Fowl NOT Foul - March 1999

Little Roadkill had successfully learnt to perch and was using her legs properly by the end of February, so I terminated her vitamin treatment with the intention to start litter-training her. Unfortunately, the little bird was not yet ready to come off the supplement, and within three days she reverted to her disabled state. She could not walk or stand, her hock joints had started to roll sideways and her toes had started to curl up. This obviously devastated Roadkill mentally, and she would simply sit quietly and fluffed on the floor of her cage with her head lowered. She would only perk up when I brought her out of the cage to sit on my lap. I was shocked, and started giving Roadkill the supplements again. The supplements had a dramatic effect - within a week, little Roadkill could stand, walk and perch properly once again. With Roadkill healthy again, I started the training process.

When I went into the garden to collect eggs on Thursday 11th March, there was a commotion occurring amongst the hens. Varta and Nicad were having a pecking order dispute, and were fighting fiercely, each bird giving as good as she was getting. The fight continued for several minutes and with both participants equally matched, the level of violence increased as Nicad and Varta became more angry with each other. Lithium and Alkacell became interested and joined in with the dispute, surprisingly both taking Nicad's side and ruthlessly attacking Varta. I expected poor Varta to retreat, but she stood her ground and continued to defend herself gallantly against the onslaught of the three angry hens. Then, Nicad, Lithium and Alkacell managed to corner poor Varta, who was still bravely defending herself, determined not to submit to the others and lose her place in the pecking order. Varta's belly, chest and neck were covered with mud from attacking chicken feet, and her face and comb were also completely plastered. Though I should have left the birds to sort out their disagreement themselves, I took pity on Varta, and broke up the fight. Poor Varta had peck injuries all over her face, comb and wattles, and one of her earlobes looked swollen - but Nicad also had a scratched comb. These injuries were minor, and did not need treatment.

Later on in the day another fight started between the same three birds. This time I left them to it, checking them for injuries when they had settled their dispute. Each hen was allright apart from minor pecking injuries, and their pecking order had been re-established.

13th March was a lovely sunny day, and Pseudo-Swan decided to make the most of it. He spent as much time as he could in the bath, getting out from time to time to eat and have drinking water.

Roadkill's training did not go smoothly. I continued to let her out in the garden with the other hens as she obviously enjoys being out-of-doors, and I did not want to leave her in the house all day. However, Roadkill was still not comfortable enough with the rest of the flock, as she would not eat at all while with them. Roadkill would still refuse to eat except when she was loose in the house, with human company.

As time went on, Roadkill's behaviour changed. While in the house she continued to be sociable, wanting to sit on the sofa with humans and making pretend nests on their laps. However, when a person went to stroke Roadkill, she would cluck angrily and peck the stroking hand very hard, continuing to peck until the person being pecked found it intolerable, and Roadkill would be turfed off the sofa/lap and put on the floor. But Roadie would be persistent, climbing back up onto the sofa to continue to attack the human who had tried to stroke her. To stop this, she was confined to her cage as a punishment.

During March I began helping with the organisation of the Stroud L.E.T.S. (local Economic Trading System) allotment on a local site. The allotment had not been cultivated for a while, and was covered in vegetation, mostly grass. Whilst digging this back to soil and removing weeds, I decided to take some well-behaved chickens with me so that they could feed on some lush green grass. I took hens with me on two occaisions. On the first time I took 9-Volt with me, because she always seems to hang about nearby when I am in the garden, crouches to be picked up readily and does not run away when required to be caught. She behaved extremely well, not struggling on the journey to the allotment, and not straying more than 5 metres away from me when foraging on the allotment. She seemed to be enjoying herself pecking up grubs and worms unearthed by our digging.

On the second time I took 9-Volt again, and Nicad as she had also been behaving in a friendly manner, regularly coming up to me and pecking at my shoelaces then crouching to be picked up. The two hens behaved impecably this time as well, until I began planting onions - Nicad noticed me and followed me, kindly pecking the onion sets out of the soil as soon as I had planted them. Even when confined to her carrying box as punishment, she managed to break out, running straight to the onion bed to resume her onion-pulling. Needless to say, I did not take chickens to the allotment again.

Above: Biscuit on 30th March. Biscuit's comb and wattles are developing extremely quickly ! Compare her state of development to that of Roadkill.

Above: The new goosehouse at the top end of the garden , made during the week of 18 - 23rd March 1999. The geese seem much happier to have a house of their own. The goosebath was also moved to the top of the garden, near to the goosehouse, so that they wouldn't have to walk all the way to the opposite end of the enclosure (the previous goosebath site) to bathe.

The geese loved their new house. As soon as it was in position they waddled up to investigate, Pseudo-Swan the gander staying in front of Sian his goose so that he would be able to protect her from the house if nescessary ! The gander honked loudly at the house as he approached it, and Sian joined in - they seemed to be making as much noise as they possibly could. After a few minutes the honking stopped, and Pseudo-Swan waddled up to the house with his head and neck lowered, and peered suspiciously through the doorway. He looked around, and Sian honked at him quietly as if she wanted him to get out of the way so she could have a look too. Slowly Pseudo-Swan went right into the house and proceeded to give the walls and bedding a thorough inspection. Sian went in and joined him, so I left them to investigate their new home.

The goose showed her appreciation for her new house by laying me some eggs ! During the last few days of March Pseudo-Swan and Sian had become quite aggressive and defensive of their house and bath area. I had been wondering why, and my question was answered when I found two large white eggs hidden at the back of the goosehouse, behind Sian's carefully built (but massive!) nest. As I knelt down and reached into the house collected them the geese honked loudly and angrily at me. As soon as I backed out of the house the gander grabbed hold of the main part of my ear ! He held it tight while Sian honked at me as hard as she could, and I shouted at Pseudo as hard as I could. I managed to put the eggs down but Pseudo still had my ear, and I had to get him to let go somehow - ganders have a powerful bite !. So I grabbed him around the body (before he decided to open his wings!) and held him, and then stood up, lifting the gander off his feet and into the air. He was so surprised that he let go of my ear, then I put him back on the ground and ran away, leaving the eggs in the goosehouse !

