It's been a while since I've updated about the chickens and a lot has gone on since I last introduced them.
The chicken coop is currently empty as all three of my girls have gone back to the breeder so I am henless. The reason being, the two silkie hybrids that were supposed to be bantams, turned out not to be. They got pretty big, pretty fast and it became clear to us last month that they were too big for the current coop we have. Also, they both kept rounded up on Titch a fair bit so something had to be done.
I don't have the space for a coop large enough to accommodate all three chickens and I chose bantams as I wanted to avoid the destruction the previous ones made to the garden. It's not just the grass you lose. They dig! The wonderful thing about Titch is that she's small enough to scratch away at the grass to her heart's content, but she's not big enough to scratch it all up to the dirt and then keep going. And she's certainly not big enough to hold her own against two larger chickens who don't have enough space.
So. They're back with the breeder who happily offered to rehome them. We're going to get two more chickens to replace the silkies, actual bantams this time! And that's why Titch has gone back too. The breeder is going to introduce her to two new friends and watch them for the next week to make sure they settle in well together. If they're happy we'll be pick them up again this weekend.
I'm sad that we had to say goodbye to Elvis and ChickyMcChickface, (Alessi renamed Gertie almost immediately after my last post) but I know they'll be better off for going back. And Titch will be home soon with two new friends who won't keep pecking her everyday.
I'll introduce you to the new chickens again next week once they've settled in.
