RIP Algy the Serama cockerel

RIP Algy. The one and only @Algythechicken. 

He died peacefully last night around midnight, whilst being cradled in my arms. Much loved companion, who has done so much to educate (and enchant) people about the delights of keeping chickens. 


I shall miss your company enormously whether at events, in my tent at festivals, 

when we did workshops and shows, at festivals, 

in the polytunnel and just by my side pottering in the garden.

Fly high and free little fellow and enchant everyone, wherever it is you are headed.

RIP Babs Hen.

Babs died today – she came through her moult in December, and seemed fine with a beautiful new set of glorious ginger/copper/cinnamon feathers, and she seemed in good spirits despite the horrible weather.

Babs one day after rescue. She and Bunty were in the same rescue crate  together when we got them, two years ago.
 

A year ago.


But then Babs started looking a bit droopy a few days ago, so came inside the house for tlc and love and special treat food. She seemed ok, eating, drinking and chatting away to us and the cats. She was a little disinclined to move around though, and stayed in the cat carrier bottom, which was temporary home.
 

But then she finally went downhill yesterday evening and was off her legs early this morning.

So, after gently stroking her and telling her what a good hen she had been. I gave her a quick end.
Very sad, but she had two years free from the cages and had a good life here with us 

RIP Babs, gone to join Bunty, Tiny, Titch and Ginger.

RIP Bunty Hen

RIP Bunty Hen, another of our rescue ex battery hens who lived a life longer outside the cage, with us , than in it. You can read about how they came to us here.

Here is Bunty ( on the right) with her very best friend Titch. Titch was very ill in this picture. It was taken the day she got lost in the wood and, after I found her, she then came inside the house to be nursed for the last 10 days of life. The other hens went out to feed but Bunty stayed with poor Titch and preened her and crooned at her.  These two hens ( plus others, now sadly departed) were in the same rescue crate together when we got them and stayed the very best of friends the entire time they lived with us here.

Once Titch died on 2 Nov Bunty rapidly went into a decline, not ill, but just winding down. I hesitate to say she was missing her friend, but I do wonder if she was, even though she still had Babs and the other girls for company.

She got very cold a couple of days ago - it was a biting wind and she just stood in the open, not bothering to move to shelter so I brought her in for some warmth and special feeding and cuddles - she perked up the next day and was much brighter and her last day was spent dozing in the sunshine and pecking at Blondin the Cockerel, to teach him his proper place.

But as the sun went in today she had a seizure and was obviously dying, so I helped her out of this life. Sad, but needed to be done so she did not suffer.


RIP Bunty Hen, gone to join her best friend Titch.

Hen news - life, death and movement.

Nutmeg is still broody. And even more "in the zone" of broodiness than before. I got severely pecked today when I was getting her to go out and have a drink and some food. And I shall draw a veil over the GINORMOUS poo she did; lets just say it was VERY smelly!

I think she is going to stay this way, so I am investigating what fertile hatching eggs are available from my local sources. I fancy some more Cream Legbars. So, I have moved her tonight into the Broody Ark. She is furious and despite moving her after dark she is still trying to peck her way out through the wooden sides back to her Rightful Place in the Compostman hen house nest box.


This move has caused a Major Shake Up in the pecking order of the other Ginger Girls; having lost (temporarily) their Leader, there has been a coop ( no I didn't spell it wrong, I was being funny!)  and Babs has seized power. She is now ensconced in the Compostman built house and run ( where all the Ginger  girls were living and where Nutmeg was malevolently squatting, broody,  in a nest box) . She has Bunty as her deputy and side kick.

Titch (still mourning her friend Tiny Hen) took one look at the new dynamics and was having none of this so has joined the new girls in the Mega Hen Pen and Flytes House, along with a subdued moulty Marjoram.

Apparently the new girls are ok with all this, but sadly,  in other news,  Treacle the Partridge Hen was taken by something tonight - don't think it was a fox as it was very fast and right by our House :-(   The feather pile looked more bird of prey -ish than fox attack, and the other hens were not alarmed by whatever happened.

RIP Treacle hen, pretty and nervous and soft feathered. And too young to be dead.

All the girls are on "only out when I am there to watch" duties, as a result.

RIP Tiny Hen

RIP Tiny Hen :( 

She died in her sleep this morning :-(  She didn't look poorly last night, just a bit tired with the heat. I think she may have been trying to lay an egg and just died. She looked very peaceful.

I am making a new flower bed full of bee attracting flowers and she (her ashes) has been buried in the middle of it.

Tiny Hen, small but top hen in every way. She was still terrorising the cats and trying to get into the house yesterday

 This is what she looked like back in March 2012

Tiny Hen became a house hen  this time last year, she became very weak and was being bullied by the others to the point of terror and had stopped eating or drinking. I brought her inside and gave her food, water, love and cuddles. Gradually she recovered and grew her feathers back and became a very feisty, bold little hen:)

Tiny Hen was rescued from an "Barn" system, so she  lived crowded together with thousands of other hens, under artificial light, inside a huge shed. Never seeing daylight or going outside. "Colony"  or "Enriched"  eggs mean the hens are also shut  inside a small cage, inside the huge shed.

If you do buy free range eggs already  - Babs, Bunty, Titch, and Marjoram the ex battery hen thank you from the bottom of their hearts , as do I.

If you don't - please - for the sake of hens like Babs, Bunty, Titch and all their sister hens still in barns and cages - switch to buying free range eggs - it is the only way to make sure that the eggs you buy come from hens that have had a reasonable life. 

Tiny Hen was very sweet, I loved her a lot and I am very sad that she has died, but I am very happy to have given her 15 months of freedom, love, friendship and sunshine.

RIP little hen, fly high and free.

Thank you for reading :-)