Season Of The Chicks Part One

Between early October 2013 and May 2014 I had a chicken explosion. At first there was the usual broody hen who came out of the bushes with a few chicks but then my landlord spread the remains of his silos across the home paddock next to me which resulted in the hens feeding freely and not returning to the hen house at night. This in turn led to them hiding away and hatching clutches of chicks. At one point I was feeding ten broody hens and their assorted offspring which saw my flock get up to numbers in the high sixties. This is the diary of those hectic times.

4^th October, 2013-Gwendolyn the crowing hen arrived out from the bushes with five day old chicks this afternoon.

30^th October- Just had to bury one of Gwendolyn's chicks which has died from the cold snap we had during the last 24 hours.Gwendolyn's other chick passed away after lunch. Bloody weather. This happened to a clutch last Autumn as well.

16^th November- Another of Gwendolyn's chicks on its way out this morning. Alright late yesterday so assuming it was too chilly for it last night.

25^th November- Landlord dumped a truckload of reject grain next door which the chickens have been feasting on. Result-no one wants to go to bed #HyperChickens

7^th December- One of my missing hens (Gabriella) turned up this afternoon with four chicks... *sigh* They're a bunch of sex maniacs round here.

15^th December- Found a white pullet Amy (last season's chick) with two new borns near the hen house. Hell of a job catching her.

27^th December- One of my missing bantams has turned up- with nine chicks that I can count. Because what I really need is more chicks. What a job catching them with their mother & Widget rooster trying to attack me. Rearranged chick homes to accommodate them.

29^th December- Just found two hens sitting on a pile of stinky eggs & when I lifted them off six had already hatched. #PsychoChookyMothers

31^st December- One of Gabriella's three week old chicks died during the night. Nature is very harsh without rhyme or reason.

1^st January, 2014- Went to let the chooks out of the big house & there was one of my missing bantam hens! With four yellow chicks.... Wrangling them was no fun. Now have six broodies with 25 chicks between them with two hens still missing somewhere in the pine trees or wilder areas of the garden.

6^th January- Thought I'd seen a missing bantam hen yesterday near the shelter belt. Today she turned up again- complete with three chicks.

8^th January- Another hen just arrived with one day old chick. Heaven knows where she'd been sitting all this time.

10^th January- Just found one of Booffy's nine chicks dead. What looks like a haematoma on it's side so Mum must have stood on it. It's a rough upbringing.

13^th January-Another hen has turned up with 10 chicks & is hiding in the garden under my bedroom window.Have put them in a cage in the woodshed with two of the other broods.

15^th January- Have decided that 40 bantam chicks are equivalent to half a human baby- the bottom half. Same amount of poo to be cleaned up.

18^th January-Murder! Just found Spike the rooster's corpse outside the hen house, beaten to a pulp. Bloody young cocks ganged up on him. A first in 23 years of chicken keeping.

21^st January- Lovely rainy morning but unfortunately the youngest white chick in the woodshed had died in the early hours. The 6.2 quake last night may have been too much.

30^th January- Gwendolyn hatched her last clutch on Oct 3rd 2013, raised them then immediately went clucky. Found three tiny (by little I mean just out of the egg) chicks in with Amy (bantam hen with two chicks of her own). Gwendolyn's a Mum again.

5^th February- a chick killed by another broodie hen leaping about.

6^th February- Just went to feed the chicks & found Boofy's smallest black one dead. I assume this cold snap did it as it was fine this morning.

10^th February- One of Boofy hen's chicks not looking at all well. Quite chilled in this cooler weather. Brought it in & sat a container with it on a hottie. Chick was fraught & cheeping for Mum so wrapped it in an old hand towel, plonked it on my chest & we both went to sleep. Result- poo in bra.

11^th February- Came home from shopping to find yesterday's sickly chick poorly again. Couldn't save it this time though. Just buried the chick and brought one of its siblings inside. Looks like it's on its way out as well. Poor hen has lost her three smallest.

13^th February- Yet another burial first thing this morning as one more of Boofy's chicks passes away during the night.Just a mystery to me as it was eating.

7^th March- Woke at 2am with Gwendolyn hen screaming in the carport & her babies upset. Today I find my white rooster dead headless in the shed #Ferret

9^th March-A five month old pullet gone this morning.Not long dead when I found her- head gone.Leaving her body in the hen house with the traps for day. Mike found a tunnel near the hen house so he's setting up a trap (baited with bantam egg) in it. (The ferret was caught the following night and Mike shot it).

15^th March- Yesterday Gwendolyn hen lost her black chick from the cold. Then while we were out a farm dog came in & dug up the ferret attack pullet.

16^th March- Worst easterly I can remember in five years. Was out in the carport at 9.30pm trying to put more covers on the broody cages. This morning the hen house door had been forced open so chooks running loose.Gabriella hen hast walked out from underneath a flax bush with 10 chicks. Then went back under the flax so I had to do a chase & collection.

17^th March- Trying to match the right chick with the right hen after all the various clutches have "mingled" is a nightmare.

29^th March- One of Gabriella's little chicks (a black one) died after a cold snap. Another older chick was passing blood but turned out to be grapejuice.

30^th March-Went out to feed the chooks & discovered Bessie & only five of her chicks sitting in her cage not wanting to come out at all. Saw a young white pullet way out in the paddock & called her back but her grey boofy headed sister has completely disappeared #Hawk

4^th April-Bessie must have taken her six remaining chicks way out in the paddock where a hawk floating about this morning as she now has five. Gabriella's little chick I'd managed to save last week just expired. At that age when if Mum isn't sitting on them they chill.

5^th April- A chilly night took out another of Gabriella's young chicks. Hawk scoping my place as well. Chicken apocalypse.

12^th April- harrier hawk sitting out in the field on a pile of white feathers. One of my lot! Also another of Gabriella's chicks dying from the wet weather.

14^th April- hawk took took third chick out of this clutch.

17^th April- One of Gwendolyn's chicks dying from the storm. Brought her inside but not hopeful. Tried to shore up the hen house & goat shelter from easterly wind .

19^th April- Sun at last but this morning one of Gabriella's chicks succumbed to the weather with two more looking seedy. Have them on a hottie on my bed.

20^th April- another Gabriella chick dead from a cold night.

27^th April- nippy morning took out another Gabriella chick.

29^th April- cold took out the smallest of Gabriella's chicks. Down to two from ten.

12^th May- Poor Billy died, Should have left him in a cage on his own.

19^th May- Gwendolyn turned up without her little white daughter. Hawk again.

23^rd May- Gwendolyn the bantam still missing.

31^st May- Cold killed Gabriella's ninth chick.

6^th June- Went to put Gabriella and her last chick in bed and it had disappeared. Hawk?