I had mentioned in my last post about a new arrival, a new addition to our family, it has been keeping me rather busy, not that I mind of course. Back at the end of August we picked up 4 ex-battery hens. I honestly didn't think it were possible to become attached and fall in love with chickens, but it really is. They are my little babies.
So let me introduce to you, the girls. Gladys,
Margaret (with her back to the camera, she is the only one I don't have a photo of on her own),
Marie
and Ginger.
We had chosen names before we had even collected them, I thought it would be difficult to decide which chicken should have what name but it was surprisingly easy and they have stuck too. It's funny how their personalities somewhat reflect those of who they have been named after :)
It didn't take long for them to settle in. They have all seemed pretty happy from day one. I was expecting them to be in real bad condition especially when researching some of the conditions that battery hens are kept in (it really is awful) but they had the majority of their feathers, a few bald patches but nothing extreme.
We had a few teething problems with one of the girls, Gladys (my favourite, if you can't tell already with all the photo's of her). The others just wouldn't accept her and would constantly try attacking her, not just a little peck but actually latching onto her and not letting go. Thankfully that has stopped now and they are all getting on fine and dandy.
I feel like I'm really living the country life now and I am loving every single second of it.
Love Gem x x x x