I went to collect the eggs later, after herding the geese down to the bottom section of the garden and closing the gate ! It would be lovely to let the geese breed, but we haven't got enough room here for any more fowl, unfortunately.

Sian laid another egg on the following day. (There's a picture of some goose eggs in the April 1999 edition of the Fowl Flock Diary)

On 8th April 1999 I photographed all the hens. The Ex-Battery Hens have now all fully recovered from their first 24 months of life in the Battery Farm - except Lithium, who still has not moulted. It has taken them over four months to get to this stage since rescue in October 1998.

Above: Energiser

Above: Alkacell

Above and left: Duracell

Ever-Ready (foreground) and Uniross

From left to right: Greencell, Varta and Uniross

9-Volt

Nicad (and Ernie)

Lithium (and Ernie)

Varta

April the 8th was the first lovely sunny and dry day we have had for a very long time, and Prunella decided to make the most of it by sunbathing. She lay on her side in a sunny spot, relaxed her feathers, spread her tail and stretched her wings and legs out to catch the warm rays. She stayed like this for about half an hour, even closing her eyes from time to time.

Little Roadkill has now started to eat a little while with the rest of the flock, though she is still brought inside the house in the evening to fill her crop and have a multi-vitamin tablet to stop her disabling leg problem recurring.

Above: Michael Caine Alan Partridge Brahma and Biscuit, 8th April. Biscuit's comb is bigger than the Brahma's pea comb now !

Below left: Biscuit, with Roadkill just visible in the background.

Above right: Biscuit, 8th April

I went to check on the birds in the afternoon and was horrified to discover that Lithium had drowned in the goosebath. She must have fallen in there - a couple of hens have done this, and have been able to get out without much trouble. But the gander must have noticed her, and in defense of his territory pushed her back into the water as she tried to get out.

On 20th April little Roadkill was determined not to be caught when I tried to bring her into the house for the evening. She seemed determined to get into the shed with the other hens, and on the following evening she did ! So I decided that she wanted to live with the rest of the flock, and left her on a perch next to Biscuit.

On 25th April I was surprised to see little Biscuit sitting in a nestbox in the shed. The pullet who hatched on October 16th 1998 was laying an egg ! I hadn't expected her to lay until September 1999....

Above: Biscuit on 25th April, sitting in a nest of paper which she has shaped herself. Notice the small strips of stray paper on her side.

When Biscuit got up from her nest she had left a small white egg which had a lovely bone china look and feel to the shell.

Below - Clockwise from left: Hen's egg, Goose egg, Extra large goose egg (this one weighed 750 grammes, or 8 ounces !), Hen's egg, a brightly coloured false or 'pot' egg* (which I made from Fimo clay) in the centre, and finally Biscuit's small white egg.

* a 'pot' egg is a dummy egg which is placed in a nestbox to encourage a pullet or young hen to lay. A group of pot eggs is put in a nestbox to encourage a broody hen to sit.

On 29th April I sat in the garden to eat my lunchtime sandwiches as it was such a lovely sunny and warm day. Some of the chickens became interested in me, especially Michael Caine Alan Partridge Brahma and Roadkill, who stood at my feet and peered at my food as I ate it. Within a few minutes the other hens had lost interest, but the Brahma and little Roadkill stayed and continued to stare at me - like pet dogs sit and stare at humans eating at the table, trying to look as cute as possible !. Roadkill even flew up onto my lap and tried to steal a morsel of sandwich, perhaps remembering her chickhood days when she lived in the house. So I gave her and the Brahma a crust each, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Above: 9-Volt (left) and Ever-Ready sunbathing in dustbaths they have scraped in the dry soil under a pine tree.

On the afternoon of 30th April, poor Duracell became a victim of bullying. I first noticed a fight happening as I began to hang out the washing, and decided that if the fight had not ended by the time my task had finished, I would go and investigate. The fight continued and became noisier, and on investigation I discovered Duracell and 9-Volt being extremely antagonistic and vicious. The duelling birds did not even notice me, and increased the level of aggression so much that flying attacks were made - each bird facing the other and leaping into the air simultaneously, flapping their wings and kicking at the opponent's head with sharp-clawed feet. A moment later Greencell joined in and took 9-Volt's side, and poor Duracell was sandwiched between them, so I broke up the fight. I picked up Duracell and 9-Volt and took them to opposite ends of the enclosure. Duracell, relieved, resumed going about her normal chicken business. 9-Volt continued to make aggressive noises and quickly found Duracell, starting the fight again. For the second time the level of aggression between the two birds grew, and the commotion of the fight attracted White Tara, who joined in, taking 9-Volt's side. Again, I broke up the fight, and again 9-Volt came to find poor Duracell, so I picked up the poor victimised hen and brought her out of the enclosure and into the main part of the garden where 9-Volt would't be able to reach her. While I checked that Duracell's injuries were only minor scratches (as is usual with a hen-fight), I could hear 9-Volt making aggressive noises. She patrolled the enclosure, searching for Duracell who stood quietly behind the solid wooden gate where 9-Volt could not see her.

A few hours later I returned Duracell to the enclosure, and 9-Volt appeared to have forgotten about the fights earlier.

Above: Some of the Ex-Battery Hens enjoying the Spring sunshine. From left to right: Alkacell and Greencell sunbathing, Ever-Ready and Energiser going about daily chicken business, and finally Uniross sunbathing.