This weekend it was finally time to integrate the Valentine girls with the older flock. I had been putting it off for weeks, if I’m honest. Partly because life had been rather heavy recently. We’d had a bereavement in the family and little Sapphy had been very unwell. Sadly, Sapphire died a couple of weeksContinue reading “Avoiding Inertia”
Author Archives: vickieclarkebrown
When Others Want What You Have
We regularly have little feathered visitors from next door, and the chickens are beautiful. Proper showstoppers. Bought as pullets at point of lay, they have a wide stretch of meadow to roam and a gorgeous stable to roost and nest in. They are well cared for, well fed, and genuinely want for nothing. Our neighboursContinue reading “When Others Want What You Have”
Safe for Some, Not for All
This chicken nugget is a little different. It was such a beautiful day that I let all the girls out for a long free range. I sat with Sapphy on the grass as she’s not well, but I left the run door open so that the girls could get back in for fresh water andContinue reading “Safe for Some, Not for All”
One Hens Waste…..
Today has been a beautiful day, so of course my husband decided it was time to cut the lawn. As he ventured to the garage for the lawnmower, I dashed round the garden collecting up dandelion leaves. An odd thing to do? Well yes, to anyone who hasn’t kept chickens. The girls absolutely LOVE sweetContinue reading “One Hens Waste…..”
Facing the Future
Today was a big day at Cluckingham Palace. The youngest girls ventured out for the very first time. Venus didn’t hesitate. She marched straight out like she owned the place and immediately tried to join the older hens. Unfortunately, the big girls – particularly Ems and Sapphy – were not entirely thrilled with this boldContinue reading “Facing the Future”
Changes – Valentines edition
The new girls – The Valentine Crew – arrived on Valentine’s Day. My lovely husband drove over an hour each way to collect them from Harrogate. Their day had started much earlier. They’d left an organic farm in Wiltshire at 8am, travelled for eight hours, then been checked over before making the final journey home.Continue reading “Changes – Valentines edition”
The Roles We Play
Since Princess Layer passed away, we’ve been trying to integrate Pumpkin back into the flock. On paper, this should be simple. Pumpkin is by far my largest hen, now the oldest with Princess gone, and she has seriously scary spurs that appeared rather suddenly years ago. By all the usual rules of flock dynamics, sheContinue reading “The Roles We Play”
Be beautifully you, to the very end
This week, we finally said farewell to Princess Layer, our oldest hen. Princess arrived pre-Covid, part of my very first batch of hens. From the start, she knew exactly who she was. She served as the perfect second-in-command to our Head Hen, Henrietta—the enforcer, the disciplinarian, the one who made sure everyone else stayed inContinue reading “Be beautifully you, to the very end”
Suffering in Silence
Original post from 2025 Sad news today. Little Athena chicken passed away quietly in the night. No warning. No visible signs of illness. She simply never woke up. Those are the losses that hit the hardest — the ones you don’t see coming. Athena wasn’t demanding attention, wasn’t obviously unwell, wasn’t drawing concern to herself.Continue reading “Suffering in Silence”
Positive vibes only!
Another old post – Summer 2023 Cobweb has been ailing for quite some time now. She was always an inordinately hefty hen — solid, reassuringly weighty in the hand, the sort of bird you never worried about. Then, slowly, that changed. After a couple of bouts of sour crop, the weight began to fall awayContinue reading “Positive vibes only!”
Chicken Nuggets 