Three weeks ago we got two new chickens. We drove to Pwllhalog Farm to pick up two sweet little pullets - a Russet Green and a Cheshire. I'm not really up on my chicken breeds, to be honest, but the Russet is a beautiful copper-coloured hen with striking patterned, shiny feathers, and the Cheshire is a daft-looking white bird with puffy cheeks and a wonky comb (that might just be ours...!). The reason why we bought these ones in particular is that the Russet should lay green eggs, and the Cheshire should lay blue. We thought that the Old Sheep Farm free-range egg offerings needed a bit of a colourful upgrade!
Here is the stable stall where the hen house currently is (waiting for renovation work on the Old Sheep Farm Cottages to be finished before we move them back into the farmyard) with a nice new layer of sawdust ready for the new arrivals. Willow inexplicably bashing the wall with a small plastic spade in the name of 'helping'.
Here they are arriving at the Old Sheep Farm in their makeshift travelling crate on a sunny April morning.
Duly named Henny Penny and Eggy Peggy, we were expecting a few scuffles as the existing 'big girl' chickens (Henrietta, Pecky Sue and Wendy) established that they were at the top of the pecking order. However, unfortunately it has been less 'a few scuffles' and more a constant, targeted hunting and victimisation from the big ones. Luckily, they are completely free range, so the little ones can easily get away, but it has meant that they spend most of their time up in the rafters of the stable, where the big bully chickens are too fat to get them! They even sleep up there, as there is no way they would venture into the hen house. Its rather an unfortunate situation right now. If one ventures down onto the ground, and is unlucky enough to be spotted, the big ones literally chase her down, all three pile on and take turns to peck her and rake her with their claws. Its pretty horrific. The little ones haven't been actually injured, as far as I can tell, but its not a situation that can continue. Any ideas, please let me know!
Two of the big meanies, with darkness in their hearts...
However, despite permanent persecution from the Fat Ugly Sisters (as I have come to see the big chickens), they have actually started laying. Eggy Peggy was brave enough to slip into the hen house and laid a beautiful pale olive-coloured egg in the nesting box. And today, I spotted Henny Penny fussing over something in a pile of straw - she had laid a pretty pastel blue egg and was making a nest around it!
We had a nice breakfast to celebrate; avocadoes and eggs on toast.
I hope they begin to settle in soon, as otherwise when winter comes I am going to have to buy a new henhouse just for them - I can't have them freezing up in the rafters of the stable!
The Little Ones - poor clucks:
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