The Henhouse Online

Henrietta and Nigella having a chat

2012-01-18T00:20:00.002+13:00

Three Lads - the ladies who apparently had a sex change and are now guys

2012-01-18T00:07:00.001+13:00

Elvis, Buddy Holly and Humperdink as juveniles parked on the outdoor table and peering in the window to find out why the human waiter is taking so long ! These guys were believed to be hens when we went to pick them up :0 Clearly not since they are all now well and truly grown and producing their own offspring ..........in between triumphant crows and no doubt smirks .....at the stupidity of humans ...... ahhh well they now all have their own followers ....

Yep, That Old barrow I planted out is proving very popular !!

2012-01-17T23:57:00.000+13:00

Naughty, naughty !!! Hen Feeding Station - they know a good thing when they see it !

Gorgeous Tiffany the Chinese Silkie

2011-09-28T23:16:00.000+13:00

This is a wee hen with a big attitude and when she lays an egg you can practically hear her for miles ! She loves sitting in the sun and scuttles away when the whole brood descend in her direction but guess who darts in and out and gets her share of the choicest bits of grain ........ She is called Tiffany because when she first came to us she had feathery tassles all over her and she looked just like a tiffany lamp with fringes :)

Well they said we couldn't sit here so thats a great reason to ......Elvis and Buddy Holly

2011-09-28T23:12:00.000+13:00

Elvis and Buddy Holly hogging the BBQ Table

Note from Humperdink the Rooster to visitors that called

2011-09-01T20:32:00.004+12:00

Note from Humperdink

Greetings Humans

We noticed, after your visit that our keepers were stuffing themselves with the greenest of cabbages and not even one leaf did we get ! They continued to munch nitely on the gorgeous green cabbage until every scarick was gone – right in full view of us all !

This was followed up with some emerald green stuff – we call it delectable but you call it broccoli I think – not our fave really but did they have to add insult to injury by eating it by the ranchslider !

Anyway – next time you visit could you fling some green crispy goodies over our side of the fence before they see it

I have a new girlfriend – Gingernut – she's a redhead – she's pretty stunning - keeps me on my toes (claws to you)can't even look sideways my previous conquests. We were all allowed out to dust bath today and it was hard to find a private area for G I – but we managed …

The humans have been cutting grass for us – with shears too !
They must still feel guilty about the cabbage !! Why don't they just let us out - or grow us some wheat grass or some sprouts - surely its not rocket science for humans ?

The girls are laying well and all fighting for the best nestbox which is in the apple crate in a corner under the house but the eggs keep disappearing into a bucket the humans carry …..

We will never increase our numbers for a cabbage takeover at this rate .....

Have a cabbage 4 us !!

Humperdink and the Girls XXX

Just been flicking through this lot of plans - there's some pretty cool stuff in here - say, wonder if we could entice our humans to build a proper nest box like these - be pretty cool if we could put the old apple crate on standby for rush hour ! Might even get the girls to perform and make loud prating noises to get the humans to think the apple crate nest box might not be large enough .........

Assessing the humans

2011-05-17T18:36:00.000+12:00

Hen taking a short break

2011-03-23T23:23:00.000+13:00

Look, I can't just stop because you want to photograph me - there are worms awaiting !

Bindi and chicks

2011-03-23T23:21:00.000+13:00

Elvis Strutting His Stuff

2011-02-14T01:33:00.001+13:00

Elvis, Sexy, sly and always on the alert for a bird !!
Elvis spent part of last year with us before going to his own Harem on a farm. He was gorgeous, as you can see and constantly on the lookout for titbits.

Visitors to the Henhouse

2011-02-11T12:58:00.001+13:00

This group of Turkeys had our Henhouse crew in a tizzy for a while and when they looked like they might come over the fence at feeding time the whole crew were cackling, squawking and carrying on until they all headed off again. I really like them but I always get caught out and wonder what the strange pip, pip sound is until it clicks there are Turkeys around.

Cooling down and catching bugs at the same time !

2011-01-17T13:01:00.002+13:00

Nigella and friend too busy even to be interrupted by us !
Apparently the food they have in sight is more interesting than our possible handouts
The flock are unimpressed with the new wire fence we have erected to keep them out of our visitors cars over Christmas and New Year and have decided to take over the hay barn for their dust baths. OK, they win !! As usual and where else can you bath and eat at the same time ?

