Dear chicken lovers, we know you all like to know what is happening in the Basevi flock so I have decided to share with you photo's of each our girls to enjoy and in the hope that you are inspired to keep your own. However, if you didn't know, chickens are very camera shy, so as I get better photo's I will update. Enjoy!
For a regular update on what is going on in the back garden check out our Facebook page.
A little ditty
The wonderful thing about chickens
Is chickens are wonderful things
Their heads are little and fluffy
And so are their flapping great wings
They're boucy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy,
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,
And the most difficult thing about keeping some chickens is.....
Getting them back in their run.
Meet Our Girls
New in 2017
Our Pekins were bought at 8 weeks old and had to be kept separate from the main flock untill they were 30 weeks. they formed their own little flock and pecking order. Even though they are now acclimatised to living as a bigger flock they still keep themselves to themselves and maintain a pecking order of their own. Keeping the two flocks separated was a challenge at times but in general they ignored each other, until they were all roaming free in the garden. At this point Pepper was extremely aggressive and teritorial. So much so that we decided to incorporate the small girls run and house into the big girls run so that they could escape. As time has passed by the big girls have invaded the small girls space and can often be found in there eating the food. The small girls lay in the big girls nesting boxes but still roost in their own house. They are the bounciest excitable chickens you have every come across and whilst the big girls do a flying run when excited these Pekins can actually fligh for a few feet, this activity always involves a lot of shouting and squawking as well.
Rosemary and Guinness - Variety Frizzled Pekin Bantoms
Rosie was the bossiest of our Pekin Flock when they were younger, she is the easiest of the four to catch and completely stupid when it comes to getting out of the run.
Guinness, so named because we had just returned from Ireland when we got her, has black feathers on her body and white ones around her head. Is the quietest of the Pekins and spends much of her time having a dust bath or perching on the logs in the run.
Thyme and Heather - Variety Pekin Bantoms
Thyme was the first of the small girls to lay. At this point she became the leader of the small girls flock and was more accepted by the bigger girls. She prefers to lay her eggs in the same nest as the big girls but won't wait for the space so we do have to hunt all the boxes for her eggs. She is the most likely to be found congregating with the big girls and is the most adventurous of the smalls. She will get them into trouble!
Heather has the softest and fluffiest feathers of the flock. She has always been noisy and the most reluctant to be picked up. But she is not a leader and will rarely be found away from one of the other small girls.
Onion - Variety sorry can't recall just now!
This is our most troublesome chicken at the moment. She will dash about trying to get all the snacks whilst actiually getting very little of them. She is nosy and is in everything. It is always the brown ones!
Snowdrop - Variety Bluebell
Always ready for a cuddle and the bigest heaviest chicken ever! Snowdrop has never been of the best of health, she has a dodgy foot and a permanent cold, however she lays a white egg every day and they are the most monster size at times.
New in 2013
Pepper - Variety Speckled
More often than not the head honcho, quiet and observant she leads from behind and is very keen to keep everyone in order. Pepper completely ignored the small girls when they first arrived and was extremely vicious when they were first combined. The only time she is not the top of the flock is when she is moulting and then she hands the mantle over to Bluebell - temperarily!
Salt - Variety Speckled
Her nature is also to be quiet and watchful - it must be a natural quality of a Speckled hen. She is less agressive to the others and is never to of the flock. She tends to hold back and let the otrhers sort things out or find a new food source - next door, then step into the fray after. Salt is always the last to go back in the run and one of the most difficult to catch.
New in 2012
- Variety Bluebell, we can be very imaginative when looking for names!
This little chicken is currently our old lady. She is very chatty, of independant mind and likes a high perch, so is often found on the back of the nech, the log pile or the wall by our front door. She is inquisitive, will normally be the first in the house if we give her a chance and if we are loading a vehicle to go somewhere she normally tries to get in too.
Now sadly departed
Bluebell 2012 - 2018 - was with us for many years and will be greatly missed. Lost to the fox
Sage 2017 - 2017 - with us for so short a time, did not adjust to her new flock and pinned away
Honey 2013 - 2017 Simon's favourite at the time, died of natural causes, happy to the end
Freckles 2013 - 2017 quietly passed after a short illness
Maggie 2012 - 2016 was unwell for several weeks and slowly faded. Died in my arms on a sunny afternoon in the garden.
Snowy - The first cuddly chook, died of old age and is still missed for her cuddles.
Bertha - the first to go, with us a short time and had a happy life
Tikka unwell, cause unknown was despatched due to her distress
Amber - Well to the end did actually fall off the perch in the hen house