Silent Sunday – Silkie 10th April 2022
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Category Archives: poultry
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #145: Getting to Know You
Last summer, a number of chicks hatched from the incubator. As the chicks grow, you really get to know their characters.
Day old chick
There are the cute ones.
Chicks on arm
The cheeky ones.
The shy ones.
The bossy ones.
Now we have new chicks and the getting to know you will start all over again.
New chicks
In memory of Mac – who was one of the shy ones.
Early the other morning…..
…..a fox came to visit. We heard the hens making a rumpus and my son saw the fox slink off with something between it’s jaws.
Frosty morning
We found some tell tail signs of feathers –
…and followed the trail down the track…..
Track
…across the field and under the fence, across the small river.
Poor Tiger, one of our young cockerels has gone. Early morning breakfast. Such is nature. Tiger was a feisty young fellow, so I expect he put up a fight. I imagine the fox with a sore nose.
Tiger
Silent Sunday
handsome boy
New arrivals
I haven’t shown you our new arrivals – only two, but very cute! They will be a week old tomorrow – but the photo was taken when they were just a couple of days old.
chick
New Chicken House
We have moved the chickens to a new area. My husband has been busy making them a new house, adapting a plan from “The Small-Scale Poultry Flock: An All-Natural Approach to Raising Chickens and Other Fowl for Home and Market Growers“, by Harvey Ussery.
The chickens seem to like it.
New chicken house
The roof perches are high but all the chickens are using them (even the older ladies). And all eggs are being laid in the nest boxes provided.
High roof perches
Nest boxes, accessible from back
There is plenty to eat in the new area too. It’s an area we’ve grown our potatoes and onions in for last two years. It had become over run with weeds though so we thought the chickens could do a good clearing job. Meanwhile, we hope to grow this year’s potatoes in the area where the chicken’s have been for the last two years. There wasn’t much growing so it is easier to dig. We hope to get the potatoes that have been chitting in the ground this week.
Moving the hens from the old area to new one was a little challenging and involved the four of us trying to herd them. It was pretty successful with the exception of one of the black chickens who kept breaking ranks. I eventually caught her and carried her to her new quarters, much to her indignation!
Meet Jemima ii
You may remember a couple of months back, our duck, Jemima passed away. Well, we have a new duck, thanks to our generous neighbour.
Nelson and Jemima ii
Seeing as the new duck was so like our original one we have decided to called her Jemima the Second. She is quite shy but gradually seems to be settling into her new home. Currently she and Nelson are hard at work finding slugs in the vegetable plot. Though Nelson does seem to prefer the poultry field and duck pond!
(Apologies for quality of photo, it was taken with my phone not my camera!)
Chickens
There are many animals we humans connect to – dogs, cats, and other pets that often become important parts of our lives from childhood. Similarly there are those of us that make that connection with poultry. And in my opinion, you are either a chicken person or you are not! And if you meet another person who is a chicken person you naturally form a bond – it’s what I call the chicken bond.
My relationship with chickens started in childhood. I was about eleven when my sister and I purchased some chickens to start a mini egg-selling enterprise. Most of the eggs were sold back to my mother for household use, but when egg production was high, we sold eggs to family friends too. Growing up on a small farm there were always plenty animals; but there was just something quirky about the chickens that I liked.
Moving to Murtagh’s Meadow allowed me for the first time since the 1980s to get my own chickens. We started off with just three, Maud, Bernadette and Meabh. After initially keeping them in a chicken arc, the three roamed freely around our then open garden. They were great company while digging in the garden and were always eager to get the biggest juiciest worm.
Maud, Bernadette and Meabh when they firt came
They were happy wandering anywhere and in the summer liked the shade by the front door. They soon learned not to come in, though occasionally would give it a try! Bernadette was always the fiesty one, Maud the bravest and Meabh the shyest.
Sitting by the front door
Over the years, and with losses to mink and foxes we went through various types of housing. We finally invested in a poultry electric fence which is great. It allows the chickens free roaming within limits (which has it’s advantages too as they are not digging up your flowers or vegetables). At the same time I do miss having them under my feet. You really get to know the individual characters that way. At the same time since investing in the fence we have not suffered any losses, other than through natural causes.
MInk (non native to Ireland) can desimate a whole flock
This was a particularly bold fox who seemed to have no fear
Note mesh fencing
Once you eat truly free range chicken eggs it is very hard to go back to the bought ones. So if you have the space I would thoroughly recommend our feathered friends.
!
In memory of Jemima
Our duck Jemima was named after the wonderful Beatrix Potter character Jemima Puddle Duck, because of her habitat of trying to hide her eggs. Like all ducks she was at her happiest in the duck pond. She was a plucky little duck, not afraid to let herself be heard particularly if she was hungry.
Jemima with Nelson
Jemima with Nelson
With her mate Nelson she spent hours in the vegetable plot searching for slugs and other food.
Jemima with Nelson
We’ve had her for over six years and we will miss her.
Jemima in her early years with her sister and Nelson not quite sure what to make of the snow
Chicks and Saint Patrick’s Day
Happy St Patrick’s day! We’ve had a lovely sunny and dry day which has been great for the kids taking part in the local parade. And this morning we got a little bit of time to do some gardening too.
But our most exciting event this week has been the hatching of six little chicks from the chicken eggs in the incubator. The little black one below, was first to emerge, having hatched first thing Sunday morning.
Chick
For the rest of the afternoon the kids watched the four little yellow ones hatch. It was great to see their excitement and a great education. Our seven year old, in particular, was asking lots of questions. We’d borrowed the incubator and hope to try some duck eggs next.
Today the chicks were moved out of the incubator into a homemade brood box consisting of a cardboard box and infra-red lamp to keep them warm.
They are very cute!
Murtagh's Meadow 