My worst day as a smallholder yet.

I know I know I promised wonderful things and I haven't delivered. I fully intended to blog today, to talk about the hens and the new additions, baby stuff and pictures of pretty views and beach's. And to say thank you for the comments and messages about the baby (thank you x)
Butbloodshed put the stoppers on that.


Last night a mink got into my big main hen house, My hubby went over to let them out this morning, so thankfully I didn't have to deal with the carnage in the house ( he said it was like something from a tarentino film). Somehow it had squeezed in through a gap between the door and after its killing spree got it self caught in the rat trap. When hubby came and woke me to tell me what had happened he couldn't tell me exactly how many hens had been killed or who they were as there was blood and feathers and bits lying everywhere. But he had a rough idea who was missing when he let them all out into the paddock.

He went back over to clear up the mess and deal with the mink (that he described as the most evilest looking creature he'd ever seen thrashing about in the cage) giving it the full blast of a 12 bore.

I went over there expecting the worse as hubs bless em can only recognise a few by name but they few he'd told me that were missing were the ones I was dreading. And sure enough that F-ing mink took most of my favourite girls and one of my boys.

Its so quite and empty over there, Its missing a funny sounding crow, a couple of banshee like screech's.
If you've read my posts about my hens who'll recognise a few names :

Holly my gorgeous silkie cockerel, who I've nursed through sour crop, mycoplasmia, injured leg and wings, he was a little fighter he always pulled through and came back stronger, and he always pulled this funny face when he crowed bending his neck at an almost 90degree angle.
2 young sweet bluebell pullets who had just started laying on this week,
Boo my beautiful bossy buff sussex who was always the first to see me when I enter the field and would shout to all the others and run towards me flapping her wings trying to be the first to get at what ever food I was bringing,
Honey an ex batt who would never lay in the nest box in her house but always find a way to get into the other paddock and use the bantams hen house.
Wonky, my lovely sweet wonky with her lopsided wing and a lopsided leg who was the most friendly hen I've ever had she was also the most greedy, she would also wobble about chattering to self in her own little strange world and try and jump up on to my knee whenever I sat down.

But whats feels the hardest is that it took 2 of my original ever girls Tallulah who was beautiful and sweet and always looked after any new hens that got put in with them. When I put Boo in with them all the others really picked on her and wouldn't let her perch but tallulah would snuggle up next to her. She loved being picked up and cuddled. And margo my squawky glamourous boss hen, she has laid an egg everyday except 8, since I got her she was grumpy, stroppy and loud, but I loved her.

It really strange atmosphere over there even the other group in the other hen house are acting quietly. I've checked over the remaining girls and they all seem fine not bites and already I can see new groups and friendships forming. Ben the cockerel is very quiet, he has bite marks and bald patches on his legs where I'd like to think he gave the mink a good kicking trying to save his girls, margo and boo were his main girls, everynight he'd perch with them too either side of him. And holly was his little sparring partner, When I moved all the flock about holly and his girl isabel were left without a run and a home so I put my sweet little chap and isabel in with ben knowing I was taking a gamble introducing two dominant cockerels together, straightaway holly went for ben (even though holly was 3 times smaller than ben)ben gave as good as he got and holly ended up on his back and ben just muttered at him and walked away to dust bathe, since then they've got on fine like to old geezers sat in a pub drinking ale together and avoiding the wives.

I have a lot of hens there and I'm lucky it only got 8, but it hurts that it took them. There are some new additions there, still nameless, a few exbatts, some young lightsussex Hens that I would have been sad to lose but even though I've had them for a few months I didn't have a bond with them like Boo and wonky and tallulah. I know if you have animals you shouldn't care more for some than others, but its inevitable you'll build a relationship with some. I know to some people they are just chickens, just livestock, things we use to get eggs and chicken nuggets and there are far worse things happening in the world, but as sad as it may sound to some people they were like my little friends and I miss them already, its so heartbreaking that some evil vermin just broke in there and destroyed them.
I don't even want to go over there, I just feel so sad. There is a saucepan full of cooked up veg peelings, potatoes and pasta I made up last night for their lunch today, I added extra potatoes because wonky being wonky and slower than the others always misses out on potatoes bless her little heart and right now I can face not seeing her face waiting and calling to me.

If I wasn't preggers right now I think I'd get drunk.

jess x

P.S I got ill for a few days a couple of weeks ago and didn't get out to feed sidney always missing him and seeing him swimming far down the river. So he decided I'd stopped loving him and has gone (I hope he's found some friends) but I did manage to remove the string from his leg.

