Feathered Arrivals

We have some new arrivals on the smallholding, little feathered friends, six chickens.

Here they are confined on their first day, they need some time to learn where home is. On the second and third day they are let out to the sunshine, but still confined. From then on they are probably ok to go  as they please, but we  hope to  come up with a cunning plan to prevent them from entering the polytunnel.  Still in the planning stage at the moment but in the meantime the children are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the first egg

Comments

[a simple yarn]

Oooh, very lovely ladies! I'm sure your place is bounding with life these days!

[gertie]

Ahh! I've been hoping you would add chickens to your brood. I had friends who used to keep them (before their farm was overrun by sub-divisions). They are so lovely to watch as they walk around the yard.

[hedgewizard]

You may have to wait a little longer than you think - but oh! the taste of that first REAL egg...

[Vallen Queen]

You guys get green eggs in Ireland, right?

[julie]

lovely little red hens - hope they're settling in well and those first delicious eggs aren't too long in the making!

[Amanda]

Oh how wonderful - chickens have to be my favourites - their clucking and scratching just makes everything feel "homely", don't you think? My Aunty's neighbours have two chickens and when they're away we always look after them :o)

[kaat]

Love the chickens! Which breed are they?
Do let us know how they get along in their new home, and how those first eggs taste.
Katrien

[Rebecca (living sustainably and felting in rural Ireland)]

The red hens are isa browns, they are used commercially in battery farms because they give the highest yield of eggs. They are lovely little happy birds. The white chooks are commercial broilers, that means they are a breed purely to grow fast and big for meat. They are quite a sad bird really. These are still chicks, yet they are enormous. Their natural tendencies seem to have been bred out of them. They don't root around much, just sit and peck at food. We won't be getting this commercial breed again, their existence, even in a free range setting is very poor. In future for the table we will get a bird such as the light sussex, which is a good free ranger, and also a reliable egg layer.