Author Archives: vickieclarkebrown

Sadly Sweetpea is ill again, it looks like the same issue as she’s suffered with previously, so she’s on antibiotics and some food supplements to build her back up. Hopefully she’ll be back to her usual self in a few days. Unfortunately because chickens are prey birds they can turn on weaker members of theContinue reading “Protect yourself”

Now avian lockdown is over we’re slowly trying the introduce the Berry birds to the main flock. Interesting times! The girls are very territorial and will squabble to establish a pecking order. But in advance of anything getting physical there is loads of posturing that goes on.Queenie (part of the main flock) and Ivy (oneContinue reading “Be Brave Little One!”

The Berry birds have been with us since December last year, so over 4 months now. Whilst Ivy and Mistletoe have plumped up and grown their feathers beautifully little Holly Berry is still very lacking in the plumage department. Every morning from the day she arrived, without fail, this little chicken has presented me withContinue reading “Self-care isn’t Selfish”

A friend mentioned today how strange it was that cute fluffy little chicks turn into ugly old hens (she may not have been quite so harsh, but that was the gist) and when I think about it objectively, she’s not wrong. Now, because my girls are ex commercial hens, I don’t get them as cuteContinue reading “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder”

Henrietta has been looking dreadful the last couple of days, her moult is quite severe and it’s making her grumpy. As the leader she’s usually a benign dictator to the rest of the flock, only giving the briefest of reprimands when absolutely necessary. But this moult has taken it out of her, she’s tired andContinue reading “Darkest Before the Dawn”

It’s Miss Henrietta Chicken-Bottom turn to be down in the dumps today. She’s moulting quite badly, which is always a difficult time for a hen. She’s also got a wonky beak, which makes it tricky for her to eat certainly things and she turns her beak up at the protein-rich sardines and sunflowers hearts whichContinue reading “A little bit of what you fancy….”

I don’t know how its been in your corner of the world recently, but here is South Yorkshire we’ve had a fairly miserable few weeks weather wise, very cold and dull. I noticed that the older girls particularly were laying thinner shelled eggs, (and no shells at all a couple of times). I know theyContinue reading “Drink in the Sun”

We’re now 10 weeks into the Berry birds retirement. Their feathers are growing back beautifully and their combs have brightened and straightened.They’ve settled in really well. But we’re still in avian lockdown, so they haven’t been able to leave the run and free range in the woodland. We haven’t really been able to make theContinue reading “Connections”

Well what a difference a week can make. Just a few days ago the vet was suggesting that little Sweetpea might be too ill to save. But we tried anyway. This week she’s gone from laying listlessly in my arms and taking her medicine without complaint to struggling to escape my cuddles and fighting beakContinue reading “You gotta have faith”

So, it’s New Years Eve 2020, and as a final kicker from this year I’m nursing a very sick hen. Sweetpea wasn’t herself yesterday, puffed up and less chatty than usual, so rather than risk it turning worse we went straight to the vet. What I wasn’t expecting was his diagnosis, probably egg yolk peritonitis,Continue reading “Remembering why.”