Emma Peel at the Water Bowl

2010-10-28T22:59:00.001+13:00

Humperdink

2010-10-21T16:46:00.000+13:00

Saffron

2010-09-25T01:27:00.006+12:00

Saffrons Chicks

2010-09-25T01:20:00.004+12:00

Saffron has been determined to be a Mum and has salted away her eggs until too late and nine wee chicks made their emergence into the barn ! Last summer she hid in the wild area of the garden along with her eggs until we found them and found and sat on a large rusty nut when we took the eggs away and refused to move off it

Notice the other two hens carrying on with their dustbaths and taking not notice of the big event - that is until I went in to feed the chicks - suddenly they were VERY interested in what was happening :) Food, sure talks with hens :)

Gorgeous Rooster's Plumage

2010-09-12T00:01:00.001+12:00

Maggie - my sisters special chook

2010-09-07T00:51:00.000+12:00

Gingernut re-arranging the planter

2010-09-07T00:48:00.002+12:00

Sir Ed Hilary the Araucana Rooster

2010-09-03T15:39:00.002+12:00

This is my sisters Araucana Rooster, Sir Ed, so called as he loves scaling to great heights to crow !

He is a very gentle fellow with a high pitched crow and looks after his ladies well.

Secret nest discovered today !

2010-09-02T00:38:00.003+12:00

Discovered this secret nest today, crafty hen has hidden them in the bracken. Wondered where she kept disappearing to ! yikes, more chickens

Emma Peel finds a sunny spot

2010-08-31T00:35:00.000+12:00

Nigella hunting for slaters in the barn

2010-08-30T00:32:00.002+12:00

Just hold still ....

2010-08-29T00:28:00.000+12:00

Look,I'm not moving - right ? Get it ?

2010-08-29T00:27:00.000+12:00

Gorgeous girl !

2010-08-28T00:25:00.001+12:00

Wanda gets a beauty treatment

2010-07-25T22:07:00.003+12:00

I know how to get attention :))

Yep, all over now - I should get a good feed and a few snacks now

Foot and claw treatment for Wanda

I sure hope there's not going to be a repeat for a very long time

Light Sussex Hen

2010-07-17T13:56:00.002+12:00

A Rooster We Visited Recently

2010-07-12T21:53:00.001+12:00

Breakkie Time in Hens Quarters

2010-07-10T21:32:00.002+12:00

Todays breakfast for the clan - grain, mash and wheat mixed with potato peelings, herbs and garlic. They scrap over this and fight tooth and claw to get to the best bits first - the winner takes all !

Grey Araucana Hen with Muffs

2010-07-10T21:25:00.003+12:00

Garden Workers Hard At It

2010-07-05T21:06:00.000+12:00

Had the Chicken Brigade in today to give a helping hand in the garden ! They did in about half and hour what would have taken us all day and all they wanted was a handful of grain each - unbelievable how efficient they were. Tomorrow we have the strawberry bed planned for them to do and they can hardly wait to start. They have all been cruising up and down just itching to start work on it and practically gnashing their feathers to get into it.
Do they stand in an orderly queue ?
Do they heck !
Its every chicken for themselves and they barge straight in getting jammed in the garden gate as we try to get in first. They not only work the soil but they manure it as well and till it over all ready for planting. Ahh, permaculture , thats the way to go, chicken labor while we sip tea.... nothing like it.

Ran short of a transporting cage

2010-07-02T17:22:00.002+12:00

We ran short of a transporting cage for a small hen and my sister made this bamboo top for an old bicycle basket = the hen wasn't wrapped with being put in the cage but the lid looked cool

Frida Kahlo - the Araucana Hen

2010-06-30T17:26:00.006+12:00

Hen examining the view from her new premises, take a look at the post for new arrivals to see another young Araucana pullet who has just joined us. We have called this hen Frida Kahlo after the Mexican lady painter who had a large "mono-brow" as our hen has very large "eyebrows" that go right across.....

Blue Eggs from an Aracana Hen

2010-06-30T17:19:00.004+12:00

Ever heard of blue hens eggs, ever heard of green eggs ?
I have only ever heard of them when my son was little when re read
Dr Seuss's book of Green Eggs and Ham ! Now I see there is a cookbook !
Maybe they use only green eggs !
Love these blue eggs from an Aracana Hen (sometimes spelt Araucana too) they vary in color, some are quite blue, some are bluey green and some are quite pale. We have found that they turn a beautiful shade of deep blue if we have hard boiled eggs ! The hens come in several shades - black and lavender with shades in between like grey, grey lavender and there are some white ones as well. Araucana eggs are reputed to be lower in cholesterol and the novelty of the color makes them very popular but they are the normal color inside.

