Blue Sky Mine
Blue Sky Mine is known more as “Marching Band” these days. Marching Band was rescued from a pullet grower shed late last year, but most of the small pullets in the shed had terrible ricketts as they couldn’t reach the food or water, so she now walks like this. She’s a darling little girl who tries so hard.
New Paddock Day
Some of the gang realising the bottom paddock is open for their afternoon lunch reservations.
Pool Party!
Thunder, Ruby and Ron enjoy their private swimming pool whilst India wants nothing to do with the young people.
Knives
Have so many broody hens here at the moment. I don’t breed here. I need all the space I can get for chickens who need me. Broody hens are taken out of their spots several times a day and encouraged to go do chicken things.
Spartacus
Happy 2nd Birthday (rescue day) to Spartacus, the little chick who arrived so desperately wanting a mum and found one in Cordelia.
Spartacus was purchased at a market with another chick. That chick died and the people then realised that perhaps raising chicks was beyond them and he arrived here scared and looking for safety. This video was the first moment he felt safe when I put him with Cordelia.
Babies need their mothers. The egg industry, the meat industry, backyard breeders all incubate chicks and deny them of a mum. There is no reason to deny anyone their mother.
Afternoon Gang
Just some of the afternoon free rangers enjoying their time out. This is a blend of four different flocks who are let out together between 3-4pm daily. They work out their space quite well, but I need to keep an eye on Skittles as the Isas tend to attack her and Spartacus and Johnny Two Hats can sometimes get in to fights, but it’s generally very peaceful. Everyone has a name and a place here and is tended to individually every day.
Bathing Babies
Uptown Girl, Xanadu and Bette Davis Eyes have what looks like the most suffocating dust bath ever.
Spartacus
Roosters are an essential part of a chicken flock. They are the leaders who are also security guards and also the chickens who try to keep bickering within the flock to a minimum. Spartacus is two years old soon so he is still a very full on boy, but he is absolutely brilliant at breaking up fights and keeping his flock of girls safe. You’ll see him quickly step in here as soon as a small fight breaks out. Roosters are amazing.
Mrs Mangle And Tontine
Mrs Mangle loves her little friend Tontine and will stand patiently waiting for her to get the energy to groom her. Tontine was having a particularly bad day this day and was very tired, but Mrs Mangle stood there quietly trilling for over an hour. This tough old battle chicken has been a sentinel chicken for the government having weekly blood tests to check for mosquito born diseases and then went on to live in a school who provided her no pain relief or vet care. She hates everyone except Tontine. Tontine is unable to walk properly and has heart disease that’s getting progressively worse, but she’s still a happy little poppet who gets so excited for corn cobs and bio cheese.
Kong Foo Sing
Kong Foo Sing sings - “ah the Kong Foo Sing. It’s the King”
Inpatient
Why wait for the human slave to open the door when you can do it yourself!
Mrs Mangle and Tontine
These two ladies start chatting whenever I walk in the room or I start talking to them. Mrs Mangle was left in a schoolyard with a terrible limp until saved by a good heart. She can’t walk far at all, but loves her food more than life itself. Tontine can’t walk at all due to a form of Ricketts developing from bad care when she was a chick. She was dumped, she was also thrown over a fence by an angry man.
