Fowl Not Foul Flock Diary - January 2000
Flock Status - January 2000
| The Geese | The 4 year olds | The 3 year olds | The 2 year olds |
| Pseudo-Swan the 4 year old Embden gander | Alkacell, Greencell, Nicad, 9-Volt, Ever-Ready and Duracell, the 4 year old Ex-Battery hens | Ernie the 3 year old Cream Legbar hen | White Tara the 2 year old Light Sussex hen |
| Sian the 6 year old Brecon Buff goose | Michael Caine Alan Partridge Brahma the 4 year old Partridge Brahma hen | The Professors Darwin, Mendel, Hawking, Helm and Freud, the 3 year old Ex-Battery hens | Biscuit and Roadkill, the 2 year old crossbred leghorn bantam hens |
| The 1 year olds |
| Roaster the 1 year old Light Sussex hen |
| Flathead the 1 year old Ancona hen |
| Attilla The Hen the 1 year old Welsummer |
| Little Wing the 1 year old black Jersey Giant |
| Ashley the 1 year old Exchequer Leghorn |
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 Above and left:- Ashley the Exchequer Leghorn on 11th January 2000 |
 Above:- Ernie (left) and Attilla the Hen (right) on 11th January 2000 |
 Above:- Ernie, looking very smart, on 11th January 2000 |
 Above, from front to back:- Roadkill, Ashley and Hawking on 11th January 2000 |
 Above:- Flathead on 11th January 2000 |
Above, right and below:- |
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During the month of January the weather was very cold, as to be expected in England at this time of year. For some obscure reason, Ever-Ready the Ex-Battery hen suddenly started to moult very heavily. She lost so many feathers similtaneously that she couldn't keep warm enough, and would shiver violently while outside in the garden. The rest of the flock noticed her vulnerability, and took every opportunity to chase and bully poor Ever-Ready - after all, Ever-Ready had been a relentless bully near the top of the pecking order before her massive feather loss, and the other birds took delight in this opportunity to hassle her. I felt sorry for her, and decided to bring her into the house so that she could be warm and comfortable. I made her a little coat from an old jumper so that she could go out and forage with the other hens during the day, and be somewhat protected from their attacking pecks. But Ever-Ready didn't like the coat and tried to scratch it off, getting her claws caught in the weave and falling over in a heap on the floor. Immediately I removed the coat and confined the balding chicken to a cage in the kitchen, where she would live until she had grown enough feathers back to be warm in the garden outside.
  Above and left:- Ever-Ready wearing her coat, on 21st January 2000 |
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 Left: Balding Ever-Ready in her cage in the kitchen Above:- New feathers growing on Ever-Ready's wing. |
On 21st January, Little Wing the Jersey giant laid her first ever egg. It was a large plain dark pinkish brown egg with a rounded shape. Little Wing is now 8 months old.
Coincidentally, on the following day (22nd January), Roaster the Light Sussex laid her first ever egg. The egg was more 'egg-shaped' or elongated than Little Wing's had been, and was a pale creamy colour with a white smattering. Roaster is also 8 months old.
To Flock Diary 2001 - January, February and March 2001 / April and May 2001
To Flock Diary 2000 - January 2000 / February, March, April 2000 / May 2000 / June 2000 / Stroud Show 1st July 2000 / July 2000 / August 2000 / Painswick Show 13th August 2000 / September 2000 / October, November & December 2000
To Flock Diary 1999 - January 1999 / February 1999 / March , April 1999 / May , June 1999 / Stroud Show 1999 / July 1999 / August 1999 / September 1999 / October 1999 / November 1999 / December 1999
To Flock Diary 1997 & 1998 - August to December 1997 / January, February and March 1998 / April 1998 / May 1998 / June 1998 / July 1998 / August 1998 / September 1998 / October 1998 - Part One / October 1998 - Part Two / November 1998 - Part One / November 1998 - Part Two / December 1998