The Haybarn Residents

2010-06-26T23:09:00.003+12:00

Nigella taking a break from dust bathing she is an Orpington hen we raised from a chick and the eggs came in the mail !

HENrietta eyeing us up carefully before settling down - can she trust us ?

HENrietta is a black Orpington and the Matriarch

This is Gracie - a white Sussex Hen

Emma Peel - after the Avenger (Was Miss Emm but she was so adventurous we switched her name with her great mate of the hour Humperdink the Rooster
We decided to attach all the long grass surround the small Hay Barn we have and all the hens and chickens and the Rooster came over to "supervise" and when we stopped off to have a cuppa they decided it was a great time for them all to take a dust bath - after all, those humans take a while to get to their feet and they couldn't possibly leap up quickly to grab us :))

Chicken Houses for Sale

2010-06-13T00:44:00.002+12:00

Chicken coops for Sale
But which one should you choose ?
Should you build one or buy one ?

And which one would be best - there are so many choices its pretty easy to be confused.

Things to bear in mind when you choose your chicken coop:

How many chickens will you be wanting to house
Where will your chicken house be situated and will it suit the location
One of the most important things is to make sure there is plenty of light
Is the situation sheltered from winter winds and rain
Will the chicken coop get shade in the heat of the summer
Do you want to get something portable to move around your backyard
Do you a chicken house that will be permanent
How easy will it be to move onto the site
Would it be easier to build one on the site and get the chicken coop you choose yourself

Reasons to look at a DIY Chicken house

Plans are many and varied and you can decide the most suitable right in your own home
Cost - its far cheaper to build your own chicken house
Unique design suited to your backyard
Build in materials of your own choice
Opportunity to substitute materials for cheaper alternatives if you wish
Opportunity to add your own original touches to personalize the chicken coop
Easier to site on your land
Materials can be delivered directly to your own site
No hassles trying to move on and site a ready built chicken house.

Your hens and roosters will be able to check out the progress and it will not be unfamiliar to them !!

In fact by the time you are finished building your this brand new shiny DIY chicken coop, they will be so curious they will more than likely all flock in straight away !

Reasons to use a Plan

Number one reason is to avoid a scenario like the photo here that happened in a high wind !
You will know in advance what materials you will need and be able to plan accordingly
Plans are all set out to show you it all first before the mistakes can be made
Able to check out the site, choose the most suitable plan and "walk it out" to see if its going to work
All the measuring, planning and materials are all done for you
You can take one plan, see if it will be suitable and decide on another before you build your chicken coop

All these reasons are fine but if you are just not a do it yourself kind of person, you may prefer to look through plans, look through books, check out photos and sites and decide in the end you would prefer to spend time with your chickens and buy a ready made chicken house and why not ? Its your choice !

I love chickens, I love their weird personalities, the way they all run up the lawn and then all run back down, the way they all come racing toward me when I emerge from the house and love to see them free ranging but did you know they also like a secure place to return to where they feel safe ? Its a bit like a security blanket and if they feel threatened they run back to it - you will notice it particularly with chickens as they run back to the Mother Hen, and later to their coop or pen when they get a fright .

You will learn, as you keep more chickens and hens that you will need more than one coop of you intend to breed them as you will need a smaller one for the wee chicks with their Broody Mum and later a bigger one to keep them separate from the bigger hens in case they peck the chickens before they can stand up for themselves. Great reasons to practice your DIY skills, start with small and get bigger !
Chickens, theres nothing like them !

New Arrivals

2010-06-08T21:17:00.009+12:00

These two gorgeous new arrivals since the weekendboth pullets are settling in pretty well, the black one on the left is an Araucana and will lay green eggs and the grey one is a wee Orpington and they are both pretty perky and stand up for themselves already against the established tribe !
They both came home in the cat cage and were as quiet as mice until we went to lift them out then we heard a few screeches and yowls :) - they are sleeping in a wee shed at the back of the garage after the collapse of the second henhouse - you will see pix soon !

Daisy Dead !

