Tuesday 24 February 2009

Getting a new chicken...

So after our difficult day with Hector last Friday I spoke with my good fellow chicken owning friend Sara - she called with sympathy re the demise of Hector and told me she was off to get new ones herdelf as she was now down two chicks...anyway while over collecting Charlie, Lola and Fifi she asked about introducing a new one...and apparently it is best to do it sooner rather than later ...so we will be off to buy Dora tomorrow afternoon! how exciting!

Saturday 21 February 2009

Hector RIP August 2008-February 2009


Two chickens

Sad day in our house yesterday one of the chickens took ill !

Slow to come out in the morning she then clearly had breathing problems so after consultation with fellow chicken owners thought she may have something stuck in her gullet (it happened apparently to a neighbour who after calling out the DEFRA vet with a case of suspected bird flu - she was diagnosed with something lodged in the throat ) so the remedy was cod liver oil to attempt to move said blockage. I substituted cod liver for extra virgin and dosed with a syringe . She moved a bit but we then had to go out for the day. I was fully expecting to find her dead on arrival back home but she had moved about 100 yards into the vegetable patch . After administering some more oil and more gullet massage and about a syringe full of water she coughed a chicken cough and flapped her wings and keeled over . Whether I dealt the final blow we will never know but if we had left her she would have died of dehydration and starvation anyway. All v sad , we then had to explain to nelly all about death she was very upset and went through a whole range of emotions - sadness at the shock, grief at the loss and then curiosity - whether she really understands I am not sure but we have now been there although at great pains to stress that not all ill people / things die the same day .

So here is to hector wherever she may have gone that she carries on laying fab double yokers in her next life !

Hector August 2008 - Feb 2009
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Thursday 19 February 2009

a love of the keyboard!

our delightful long suffering delilah - she puts up with a lot these days in the form of a near three year old carrying her around or poking at her with a fluffy pencil ....she looks contented enough here though!







nelly loves the piano - whenever we go to Rob's father's house she is on there straight away, Rob plays the keyboard with her sometimes and she loves it ...guessing piano needs to come down here soon and the piano lessons started!

Saturday 7 February 2009

Two years with nelly ...... All that snow

So we have had an amazing winter in one week, after celebrating two years wit nelly with our group we had the snow ! At the beginning of the week London had it rally bad then the Midlands was hit on thursday and we were snowed into the village for the best part of two days ! A great sense of village community came over the village as everyone headed to a field for sledgingl snow boarding and even one person on skis ! Our second visit to the 'piste' was more successful with nelly but we had to borrow a sledge !
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