The Diary of Emsey Chickens

[bogmyrtle]

How are the girls getting on now Emsey?

[emseypop]

SUN 26TH APRIL

We've settled in, we know when emseys about there usally some grub coming and all 8 of us flock round her and try to trip her up. We are a bit naughty some times, getting ourselves wedged behind the GH and Emsey has to squish herself into a tight space to rescue us, she broke one of the lower panes of glass last week. We aren't allowed in the GH anymore as Emma is getting it ready for toms and cucumbers etc, so we shelter in some bushes or go into our HH if it rains, instead of just standing there getting soaked. With all this dry weather we have discovered dust bathing, its so much fun and the best thing about being free.

[maggyd]

Ill never be able to eat a chicken again without thinking of these little celebs.

[emseypop]

FRI MAY 1ST

Emma came up the garden to look for some eggs this morning and finally noticed Elvis is poorly. We all swooped on her, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, she looked around there was Elvis, submerged in one of our dust bath ditches lying with her eyes shut. She didn't want to believe anything was wrong so went back in a pottered in the house for a bit, then she came up with our snack, yummy! But Elvis didn't move, something was deffo up. Emma went over to her, picked her up and bought her into the house. Plonked her on the floor where she just laid sprawled. We to get the cat box out of the attic and change her top (you can guess why) When Emsey got downstairs she thought Elvis was dead, but there was a slight flutter. Emsey cant believe how bould and red all Elvis's underbelly is, she's not sure if its inflamed or should be like that? Poor Elvis is the smallest and the only one who still has a red bum, she can hold her own tho, or rather she has in the past. Emma decided to try to get Elvis to take some water in a syringe, but she couldn't open her beak, it was heart breaking to have this bony near oven ready hen flopping round on her lap. Emsey nearly gave up as she put Elvis in the cat box for some P&Q , one last go, hooray! In went a syringe of water, Elvis eyes flew open and she shook her head. She is quiet now, Emsey is a bit scared to check her, doing a bit of research and sharing the load with her friends on here, but she'll have to check Elvis soon.....

[emseypop]

Elivis is dead She let out a shriek, like one of those curly party whistle things, i opened the door of the cage an she stretched out, closed her eyes and died. £ and a half weeks of freedom I'm glad its over, she looked peaceful, but I started to panic once she made that noise and i got her out of the cage, thank god that was it. I've got to go tell Louis now, he's watching tv oblivious

[bogmyrtle]

Poor Elvis but at least she had freedom, love and attention - she felt straw under her feet, and grass and soil, and saw the sunshine and rain.

Perhaps she was poorly before you got her emsey.

[petal]

so sorry to hear about elvis, RIP, at least you gave him a very good 3 to 4 weeks of normal living, and he was looked after well, the kids are upset i should imagine,

[emseypop]

Thanks Ladies

[maggyd]

Oh sorry to hear that em are the others o.k.

[emseypop]

May 2, 2009 9:41:10 GMT 1 @maggyd said:

Oh sorry to hear that em are the others o.k.

Thankfully they all look ok ;D I've treated them to some mixed corn.

[jennywren]

Am so sorry

[emseypop]

May 2, 2009 17:39:18 GMT 1 jennywren said:

Am so sorry

Thanks Jenny, I have read that a fair few hens do die shortly after release and know one person who its happened to before, but that hen had a poorly leg from day one, Elvis seemed to be ok, fiesty infact. Never mind, I'lll just take care of the remaining 7

[Sleepy]

May 3, 2009 11:08:44 GMT 1 @emseypop said:

May 2, 2009 17:39:18 GMT 1 jennywren said:

Am so sorry

Thanks Jenny, I have read that a fair few hens do die shortly after release and know one person who its happened to before, but that hen had a poorly leg from day one, Elvis seemed to be ok, fiesty infact. Never mind, I'lll just take care of the remaining 7

I've just found this Emsey. I'm so sorry about Elvis - but I'm glad you were able to give her at least a short time of happiness.

[emseypop]

FRI JUNE 5TH


My we have been busy, now there is a new gate, on our enclosure, we cant escape into the main garden and peck the tops off as many plants as possible, till Emsey spots us So we've been keeping ourselves busy outwitting Emsey, with the things shes trying to grow in our area, we are being as cruel and as destructive as possible hehehe. For instance, Emsey has had a window box with, 4 strawb plants and a window box with parsnips balanced on top of a bin since Jan, we saw her admiring the strawbs yesterday, as soon as she'd gone indoors we had both boxes over, lovely! last sunday Emsey got up early and did some gardening in her jammies before she let us out, we could hear her russelling about and were not happy Silly fool had planted Runnerbeans around the swing in our patch! She'd made an 'impregnable' tent useing, net and tentpegs to keep us away, lasted all of 10 mis. She tried to keep us out of the salad by raising the sandpit, ha, we waited for it to grow, the pounced, we bypassed the baby gate on the GH and ate the tub of salad growing on the floor There too, Emsey keeps the door closed now. Today Emsey found a mock orange plant that she thought had died growing on the other side of out trellis, how long till we demolish that? We sometime wonder if Emsey still loves us

[ladygardener]

good to hear everyone's having fun.

[bogmyrtle]

It's a bit like the plotting in 'Chicken Run' Love it emsey, sorry about your plants though.

[jasmine]

Just catching up with this again Emsey. So sorry about Elvis - but she was a happy chicken at least with you.
You have the patience of a saint - I would not be happy with anything that ate its way through my garden.

[bogmyrtle]

Does this extreme heat affect them emsey?

[emseypop]

They tend to stay in the shade Myrtle, or dustbathe, I dot containers of water about and they do drink loads.

[emseypop]

MONDAY 13TH JULY

Somethings changed. There's a new kid on the block, its just a bit smaller than us and the same colour. A couple of times now, its turned up with emsey at snack time. squishing itself under the gate when emseys not looking and trying to tuck into our rice! Not having that!!! Emsey realizes somethings amiss after a few seconds, our clucking gives the creature away, emsey looks into the reddy/brown scrum and spots a tail, we fluff ourselves up and the piglet/puppy (we cant decide) runs away from emsey and into the vicious crowd, twice we have pounced on piggykins, flipped her onto he back stood on her belly and pecked at her eyes, if Emsey wasn't there we could kill that pup, just like that, but emsey spoils it the puppy lets out a few yelps and Emsey has not option to stick her toe up our backside to get us off the pup. I overheard Emsey compare us to birds of prey and the puppy as a tiny mouse! Lets hope the pup learns to stay away.

[bogmyrtle]

Poor piggykins! As a puppy I suppose she is just into everything, but hopefully she will soon learn, hopefully you will get a bit more peace & quiet with them then.

Love the story though, you paint a fantastic picture with words emsey.

[jennywren]

Hey you could write a book Em - I read in think July issue of Country Living that someone has written something similar; not about hens but their experience with their animals/live stock

Also read that the best guard dog of all is a few geese

[emseypop]

I dont think I've got a book in me Jen, just a thin person trying to get out Geese can be vicious, I'm sure it was Myrtle who said she'd seen a report of the news, some bloke who kept fancy hens got some guard geese in after he'd been robbed a few times and never had any bother since.