The Chooklets have been escaping … their exit has been plugged, but not before they dared approach the Hen Garden – the resulting hubbub has left me more than a little anxious about integrating them! They are currently 16 weeks, so in theory I could begin the introductions any time now, but we have chicken sitters for the first two weeks in August, and I don’t want to leave them having to police turf warfare. So it will be another five weeks before we even begin.
I plan before then to re-site the Eglu in the Hen Garden, which means moving out the Ark (we have only kept it this long in case Charity decided to brood again … signs are that she is still laying although moulting). I might put it on Freecycle, with an offer to leave it intact for someone to see how to put it back together again. Or perhaps we’ll just take it apart and let them have the fun of trying to work it out for themselves?
Anyway, once the Eglu is in place, the Chooklets will at least be within view and at times using the same ground. Then we’ll start with just an hour a day with plenty of corn to distract them … but we will need to watch them closely, on hand with a water spray to break up any fisticuffs that break out. Hmm – whose job will that be, do you suppose? Rain or shine, probably …
In the meanwhile, I noticed today that Sugar Chooklet’s comb is starting to grow* … so they could start to lay while we’re away – and I shall miss it 😦 I read somewhere that another indication is the colour of their legs (as they start to use the biliruben for eggs rather than having it in their general circulation) but no change there, and in any case Honey Chooklet has always had pale legs, that’s why we named her.
I must remember that when we come home from holiday they will simply be like any other POL hen … and this will be the third time we’ve made introductions … but just at the moment I am anticipating trouble. It’s my own fault – I only ever meant to have four!
*Not sure you can tell from these …
The Hen House archive 