P.P.S on a happy note the baby seems to be doing really well and regularly dances about in my tummy and gives me the odd roundhouse kick, I have high hopes of a riverdancing kung fu master.

P.P.P.S I will return with a new look blog and happier regular posts soon..............promise.

Breaking news

Gwenny fairfaxs 4 eggs have all hatched.

Photos tomorrow as right now I really need to water the garden.

Jess x

P.S tomorrow is also my favourite summer village fete

someone stick the kettle on, I need a cup of tea

I'm sorry about my absence but I've been so rushed of my feet with all of this,








And some of this





And there was this






And if all that wasn't enough to keep a girl busy this came along







And finally there is this


Yes they are in my bathtub and yes they were throughly dried off with my best hand-towels before snuggling up under a heat lamp.

And if all that wasn't enough fun for me to handle I met up with the gorgeous sara from Completely Quackers who came down to see me for a good old chin wag about chickens and other animals and to take 4 of my bantam hens to join her flock of mad bantam boys. This left me with a vacancy for some more hens, who are currently in quarenteen quarters for the moment, oh and did I mention the little bluebell pullets.

I shall tell all about everything and everyone later, right now the glorious sunshine is beckoning back outside.

Jess x

P.S Bonus points will be awarded to anyone who can identify the chicks in the 2nd 3rd and 4th pictures, I know what they except the little grey one on the right of the 3rd picture. Extra double cherry on top points to anyone wanting to have a stab at telling me the sex.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

So this was the babies a week and a half ago...........









They look nothing like that now. Well except the little Auracana and the little silvery one and the little stripy one. I have no idea what the little stripy one is, which is kinda cool because it will be a surprise when suddenly I look at little 'tommy' (he/she looks like a little tommy) and realise what he/she is, (I have a few ideas). I think the little silver one could possibly be a silver spangled hamburg, I have no idea why I think that I just do. All of the rest are light sussexs except one big fluffy buff orpington.
They are just over 3 weeks old now and turning into right little hooligans, I'll give them until the sunday after next and they go outside and spent their days in the garden until they can join the field gang.

But first I need to straignten up the garden I currently have the little bluebell with the pecked vent destroying what was left of my lawn (being kept company by one of the little silkies, who I'm certain are both boys) I thought it best to separate her until she heals up well, luckily its just superficial damage. I established the ring leader of the feather pecking but she seems to have calmed down now, the Stockholm tar helped, except when I got it all over the kitchen floor.

Right I really must go and finish re-planting this border, I'm so lacking in inspiration at the moment, thanks to being stressed and tearful last week. Thankfully things are brighter this week.

Jess x

P.S I try and get some photos later today of the babies, that's if I can get them to stay still longer than 10 seconds

WARNING!!!!! more cuteness than you can shake a stick at

So the chap up the valley who bought my Maran cockerel asked me if I'd like some freshly hatched chicks for free.....

Well it would have been rude to say no.

There is 10 in all 4 are definatly light sussexs, ones a araucana and he can't remember what the rest are, he'll call me when he finds the list.

Needless to say I love my new babies. The silkie babies are a bit jealous as but they'll get over it.

jess x

Please excuse the slightly bluriness but trying to snap a chick with the flash off and get them in focus is not the easiest thing I've ever done.

I am so naughty

So yesterday morning I went to a poultry auction, with absolutely definitely totally no intention of buying anything. There were a few birds I quite liked but nothing I wanted to bid for except possibly some quail. There was a box with silkie chicks 4 weeks old written on it. Stupidly I lifted the lid.
I hung about while the auctioneer did his thing seeing lots of birds (mainly lone cockerels) not selling, waiting on the quail (which went for more than I could buy from a very good local breeder. As he went down along the cages he drew near to the box he started the bid at £5, £4, £1 how about 50p for the pair, he looked around at no interest and was about to deem them a no sale, when like a automatic reflex action up shoots my hand.




One of my many new year resolutions was to NOT buy (unsexed) random chicks at auctions and another was to not buy silkies unless they are point of lay.

So there's 2 broken, but seriously how could I resist. So to add to my already crazy brood I now have 2 adorable little babies (who knowing my luck are baby boys) who cost me less than a diet coke.

I had planned on trying to steer my posts this week to the subject of gardening but hey ho.

jess x

P.S I counted Sid, his lady, 7 mallards and a moor hen this morning. Hoping for some flamingos tomorrow.