New Arrivals!

Browsing the internet in the early hours is never a good idea. Unless it involves chickens. I was perusing several chicken groups I follow on social media when I spotted an absolutely stunning mauve- coloured booted bantam who was looking for a new home. She comes from a very reputable local breeder who I have had chickens (Coco, Gertie and Winnie) and hatching eggs (Gordon, Little Miss, Elsie, Flame and Smoke) from before. As it turns out, he also had another pullet and it seemed churlish not to take her too! Further browsing was dangerous, and yet I persisted. Trixie’s breeder had posted about a beautiful cuckoo coloured bantam needing a new home and I immediately messaged her. This would mean we have six little bantams and I’m hoping one of the new arrivals takes a shine to Gertie who needs a little buddy to keep her company as she’s the third wheel currently.

Gertie is definitely entirely blind in one eye but she is managing. I have put a little food bowl near her favourite perch and she is maintaining her weight which shows she is eating enough. But it would be helpful for her to have a little buddy who helps her get around. I have seen stories of completely blind chickens who have a friend who helps them get around, almost like a guide dog. As I don’t know if Gertie will lose her remaining sight, it’s important for her to have another chicken she can follow around and cuddle up with.

We drove to Trixie’s services and collected the Cuckoo bantam. She is stunning with a rather distinctive cluck which is rather hilarious. As we drove out of the service station, I spotted a flock of chickens on the bank by the side of the road. My first thought was that they had escaped but just as likely that they were abandoned by someone. I was fairly certain I saw a cockerel amongst the birds although I didn’t have time to count how many there were. I wasn’t sure who to call to report them so I tried the RSPCA. They weren’t answering and I couldn’t find much help on their website. Next I tried reporting through the Highways Agency as they are a hazard for the busy junction onto the M6. No luck either. In desperation, I contacted a lost pet group online to see if they had any ideas.

As I was working out what to do, we drove across to the other breeder to collect the other two girls. They were delightful and I quickly got them into the carrier and headed back to the car with my precious cargo. We drove straight to the allotment and attempted to introduce the new chickens to Elsie, Gertie and Foxy. Needless to say, it did not go smoothly with huge amounts of squawking and pecking. We kept trying to keep the peace with limited success. Foxy seemed to come out top with Elsie.

We spent some time thinking of names and decided on Connie for the feisty cuckoo and Bonny for the little blue but we got stuck for the last one. Back at home, I did some Googling and decided on Ginny.

With all three named, I planned to be down early tomorrow morning to check on them all. There are quite a few jobs needing to be done on the plot but as the days are getting longer, I’m looking forward to lighter evenings so I can pop down after work.