Campervan Madness!

Sorry I haven't updated this in a very long time but to be honest , lots has happened.

We moved from Nottingham to the South Coast and the blog went to the back of my

mind.

I am not going to fill this with all sorts - I am going to dedicate this to our trips away in

the motorhome. We've been away a few times already but I won't retrospectively post

trip reports as my memory isn't what it used to be (!) but I will put some pictures up.

Next trip could be Easter in Geneva.

I'll keep you posted! x

New addition to the flock : Welcome to the ex battery hen

We have a new addition to our flock, Sally!



I had seen an article about a lady called Jo Egland (yes, I believe that is her real last name!) who runs a hen rehoming charity called Little Hen Rescue. She rehomes ex battery hens from a farm in Norfolk.



After reading the article on the BBC News website, I decided that I had to have one.

Our Eglu can accomodate 4 hens, so I wasn't worried about taking another one in.

I then broke it to John very gently! He was fine about it though.

So, last saturday we drove to the Little Hen Rescue farm. We took John's new 4x4, which was good, because it was really muddy and you had to drive up on the verges etc.



It had been snowing the week before and there was loads of ice and snow still on the ground.

Despite the weather, there was still loads of people there. Everyone was walking around with cat baskets full of chickens.



All of the hens were released from their ex battery prison that very morning and they had been placed in stables. There were over 4,000 chickens and it smelt a bit and there was lots of activity.



After going to the "reception", I had to write my name and address and how many chickens I was taking. That list gets forwarded to DEFRA, who, in the event of any outbreak of diseases, can contact me. Sally was £1.50 but I gave her £10 and told her to keep the change.

It all goes back to a great cause, after all.



We were shown to a stable with a lady. Because we have two hens already, we weren't allowed to take an "Oven Ready" chicken- i.e, one without feathers. This is to prevent the ex battery chicken from being attacked.



John picked out a very handsome and alert chook, with dark brown plumage and a large floppy comb.

Hens expel heat through their combs. In the hot confines of the battery buildings, it gets very warm, so the combs grow larger than normal to keep them cool.

Our "normal" chickens have much smaller combs. Sally has got a large comb which is very pale pink. However, it is getting redder as the days go by.



The lady collected Sally and placed her in the cat basket we had brought down.

Some people were taking 20+ chooks, and I wish I could have taken more but unfortunatley, we have space constraints and cleaning and caring for that many chickens would require a lot more time than I would be able to cope with at the moment.



We put Sally in the boot and drove home. It is advised that when you introduce a new hen into your flock, you should do it at night. So we opened the eggport and placed her in there.

She soon settled down.



Hens establish a pecking order within a few days to a week. Sally is venturing out of the Eglu a lot more, but Bellina has been pecking at Sally's large comb. It's distressing to see but it's essential, and unless they really are sparring, you need to let them get on with it.



I try and separate them so Sally has access to the food and drink without being intimidated by Bellina. I am very pleased with her progress. We've even had a few eggs. One soft shelled the day after she arrived. I have mixed ground oyster shells in with their Layers Pellets and invested in some Chicken tonic which is a vitamin suppliment that you add to their water which helps with their health and improves things like feather growth.



Sally has a few missing feathers so I am sure she will be pleased with the help!



Caring for an ex battery hen takes a bit of time. They have never seen daylight or even stood before. They have lived in the space which is the same as an A4 piece of paper.

Sally couldn't jump, so you have to lift them up and down on their legs slightly so you build up their muscle. I had to teach her to eat from the Grub and Glug. She also didn't know how to put herself to roost (sleep) at night and I would find her cold in the run.

Now she snuggles close to Bellina and Dilys. It's really sweet to see. I sometimes open the eggport and stroke them.



They are so sweet and affectionate!



I emptied their pooh tray and changed the straw in their nesting box. We had an egg today which is good. I had started a tally but I forgot to update it :(



I also invested a little mesh ball that's on a chain which you can fasten to something high and you fill it with food that they can peck out. Well, I gave them a whole bag of Sainsburys Taste the Difference wild rocket salad which Dillys devoured very quickly.

I also chopped up a cooking apple that I had in the fruit bowl that wasn't going anywhere fast!

Random Pictures

Everything's eggsellent on Halloween Night!

