Tuesday 17 March 2009

Hens, havoc and I must be crazy...

hens fighting over the dustbath

I must be crazy... there's no other excuse. Here you can see the kind of havoc my dear little rescue hens have made around one of the walnut trees in the garden. There used to be bulbs here. Lots and lots of bulbs. Now all I have is the dessicated remains of some lemon balm/melissa and lots of dust baths. You may even be able to see the original levels to the soil surrounding the walnut tree. The hens have excavated, fluffed their feathers and enjoyed many, many dust baths here. As you can see.

They've had a wonderful time (times) fighting over the prime spots. Even though these images were only taken about 3 weeks or so ago, now the craters are so deep that the hens can actually disappear from sight if they want to.

hens creating havoc

But make no mistake, I love them dearly and just grit my teeth whilst I sweep the path yet again.

However, back to the crazy part. I've just committed (hmmm, that's an appropriate word...) to take on FOUR MORE rescue ex-battery hens. They should be ready for collection on Saturday 28th March... So that's 40% more destruction in my garden. Crazy but I can hardly wait... stay tuned!

Warm wishes to you Vxx

15 comments:

  1. Aren't your hens lovely, Veronica! Crazy...maybe--LOL! But crazy in the best possible way. You are doing a terrific thing taking on those hens. I wish we had space and permission where we are living to be able to do such. Keep us posted when you new ladies arrive! Oh, and thank you so much for your sweet wishes for Dear Husband and I today! :o) Happy Days, my friend ((HUGS))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Veronica, you are touch tetched, or maybe the Mother Theresa of ex-battery hens! Four more...you are a saint. They's really wrought havoc on your lawn.
    I enjoyed your previous post - gorgeous pub you have near you. You'd laugh if I posted photos of the one nearest us - maybe sometime I'll do that.
    I've added you to my blog list because I hate to miss one of your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. absolute utter madness mixed with the sheer beauty of it all, it must be a joy, jc

    ReplyDelete
  4. The pictures could have been taken of our own little hens, which fight over the best spot in the dust too! Must be a hen-thing :-) I love it when our rooster makes a hole to lay in, then along comes one of the hens and he just gets up and happily gives them his spot! Wow, couldn't all MEN be like that!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You used to have flowers decorating the garden, now you have those beautiful birds instead!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Whoa, you're lucky you don't have to go to the supermarket to get a sumptuous chicken meals any time of the day..

    ReplyDelete
  7. Do those rescue darlings lay any eggs for you, or are they 'in retirement'?
    I rather liked feeding my grandmother's chooks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Tracy, Pondside and jack... well, it looks like we're all agreed then!! Just have to decide on names for them... all suggestions gratefully received!

    The Pink Bird House - What a gentleman the cockerel is - no such treats for my little girls though...

    Deedee - bless you my friend, that is such a lovely comment...

    Loida - no they are not for eating as they are bred purely to lay eggs so put all their energy into that which means they have little meat for eating. These girls are just here to rest out the remainder of their days...

    Hi Meggie, yes they do lay eggs - lots of eggs. Mostly they are each still laying an egg a day. We have to sell the surplus but locals actually queue and phone to check when they will put out into the little egg shop at our front gate... amazing!!

    Thanks to you for visiting and leaving your comments... I will tell the girls that they have friends in many places around the world!! Warm wishes and hugs, Vxx

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never had the space to keep hens, but hope to one day. I think I read that if you give them an area in which to dig, they leave your garden alone....? Worth a try, if you can get them away from the walnut trees and the bulbs.

    Have a good weekend.
    Hugs,

    Marie x

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've never been around chickens -- I didn't know they did that! But they are pretty birds from your pictures and you do get eggs -- so it is sort of a trade off?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've always fancied hens but living in town or the suburbs all my life has saved me from myself. If I lived in the countryside I'd be torn between the delightful propect of having them around and the chaos they can cause... I wonder which would win. Perhaps when you've had yours even longer I'll know the answer!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ooh, I love your Hens! I rarely see brown ones, mostly just black with the colorful feathers and the white one!

    Good luck with the new hens LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Veronica. It can be a silly question, but hens are killed to be eaten by you and the family? Once I watched (well, I turned my eyes to the other side) a woman killing a big hen in a small farm near São Paulo city. It was sad to see the "chicken" on the table, that lived ex-hen...on the table for us. Anyway, sorry for asking.I prefer buying a chicken that I haven´t met before as a hen. (lol)Well, very nice photos on your post. Have a nice week.
    Best wishes,
    Rosana

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I know just how you feel. I let my hens roam free in the garden despite all the havoc they like to create in my flower beds. Autumn, winter and early spring are the best times to have them free as far as the garden goes... even though this winter thy have mostly been incarcerated in the henhouse due to all the snow. But now, even though there is still quite a bit of snow around they love to wonder free and to scratch the earth on the few bare spots they can find. I am sure your new ex-battery hens will have a wonderful life in your garden and can only hope that you have several more spring bulbs coming up other places than around their favourite tree!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes please to be added to your links, thank you. If you have the time maybe pop over to my garden blog every now and again too? So nice to have the chickens around the place. I would like some one day when I get that house in the country! They would have a field day in my garden, I have lemon balm sprouting up all over the place! x

    ReplyDelete