2010-05-28T19:05:00.002+12:00

Someone has run over Daisy and left her lying by the side of the road.
We were devastated to find her, she didn't come for breakfast and we called and called, not like her, she is usually first there and last away and follows us about for more. She was more than a hen, she was a much loved member of our family who happened to be a chook and laid us eggs.
We picked her up and she was still warm and her eyelids flickered - we even tried a bit of mouth to beak resuscitation for goodness sake but no, it was too late. We have spent the last day in a daze (not a pun:)
We had looked out the gate and no sign of her and then 20 mins later there she was - she never goes out on the road and as we live in the country on a supposedly quiet road it seems even more unbelieveable still.

Daisy was a rescue hen. We were given her by a family who had a Bed and Breakfast and couldn't keep her because she kept laying her egg on the beds ! She had had her wings clipped and her beak cut in the chicken place and it has taken a whole year for her to go through a moult and get her new wings fully grown.

Daisy flying down the lawn and gliding down to a stop was amazing to watch and to see how thrilled she was and how protective she was of her wings was pretty cool too! Just the day before she was being courted by our large grey Orpington Rooster, Humperdink and he spent the whole day bringing her food and walking her around and the next day he went round and round looking for her.
Weep, weep..... anyone who has had a pet hen will sympathize, my husband was moping around all day and said he had no idea a hen could have that effect on him........................ painful and worse when we opened the fridge and saw her breakfast still there.
We are definitely hurting still !

Pleaaase Let us in

2010-05-04T21:31:00.001+12:00

A sight to melt the hardest persons heart greeted us this morning when we went out onto the deck !!

Miss Mischief, the White Leghorn Hen

2010-04-28T22:53:00.013+12:00

Miss Mischief !! Truly well named, she is into everything but sooo cute we forgive her most things - but should she venture into the newly transplanted and emerging seedling bed then we will have to reassess it :))

We have finally had time to build a "chook proof" fence to keep the little critters in their place - got up this morning to find Miss Mischief on OUR side of it :))) She is soooo crafty and so cute, we go out to growl at her and end up smiling :))) Shut her in the chook run with the others so we could locate the eggs to find she had sussed out how to climb out through the small space at the top of the barn next door and came casually strolling down the lawn to meet us like butter wouldn't melt in that beak of hers AND she had the nerve to walk back in past us, to get to the food inside the pen at tea time !

Who says birds are dim ? Dare anyone mention birdbrain in her hearing ........

Raising Chickens ? Need more info ?

Miss Mischief is a white leghorn hen - there are two of them but her friend is not so naughty or so noisy. Miss Mischief wakes us in the morning by getting under the house by our bedroom and makes a H@#!! of a racket until we emerge and then continues on until we arrive with the food. After all this is the whole point of the exercise to her, she then strolls off quite happily with the Rooster in tow and has him dancing to her tune all day long. Wonder how long this affair will last .......
Incredible Chickens - answers to raising chickens

Hen and Chicks - Two New Additions to the Henhouse Crew today

2009-12-29T22:03:00.004+13:00

Bindi, the wee bantam hen has just hatched these two super cute chicks this afternoon - there might be another to come tomorrow. These chicks are only hours old and already pecking on Mum's instructions.
She looks so proud and has been very determined to hatch out anything, even after we kept taking the eggs away and tried to pinch some of the other hens eggs.

Proud Dad is Ainsley, the big black Orpington ! Already they look exactly like him - Bindi is very small, Ainsley is very large ! And Tall .......

Two Young Cockerels checking the progress of the garden

2009-12-20T23:40:00.000+13:00

Ainsley and Admirer on top of the world

2009-12-15T22:43:00.001+13:00

Ainsley and his besotted admirer - yes, the current favorite who is the recipient of all chooky treats and first in the queue at feeding times and enjoys his protection and attentions ! We cleared this spot to make a dust bath for the brood but while our backs were turned someone kindly donated some bales of hay right over the very spot. Oh well, we'll move them in the morning but found this pair had taken up residence and spent the whole day leaping up and down off them so didn't have the heart to move the hay. In the meantime, my new herb garden to be - yes, fenced on three sides all ready - has become the new dustbath for the entire flock of hens !
They love it - the herbs will need to wait a bit.......
How to build a backyard chicken coop

Build Your Own Chicken Coop

2009-09-12T17:50:00.003+12:00

Build a simple backyard poultry hutch yourself and save a stack of dollars and get something individual at the same time. Whether you want a grand two storey poultry house or a simple A frame you will find the plans you are looking for here.
The backyard do it yourself chicken house no longer has the appearance of a driftwood sea shanty about to fall apart at the first puff of wind. It can be anything you want it to be and practical enough to be able to clean easily and quickly and house any number of chickens you decide to have.