Another reasonable day in Nottingham!
God into work late! It was supposed to be fancy dress but I didn't have time to make anything, so I had to forgeit £2.50 to my boss, then realising that my Visa debit card was not in my wallet!

Panic! Went into a trance, trying to remember where I had used the card last, and remembered that it was in Sainsburies. Click click onto the internet, got the number for the Gedling store and they confirmed that my card was in their office.

Another slow morning at work, watching everyone in their witch outfits! Quite funny really.
Couldn't wait to get home to see my chickens in my lunch break, but had to dart to Sainsburies to get my debit card first.

John had made lunch which was very civil! :)
The chickens were very sweet and I stroked them. I fed them some brussel sprout I had bought the previous day and John found a few slugs and snails from the underside of the compost bin lid. They love those!

Back to work, had to do some training with my colleague Jo, for Adobe photoshop and Illustrator. She is a rather poor tutor and I didn't learn much from it, so I think I'll end up learning as I go along on the programme.

Anyway, I have my Application of Number test tomorrow so I need to get some revision in before bed.

Love to you all x

Spotty :(

Well, we are now the proud owners of two hens, Belina and Clarissa, from http://www.omlet.co.uk/.

Unfortunatley, I was at college when they were delivered, but I did manage to see them in the fading light.

I woke up this morning at 7am to see them and they were so sweet! I even picked Clarissa up (the dark one with beautiful blue and green feathers). In my lunch break I bought some spring greens and grapes for a treat for them.

They are still quite young so they won't be laying any eggs for a few weeks yet! But eggs aside, they are just a pleasure to have. They are very sociable, and will come when you call them.

Bellina (the ginger one) has pecked Clarissa's neck a bit, just while they get the pecking order sorted! John found a slug ontop of the compost bin and dropped it into the run. Clarissa saw it and grabbed it and ran into the eglu, completley refusing to drop it! Good for her.

Apparently, slugs and snails are chickens' most favourite treat!

Work was Okay today- a bit slow, but not too much to do.

After work, Jenna and I went to the Treetops pub to meet Cheryl and Lynne, which was great. We got to chat and catch up with what is happening in our lives! I had a glass of white wine.

I have terrible spots at the moment- two on my neck! One on each side of my head as well

:( My diet has been terrible lately-lots of rich food and wine.

It's halloween tomorrow and I am supposed to be coming into work in fancy dress, but I really can't be bothered. I want to get my hair cut in the lunch break but I don't want to have to go into Arnold dressed in a sheet! I am not sure what I'll do! I haven't got a costume or anything.

I cooked a lovely meal tonight- my famous sausage cassarole with potatoe Lyonaise and purple sprouting. I bought two brussel spouts from Sainsburies, for my babies. I will treat them tomorrow. Apparently you should only give them treats in the afternoon, so they have the chance to stock up on all the nutirious layers mash.

I should go now as I have some revision to do for my NVQ Application of Number test this Thursday. I am also doing a Dreamweaver course at college every monday which I am really enjoying. Not only will it help me at work but for my own company as well!

There is talk that we'll be going on another course- to learn CSS and more advanced web design features in Dreamweaver.

Anyway, I need to go, as I need to be up early tomorrow to let the chickens out and feed them. They are such a pleasure.

However, in buying them, I have upset Diana, as she wanted to buy some and I have got them before her. I am really uspet that she's upset, but I really did want hens for a very long time now, there wasn't much I could do.

Not to mention that they have taken a lot of the things we have in our house, like pictures and bed linen and bought them for their home! I am upset that I have offended Diana, however, I fail to feel guilty. I haven't exactly done anything wrong. I did see the Eglu at the Grand Designs show in Birmingham a few weeks ago.

Anyway, off I go. I leave a few pics of the Eglu.

First Blog Post!

This is the first entry on my blog!

I will try and write as often as I can but can't guarantee that it will be daily!

Well, I guess I should start with an introduction, going into who I am and how
I got here!

My name is Raffik, I am 25, and originally from Southend (Saarfend!) but now
live in the sprawling mass of Nottingham's suburbs.
I live with my boyfriend of nearly 5 years, John, our two cats, Ivan & Molly and
soon, my two new babies-Belina and Clarissa, my two hens, which are being
delivered by Omlet on Monday!