's quite hard to see in the picture but they love this.
They didn't think much of yesterdays rain though.

Once they've settled in, had their wings clipped and I've moved all my seedlings down to the allotment they'll be able to rummage around the garden I and I'm sure they can't wait!

22 comments:

Angela Smith said...

It is one of my dreams to have hens, but at the moment as we are regularly given freshly laid eggs from our neighbours hens, there seems little point to us adding to the surplus in our little community.

Lace hearts said...

I am so envious, especially of Flossie. They are lovely.

bellaboo said...

How lovely for you to have chickens at last and to be able to have your own lovely fresh eggs! They all look very settled in their new home.

Bellaboo :0)

Jess said...

You lucky thing, they're gorgeous!How lovely to be able to see these beautiful creatures each day with the added bonus of having fresh eggs!x

Country Style Living said...

This is something I have been contemplating, especially after watching Alys Fowler with hers on TV. I have the same concerns as you. It may be we do the same as you and take on an allotment. Have fun getting to know your chickens...

sharie said...

I used to love having our hens and really miss them since we've moved. Looks like you have bought some good egglayers there!

Lalabibaby @ Dreaming of The Simple Life said...

Lovely ladies especially the silkie .... amazing how individual their characters are isn't it and there is definitely a pecking order ... have fun x

Country Cottage Chic said...

They are lovely!

Jayne

topchelseagirl said...

what gorgeous girls and fab names!

Lyn said...

Oh I'd love, love, love hens! Can't say we have no room but would need to think seriously before we took some on, maybe after the extension is done......
I like the look of yours, nice to have a variety of different one's I guess.
Love
Lyn
xxx

Serenata said...

Oh you lucky thing, I am quite jealous! I used to have chickens as a teenager and loved them, one was a silkie and the other was a rescue battery hen.

Dawn said...

What pretty hens, especially the Silkie. One of mine is broody - wondering whether to get some eggs for her to hatch.

maryannlucy said...

oh more chickens in the blogosphere, aren't they glorious, and good layers already. More picies please x

jackanne said...

i too keep some hens,last weekend i collected 4 more from a battery farm..poor things ..they have settled in well and are eating loads of corn and worms....yours look fantastic and very healthy as they should...xx

Kitty said...

I think they are possibly the most pretty hens I've ever seen! Good for you for realising one of your dreams :) x

Sarah said...

I would love to have chickens, but like you I am worried about the neighbours. I have an allotment and have been told we can have them on there. The allotment is a couple of miles from my house and i dont know if I would be happy about leaving them.

Moi said...

Love your girls! I got some chooks last week, they are settling in nicely but no eggs yet - you can see some pictures on my blog!

driftwood said...

they are so lovely, I really want some but it says in our deeds we can't.......... which is such a pain as I'm sure the neighbours wouldn't care.

MarmaladeRose said...

Lovely post. Hubby has just ordered a hen house, so I'll be checking back for hen husbandry tips.

The Vintage Kitten said...

Lucky you, I would like some hens or maybe ducks, but with 4 cats and a dog its not a good idea. I cant think of anything better than freshly laid eggs. How exciting it must be for you X

melanie said...

What lovely hens, I would love to have hens here. xxx

Jess said...

Your hens are beautiful, I love flossie waht a gorgeous litle girl, gold silkies are my favourite.
Now you've got hens you'll never want to be without them again, adorable little creatures, enjoy them.

Lovely blog too.

jess x