I've just taken my mug of tea into the garden and sat and listened to my flock of bantams and at this time of the morning the hens are making far more noise than the cockerels.
Firstly it's: 'I'm just off to lay an egg in a secret place that nobody knows about'
Followed by: ' What are you doing in my secret place! Get off at once!' Replied to with: 'It's my secret place, go away!'
And this is kept up until we get: ' I've laid an egg in my secret place that nobody will ever find'
At which point the first hen wanders off with: 'Hello cockerel, I'm available...'
And the second hen says: 'Ah, here is my secret place I'm going to lay an egg that nobody will ever find'.
And during all this the cockerel only crowed once... I'll leave you to guess at which point
MW
Noise level!
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
- oldherbaceous
- KG Regular
- Posts: 14077
- Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
- Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
- Has thanked: 449 times
- Been thanked: 480 times
Dear Motherwoman, some things never change.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
- Motherwoman
- KG Regular
- Posts: 1000
- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:03 am
- Location: Isle of Wight
I could never, ever eat battery chicken or battery eggs after watching the home life of chickens. They are not just egg or meat machines they have a complex system of life, lots of different noises and chicken conversations take place. Food finding for each other, warning noises of danger (bird of prey noise is different to fox noise) and to deprive them of all that is just plain awful.
And as for you OH...I couldn't possibly comment on the crowing abilities of man....
And as for you OH...I couldn't possibly comment on the crowing abilities of man....
Sounds wonderful! We would love to keep chickens but we have nowhere to keep them. My husband kept them years ago and he said they are fascinating creatures. My stepdaughter used too bool them around in her dollies pram.
Happy with my lot
- Motherwoman
- KG Regular
- Posts: 1000
- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:03 am
- Location: Isle of Wight
Love the thought of Billy III in a pram... All our cockerels are called Billy, saves all the bother of thinking up names! He might look a bit indignant.
Not sure if he'd just try to eat the cigarettes... whole chicken lurve thing consists of dropping a wing down and doing a 5 second dance, about 2 seconds of doing the business and then crowing about it...huh!
MW
Not sure if he'd just try to eat the cigarettes... whole chicken lurve thing consists of dropping a wing down and doing a 5 second dance, about 2 seconds of doing the business and then crowing about it...huh!
MW
- Ricard with an H
- KG Regular
- Posts: 2145
- Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
- Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.
Motherwoman wrote:whole chicken lurve thing consists of dropping a wing down and doing a 5 second dance, about 2 seconds of doing the business and then crowing about it...huh!
MW
I absolutely love this thread and at a time I'm resolute to not having chickens I've been inspired, not particularly by the cockerel though. Having said that, it's about right for most bower-bird-blokes.
The description of the hens asserting themselves had me in stitches.
Thank you, I needed this at the end of a very trying day.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
Richard.
- Motherwoman
- KG Regular
- Posts: 1000
- Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:03 am
- Location: Isle of Wight
Pleased to make the end of a day amusing!
I love having the chickens, there are downsides like a visit from the fox, or last winter a large feral cat, and having to dispatch cockerels before they start to make a mess of each other, but on the whole they are great to have around. Mine are total free range around the garden (and the field next door!), the dogs will leave the adult birds alone but I have to watch them with the young'uns. Plus I never go away on holiday so chicken sitting isn't a problem.
We are lucky to be able to keep them the way we do and it brings out the full chicken behaviour.
MW
I love having the chickens, there are downsides like a visit from the fox, or last winter a large feral cat, and having to dispatch cockerels before they start to make a mess of each other, but on the whole they are great to have around. Mine are total free range around the garden (and the field next door!), the dogs will leave the adult birds alone but I have to watch them with the young'uns. Plus I never go away on holiday so chicken sitting isn't a problem.
We are lucky to be able to keep them the way we do and it brings out the full chicken behaviour.
MW
- Primrose
- KG Regular
- Posts: 8095
- Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
- Location: Bucks.
- Has thanked: 47 times
- Been thanked: 321 times
MW. I really envy you your chickens. It has always been a desire of mine of have two or three chickens running around the garden but our vegetable growing areas would doubtless have to be cordoned off if they were not to be devastated. Unfortunately we are often away and even if we weren't our house has a restrictive covenant on it forbidding the keeping of any poultry. A little strange really because lots of people kept them during the war.
Out of interest I've often wondered how such a restriction could actually be enforced if nobody knows what's actually in any restrictive covenant on any particular property.
Out of interest I've often wondered how such a restriction could actually be enforced if nobody knows what's actually in any restrictive covenant on any particular property.
- Ricard with an H
- KG Regular
- Posts: 2145
- Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2012 10:16 am
- Location: North Pembrokeshire. West Wales.
Hi Primrose.
You need to find out who placed the covenant. If they are still alive I suppose they could be approached to lift the covenant, its always possible no-one from the remaining family or inheritants are remotely interested in the covenant.
Covenants can be down to whims-and-fancy, you decide to sell your home but you don't want stamp collectors living there you have a right to have that whim respected though I really don't understand the limitations or even if there are any.
You need to find out who placed the covenant. If they are still alive I suppose they could be approached to lift the covenant, its always possible no-one from the remaining family or inheritants are remotely interested in the covenant.
Covenants can be down to whims-and-fancy, you decide to sell your home but you don't want stamp collectors living there you have a right to have that whim respected though I really don't understand the limitations or even if there are any.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
Richard.