DIY chicken houses become even more desirable when you take a look at the cost of ready made ones
and realize that for just a fraction of the price and only minimal effort you can build a chicken coop that your hens will be using for years to come.

Have you checked out the prices lately ? And how are you going to get them to the site anyway ?

Build Your Own Chicken House

Do you think that it’s going to take weeks to build a chicken house?
If so, you may want to think again. With the right techniques and tips you can quickly and easily accomplish this goal in as little as a few short days and have great success while doing so.

Here is what you need to know:

Plan the entire inside before building
Make sure you give your chickens enough light
Look at where you will be placing your chicken house
Never build smaller than you think you’d need
Find a plan that works for your chickens
It may help you to visualize the size first by laying out a tarpaulin
Take a good look around your home and your neighbors to see if there are already some existing materials you could re-use to cut back the cost.

Click here for plans and more tips and ideas on how you can quickly and easily build a simple backyard poultry hutch

There still are a large number of people out there however who do not see the need to consult a guide for the building process ( I know one of them quite close to me:) and this is a very big mistake. The small cost of a proper guideand plans will make the process so much quicker and you will avoid running into a large number of problems that will seriously hold back your building efforts and will save you both time and effort in the long term. But you can't tell some people ! Yep ! After we relocated the hen house and remodelled the first version he decided it would have been better to have thought it through first :)

Avoid all the hassles starting out with a plan (unlike some !) there are a huge variety and only you can decide if you want to build a very small hutch or chicken tractor or a larger home for your brood.
Click here for plans and more tips and ideas on how you can quickly and easily build a simple backyard poultry hutch

Plans for Chicken Coops

2009-09-10T23:54:00.008+12:00

Chicken Coops Building Plans .. Mmmmmmnnn

2009-09-10T14:40:00.019+12:00

From the Perch of Ainsley the Rooster ...... Brrroooookk
Last night we all got a big fright - there was a hell of a clatter ( please do excuse my French Chook language) and all nearly flew off the perches in panic. It was a group of extremely large birds turkeys apparently ! Huh, good name for them I say ! And what turkeys ! Clambering all around the place scaring the daylights out of us all.

We need a new, secure, chicken coop ! Roll on the chicken Coops building plans !
With the gate shut !! No cat, no dogs, no turkeys, no magpies, no racket and some peace and quiet ! ( And if we are truthful, no House Dwellers poking their noses in to "see what we are up to") - what do they think we are up to ? Laying eggs, of course, doing Chook things... what else ??

Today I was browsing the Roosternet looking for chicken coops building plans and discovered a very cool link on how to build a chicken coop - well, yes, OK, the word Rooster was not actually mentioned in the title but I am sure they are meant to accommodate my ample frame as well as the mere female hens as well.

Well anyway,..... these plans look simple enough for even our House Dwellers to do - perhaps if I leave them in the coop they may take the hint. According to this site I found on how to build a chicken coop, it is hugely economical to build your own (a huge saving would allow us more feed money ) and anyone with basic tools can make it - yes, yes, even our crowd ! You can save absolutely HEAPS of money by doing it yourself AND, I might add, the Coop (alias chicken castle :) can be individually tailored to our own personal tastes too !

You can print off as many plans as you want -
this means that should I travel across the plans and perhaps leave one small rooster print or rooster calling card you will simply be able to print off another plan. No need to worry about losing the plans mid construction or blaming us poor unfortunate flock for not finishing the coop !

There's lots of tips, best ways of doing things, ideas for different types of chicken houses, and we could all be safe from those pesky dogs and that annoying magpie family first thing in the morning and last thing at night. And if you think this is all, imagine how much happier we would all be to be warm and dry and snug in the winter (no more dripping side walls) and how cool and ventilated our home would be if it was a new, super cool chicken coop. Not a "bit- ser" - the hens are almost going into raptures as I describe this :))) They are even thinking of upping the ole egg production in order to persuade our House Dwellers to get their act together. I mean to say, come on, the girls work pretty hard to deliver those eggs on cue.

To check out how to get more delicious eggs, have happier hens ( and of course Roosters too)
click on this link to find out how to build a chicken coop that is primo, or even a two storeynew home .

