Egg-Tastic! Hens!

Rosie, nicknamed 'Rosie Burger' was rescued on the 1st May 2009 as an ex-battery hen from Orpington. She was the most featherless of the ex-battery hens that I rescued. Over the course of the last year she has moulted and put on alot of weight and is now a fine looking healthy bird with beautiful feathers. Rosie is the top bird and likes to keep the other girls in the correct pecking order. When the pink grub bowl comes out of the shed she will follow the person holding the grub bowl around the garden until she can get the corn, pellet or treats that are inside it.

Lindsey also an ex-battery hen, recused with Rosie on the 1st May 2009 from Orpington. Lindsey is second in command and one of the louder girls. Since rescuing her, Lindsey has grown on me and grown in character! She is quite happy minding her own business in the garden until she notices someone heading out into the garden when she will rush over and verbally say hello. She has taken the role of chief 'egg call' bird and announces not only her own eggs but any other's who just happen to be in the coop with her at the same time.

Clancy is the last of the rescued hens, also rescued on the 1st May 2009 with Rosie and Lindsey. Clancy is the quietest of the flock and also the most clumsy! If there is anything in the garden to trip over, such as a twig, Clancy will find it! She is nick named 'Two Tone' because she started to moult and grow new feathers but then gave up half way through and therefore has old and new feathers of light and dark colour. Clancy's favourite hobby is eating snails and sunbathing and dust/mud bathing in my vegetable beds.

Poppy, like Linsey is one of the noisy girls and loves the sound of her own voice! Nicknamed Big Bird, Poppy was very feathery and large, but had since moulted and only grown half her feathers back and currently still has a bald neck. Poopy was raised from a chick and hand fed, I bought her at 7 months old. Very friendly and tame and she will peck around your feet when out in the garden.  

Daisy is Poppy's sister and also raised from a chick by hand. She is a very friendly and tame bird and loves human company! If I'm out in the garden Daisy will always try and sit next to me on the garden bench or even try to get on my lap. She likes to be up high, often getting onto the coop roof or the back of the chairs and garden table. Likes to follow Poppy around the garden and loves to eat the fushia plants!

Winnie, often called Winnie the White, is my favourite girl. She is very well behaved and learnt to crouch within the first week of getting her. I bought her when she was 16 weeks old. She now lays perfectly pale brown eggs and even managed to surprise us on the 1st April (April Fools Day) by laying a double yolker egg. She has since laid another 3 or 4 double yolkers. Winnie is completely white and very pretty. She likes to think shes the boss.

Maude is my speckled girl, she was bought at the same time as Winnie and Emma. Maude was 18 weeks old when I got her and slightly bigger than the other two. Maude lays a lovely dark brown speckled egg, although she hasn't laid for a few weeks now as she has been broody and trying to 'hatch' the other girl's eggs in the coop. The hens have 6 nest boxes to lay in but always lay in the same right hand side bottom box. Maude spends many an hour sitting and keeping the eggs warm until I remove them during the day.

Emma is a Bluebelle, with very dark legs and dark eyes. She was bought with Winnie and Maude and was 16 weeks old when I got her. Emma is very shy and doesn't like being picked up. One of her favourite treats is fresh sweetcorn. Emma lays a pink blushed brown egg. She is a very quiet bird and is at the bottom of the pecking order.

Ronnie is Roxie's partner in crime, these two hens are sisters and both lay a beautiful pale blue egg. Ronnie although has different feathers is also a Heritage Skyline. Ronnie and Roxie are both the outsiders and their own gang of two, although hopefully over the summer will be intergrated into the rest of the flock. Ronnie is nick named Road Runner because like Roxie she hasn't quite learnt how to crouch and likes to run as fast as the wind to escape you and hide in the bushes, but is easily tempted back into the run with the help of a tin of sweetcorn.

Roxie is one of the last girls to arrive, she is a Heritage Skyline and lays a perfect pale blue egg. Roxie and her sister Ronnie are very flighty and haven't quite got the hang of crouching. When they first arrived they spent the night in the shed while their new coop was being sorted out, in the morning I opened the shed door to find that they had completely wrecked the shed and managed to open a bag of feed and help themselves. In the process of wrecking the shed they also managed to kick out the window of the shed.