F is For

...my 'FAT LITTLE LADIES'

I took part in the 2015
A-Z April Blog Challenge 

I suppose this one ought to be under H as I'm mostly talking about my hens... but H is already taken by something else... curious how I got the title? Read on!

We have lots of birds in the garden - along with the hens (and the ducks and the goose... but they will appear in a later post)

If you enjoy bird-watching this is the place to come. My husband puts bird seed and fat balls out every morning during winter, and the seed in spring to help the adults feed their young. Some days it is like a Saturday lunchtime at a branch of MacDonalds on the Feeders it is so busy!

Woodpeckers, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, bullfinches, wrens, nuthatches, sparrows, robins, greenfinches, goldfinches... and the occasional hen

Beneath (or on) the bird table and  feeders in the orchard the hens scratch and rummage and have the most delicious day-long feast. Of a morning and evening the Pheasant Family (ha ha the Feasants!) take their turn. We often see about six or sevens females while a big fat, brightly coloured cock bird struts about keeping an eye open for Baz our dog who's favourite pastime is Pheasant Chasing. The females quietly fade away into the hedges - Sir Fat Feasant makes a huge clucking noise as he heaves his bulk into the air with a great flapping of wings and feathers.

(Ok that's enough of featuring the F's!)

Ron and Kathy with two female pheasants

and a good game of Chase!

We now have seven hens (sadly one got caught by the fox) Two are named: Buffy and Snowy... it isn't that the others aren't named, they just happen to all look similar and with my fading eyesight I can't always tell them apart - so they are all collectively "the Girls".

Hens are very intelligent, they waddle about, quite content,  but when they run they look for all the world like fat little ladies gathering up their skirts and revealing their big bloomers underneath. They are funnier when the run - and they run often, you only have to go to the back door and call "Chook, chook, chook!" and they're there  bright black eyed looking at you expectantly for titbits. 

They eat anything and everything. Their own chicken grain and layers mash and grit - but also all our household scraps, fruit, veg, meat ... they love sweet corn and chow mien!

They are also very good for the garden because they grub up the slugs and snails.

And at bed time they all happily troop into their chicken shed and put themselves to bed.

If you've seen the cartoon movie Chicken Run... believe me I can well imagine my hens doing their knitting, putting the kettle on, having a disco-bop and trying to tunnel out the orchard.... they already have a Secret Entrance because I often find a couple of them happily scratching up the banks along the lane.

Apart from the fun that they provide... the eggs are free range gorgeous!

Click here for a fun Olmpeck Games ... make sure you have your sound on (click  the > beneath the images to  start and ensure the music is playing,) then hover your mouse over the pictures to read the captions before clicking next) enjoy!

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G is for GHOSTS

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