Perhaps we need to start a Mantra, or do affirmations for our Chicken Coops Building Plans to materialize real soon. Ooooohhh for our House Dwellers to find this link SOOOOONN !!!

Antoinette gets her scaley leg treated .....

2009-08-14T17:14:00.003+12:00

Had my legs done today ! Scary stuff - got nabbed in the nest and picked up by The House Dwellers and sprayed with some weird kind of cold stuff - turns out from the mutterings that they thought this treatment of Colloidal Silver would help me. I got another treatment the next day with some Neem Oil soap and then dabbed with some other oil that smelt like Tea Tree plants - can't imagine why they don't just just the real thing !

Anyway, I can hardly squawk because my legs do seem a lot better and I can hop on and off the perches faster and grab the best ones again and I can hop faster and grab the best food bits PLUS they are giving me all the best bits to "build her up" they said.... I LIKE it :)) Maybe I'll just keep the limping up for a while.......

Shut in and can't get to all the goodies

2009-08-14T12:54:00.008+12:00

Today started off very boring. The wind shut the gate and we couldn't get out until the House Dwellers came to open it and Petra's crew got all the newly hatched bugs and food on the whole lawn and across the paddock. By the time we got there they were all smugly dust bathing and smirking at us and we had to have the second crop of bugs - let me tell you they aren't as tasty as the first crop.

It got better though as we watch Petra and Churchill being chased across the section when Miss Hoighty-Toity Cat came through the trees unexpectedly and gave them a fright. Ahhhhh, that was pretty funny - we all laughed until our feathers shook.

Now, back to the real important stuff - FOOD ! I almost got inside today and was as far as the House Dwellers food tray when they came whizzing out and shoo-ed me away - I did manage to spot some long white worms on the bench that she was preparing and we got a few measly bits given to us from the deck but they had a whole huge pot full of the stuff.
They had a whole lot of the worms drying on some sort of perch and some had dropped down and I managed to grab a couple of beakfuls before I got chased out - turns out its some stuff they call pasta - we call it food ! Talk about being picky, I mean to say, food is food........

Petra's Crew

2009-08-14T12:37:00.003+12:00

Petra, Churchill (Rooster) Angelina and Molly

We are waiting, waiting, waiting for the arrival of food (again!) you would think those House Dwellers would get the hint and come out earlier. Today was pretty exciting though, after they finally came out we got a heap of meat scraps - apparently Miss Hoighty-Toighty-Snooty cat didn't like it - Woooah, sure hope they keep buying that stuff :)) It was sure yummy, roll on the next lot !

Notice our beautiful feathers, our unique markings, our fantastic personalities.....
How can you resist us ? You really should get some feathered friends of your own to keep you on your toes and give you a constant supply of free range eggs.

Waiting for Breakfast again !

2009-07-14T19:11:00.002+12:00

Churchill,Petra and Molly with Nigella on the left at bottom

Nigella getting in first for all the good bits :))

2009-07-04T22:25:00.000+12:00

Will breakfast be long ?

2009-06-29T22:39:00.000+12:00

From the perch of Ainsley, the Rooster.......

Looks like we'll be a while guys, we'll just camp out on the deck until they turn up. You can bet your cotton picking feathers the House Dwellers will be out soon waving their arms and rushing about 'cos they don't like us decorating the deck so they'll be out with the tucker real soon........

They must have felt sorry for us in the cold and we got a whole potful of mash with cooked vegies in it - we couldn't believe our luck, except Nigella tried to hog the lot and got into the tray first and wouldn't get out then Antoinette wouldn't move off the choicest bits. I had to get a bit stroppy with the girls to get them to shift out so I could get a feed.

We spend a whole morning artistically decorating the deck for them yesterday and they seemed not to like the design and brought out the hose to clean it all off. Talk about ungrateful !!

Come to think of it we'll have a ball when they go away for the weekend - remember the last time when the House Dweller's stand-in-slave came over and we got fed twice ! I sure hope they don't find out about the Housecarers.com site or we'll get someone very experienced that we won't be able to stare down and we'll miss out on seconds and they will be too clued up to leave the veggie garden door unlatched. Petra and the hens got in last time and were there for ages before we got sprung ! Managed to hog down quite a bit but they all got discovered before they could call us in. On the plus side, maybe they will discover that amazing Pet Sitters site and we'll get looked after super special with treats every hour or so. Do you think we could persuade them to go away for a couple of weeks ?

Nigella, grown into a beauty !

