Unexpected Chooks

Yes I know… thats not a chook. Thats a Reproachful Siamese Look
Seriously… it was a hell dark and miserable day that had it all. Rain, wind (sun) cold, hail…
When I was in the house, Pip followed me about everywhere then hunched down in my direct line of sight looking as woebegone and pathetic and cold as humanely Siamesely possible.
I guess he thought I was extremely tardy about lighting a fire.

Anyways…

Yesterday I saw a post on the local noticeboard that someone had chickens for sale. Seven of them. Mother and 6 younger hens (About 5 months)
So I messaged the fellow and confirmed with Jeff once he got up (All sleepy so didn’t have much of a chance to think of any good reasons why not haha)(Just kidding… we wanted more birds anyway)
Went over and picked them up just on dark as they were roosted and easy to catch.

Mamma had disappeared so he sold me this Japanese Bantam instead.
The rest are Plymouth Rocks.
Ever so pretty!

The two black ones I haven’t worked out if I will be able to tell them apart properly

This very pretty white with black trim has a gimpy wing – I had to put a stepping log in the coop tonight so she could get up to the first ledge

Actually last night I left them in the cat carriers in the hothouse all snuggled up.
This morning I blocked the chook run door to our original hens and let them have the run of the coop and sheltered run.

(Two of them are speckled)
I got a message from the seller. Mamma had turned up and was searching for her daughters!! So he said I could have her free. He wanted to keep them together. (I paid in soap though – they were very pleased for the barter!)
So I went over and picked her up. Haven’t got a snap of her yet.
Funny thing… they not long have bought the property… came with a heap of chickens. Most of them they sold off as they were attacking their bantams.
About three days after the purge, Mamma comes marching back out of the bush with 6 chicks in tow! All hens would you believe!!

I spent a LONG time late this evening in a puffy jacket at the coop waiting for them all to get in for the night.
The original girls weren’t keen to go in.
Apart from Flossie of course who wandered in, nary a glance at all the new girls, ate some lettuce, had a peck at the grain and went and put herself to bed!!
Nothing fazes that chook!
The others milled about being nervous.
Meanwhile the Japanese Bantam had roosted herself. Until our ring neck matriarch got in and they got into a dust up straight away.
So I shoved the Ring Neck into the smaller cat carrier so she could think about her behaviour and set it in one of the nesting boxes while everyone else got sorted.

It took forevvvvvvaaaaaa

They were finally all in.
Original girls on back roost, Flossie in a nest, RN in the carrier and the others dotted about – some on roost, some on bench, gimpy on nest edge.
I’ll need to get out there early to let them out and shoo the original girls back out.
Would like to keep the newbies in the run for a while so they get used to it as a home base and not fly off down the paddock or something annoying like that.

Better get to bed
Hope everyone had an excellent weekend!
Cheers!

(Brief moment of sun today!)