2009-06-19T19:24:00.000+12:00

Nigella has grown quite beautiful, very desirable from a Rooster's point of view but she seems not be interested in me and runs away when I approach her. It's quite a pity she is my sister as we could have quite a good thing going on and my other ladies seem very fond of her ......

Visitors !!!

2009-06-19T19:18:00.000+12:00

Our Home - "Coop Central"

Today, the House Dwellers had guests - two of the largest dogs we have ever seen !! Absolutely gi-normous they were - 'bout the size of two horses. Big snivelling things, rousing around our territory and making a nuisance of themselves even with the House CAT ! Even SHE, Madam, herself, disappeared and we saw the House Dwellers patting and talking to these things. Sniff !

I would have posted a picture but they were so huge they wouldn't fit inside the small square thing they use to take the picture with ....... I wonder how they fit us inside it ?

Anyway, today, I thought I would drop a hint for a new coop to the House Dwellers as ours is becoming a little draughty so I did a spot of surfing on the web and found these cool plans for a brand new home.

D'ya reckon if I leave them lying around they will be clued up enough to take the hint ?
I'll leave them here and they might just take the hint ....... these ones they can make for under $100 - that's quite a few eggs but we'd lay more if we were warm and cosy. If you speak to them just drop a big hint that might land on their claws :))

Ainsley

2009-06-18T22:24:00.000+12:00

MMMMMMmmmmmmnn - where IS that food then ?

Today was pretty exciting, the House Dwellers decided we needed some exercise and made this kind of platform that we could jump up on and leap about on - at least that's what we thought it was for. Heck, they even dropped some food on it to entice us so you could hardly blame the crew from trying it out. Turns out they were making some kind of garden and we'd wrecked their efforts. Ungrateful those House Dwellers ! At the end of the day though we won as they disappeared into their coop in disgust and we all leapt up on it and had a ball and quickly disposed of the miserly amounts of food they'd left out.

The cheek of them though, they sat at their outdoor feeding tray and partook of a huge amount of crumbs and spicy nibbles in full view of us all and all we got was a few (very few!) crumbs and handouts, even though we all made one heck of a racket and a real nuisance of ourselves and that usually works a treat. The girls were quite disgusted and had the huff for ages and only came round when the House Dwellers emerged with nibbles for us - hummph they must have been feeling guilty.
Heading for the coop now, there's things a rooster has to do.

The morning of the Big Fright - Whew

2009-06-13T12:03:00.000+12:00

Hi Guys and Gals, this is Ainsley here

This morning we all had a big fright.

Well that's an understatement really, we all nearly fell off our perches this morning as the coop door opened and this enormous big black shape came in rattling and clanking and shuffling.

I tell you we were all trembling in our feathers. A terrible noise it was with rustling and more shuffling and it got closer and closer with some sort of long stick thing coming into the coop.

Henrietta took fright and screeched in alarm and flew over the top of my head and nearly knocked the others off the perch and I had trouble keeping my balance in order to stare meaningfully at the big black object to let them know they had me to deal with. Henrietta wouldn't shut up and clucked and screeched around our yard but still the intruder wouldn't go away - its enough to put the girls off the lay. How're the girls to keep to their end of the bargain if they get frights like this ? I ask you, its enough to give a sensible rooster like me the heebie jeebies trying to keeps them all calm with all the girls looking to me to sort the monster.

You'll never guess what it turned out to be ....
one of the House Dwellers, all dressed up in some crackly, scarey, oil cloth kind of non-feathered poncho- thing with a huge big crown type head dress thing AND, not a feather to be seen on the top of it even. Yep, they'd scared the heck out of us so they wouldn't get the posh nosh wet and were ever so thoughtfully, pushing the feeding tray into our warm nest, with the poncho crackling and rustling. We all thought we were for the pot !

You'd have thought they'd have given us some kind of warning before ripping open the side of the coop and scaring us witless. Boy, my little rooster heart is still pumping hard. We all got outside and gave them what for, cackling, crowing and letting them know what we thought of it
Check out Ainsley and the Coop-Crews Picks for shopping poultry style here

New Herb Planter Dust Bath

2009-06-03T23:46:00.000+12:00

Petra's the Hen's Blog: Man, this is sooo cool. Today I found a new dust bath for us to use. To think the House Dwellers cleared out this herb planter especially for us to use. Very thoughtful of them I reckon, come on chicks, lets rip into it, we'll have it sorted for them in no time.

We got a big fright for a while when the House Dwellers came racing out of their coop waving long bamboo poles and running around in a panic. If they wanted us to leave it for them to work through they only had to ask. Can't understand it myself as they don't even like worms - I've seen them at their feeding table and there were no worms on the feeding trays at all.

These large non-feathered forms are really quite strange. Still, the chicks and I did enjoy the new dust bathing quarters and we managed to get in a full two hours before they discovered us.
It looks as if we need to go back to digging up their rhubarb again to get them adjusted to the fact that an empty herb planter is OK for us to have.
Click here for The Chook's Picks Shopping Link

Nigella and Ainsley as Chicks

2009-06-03T23:44:00.000+12:00

Hard to believe that these two wee ones are now so huuuuge and grown up and Ainsley hasn't even finished growing up yet ! Posting this to show the difference :))

Some of The Flock

2009-06-03T23:34:00.000+12:00

Ainsley & Antoinette

2009-05-04T18:33:00.000+12:00

Patiently waiting for the arrival of tea !

These two are sick of waiting for the tea to be delivered and have decided to camp out on the deck even it if means a shushing and shoo-ing and the mad waving of arms by the human crew could be mildly entertaining if they weren't so intent of trying to steal some of the cat's food.

I am sure they have planned the whole thing to send relays of several chooks every few minutes until we tire of the shoo-ing away game and come out with the grain and I can swear they start smirking before attacking the grain.

This morning the "littlies" - Petra's crew - were camped out on the big farm gate waiting.
They do this every morning if I am late. I'm sure they know it'll make the food arrive faster as I am so convinced they will go out on the road that I whizz out superfast to get them back in - surprise - instant jump down and that same smirking expression :)) Yep, they have us sussed .....

Petra has been playing a game of beat the husband - she strolls around the front of the house and he can't resist trying to find out where she has gone. She then legs it under the house and appears someplace else and casually strolls past him again to let him know he's missed again :)

Nigella, the wee buff orpington chick

2009-04-23T00:35:00.000+12:00

Henrietta the Queen of the Henhouse

2009-04-23T00:22:00.000+12:00

Petra , probably contemplating another escape

2009-04-20T22:55:00.003+12:00

Petra, ultimate escape artist with three of the chicks

Chickens Online

2009-02-13T23:17:00.002+13:00

Petra in a quizzical mood

Photo of Petra, the proud Mum, investigating her new quarters.

Petra is definitely a chook with attitude ! She does her own thing and roosts where she wants to. A fence is not a barrier to her so much as a challenge and she leads her chickens wherever she wants to and if that includes taking them up a tall tree then she will ! Considering that they are all bantam cross they have taken on all sorts of challenges so far, including following their proud Mum up into a tall tree, taking on the local Magpies and flying over a six foot high fence in the hens enclosure.

A while ago we acquired Petra and her five chickens to add to our other hens, all free ranging and all larger than her but has she put them all in line. Even the biggest and bravest hens have run away from her and they all give her a wide berth, including the cat.

When we went to collect her armed with a small box for her, a smaller box for the chicks the previous owner looked with alarm at the netting on top of her box and told us she was "the quieter of the hen mothers and her screeches when we put her in the box and continued screeches all the way home had us wondering what the other hen mum was like !

Petra talked "chicken talk" to her chickens all the way home and was relieved to reunite with them when we put them in the broody pen. What a saint, what a perfect hen mum, she was so
cute and so well behaved we had no idea of the mayhem to follow ....

At first she seemed very shy and reserved.
She hid at the back of the pen hiding the chicks under her wings when we gave them fresh food and water. She pulled out all our carefully prepared shredded hay out of the nestbox and put her brood on the earth and when we put it all in again, Petra moved her brood to the opposite end of the pen onto soil again. Finally we got the message that she knew best and she was going to do it her way. Peace was restored ........ for now !

After a few days we let Petra and her chicks out to check out their new quarters, expecting her to hide behind a bush but she headed straight off into the hen house followed by her chicks and investigated everywhere as if she had been there for years.

She has been a super Mum, making sure that each chick had its share first and protecting them from anything in the area, including us ! One hen made the mistake of coming too close to the chickens and we've never heard such a racket ! She sure has her own way of dealing with things and that hen has sure learnt fast not to come close again. In the sunlight she has golden
feathers on her neck and almost glows in the right light but we now know its no saintly hue !

Watch this space .......