To Zuccubar

A new arrival graced the orchard stage in the form of a Light Sussex Cockerel this week. He’d been left in a cardboard box on the doorstep, I knew straight away who had left him; actually that’s not entirely accurate, I’d envisioned 3 potential theories: 1. Mr M from the village had dropped him off as I had expressed my interest in having a new cockerel during the summer. 2. GJHRainey had gone to collect the cockerel from the village and left him in a box for me to discover; a heart warming tale that – alas, was not the case. Finally, at 3. Stuart’s friend had finally managed to track one down. Again it was a nice thought which turned out not to be true. It was in fact option ‘1’- probably for the best as he does breed some fantastic birds.

The newly named Zuccubar, took his first mighty steps out into the orchard after a couple of days. Why Zuccubar? I hear you cry. Well, when I look into his eyes it conjures such emotions that ... Umm, not quite, the reality is, have you ever seen ‘Gladiator’? Well then, play track 6 on the soundtrack and there you’ll find my inspiration. And lest us forgot Caesar the Orpington cockerel who also inspired the Roman theme.

It hasn’t been mentioned previously but I do actually have another Sussex Cockerel, one of the famous five! Gosh hasn’t he grown, bet you can remember when he was only this tall *places hand 5inchs above the ground* .. but as shocking as it may seem, he has in fact continued to grow like all creatures. But this youngster won’t be carrying out his days here as his sisters and mother are part of the group and we don’t like to encourage the Oedipus Complex at Chicken Corner, thanks, but no thanks Freud.

But it was important for the boys to meet, and to my relief it was not the gladiator match that the Roman crowds would have enjoyed, in fact the opposite, Zuccubar ran away. The boys can be particularly territorial when it comes to protecting the females which they deem theirs, and a distinctive hierarchy emerges by witnessing the males interact. Typically, when two ‘gigantic’ egos come together, it results in one very distressed cockerel as eventually the other is crowned victorious. Pekin cockerels can be particularly susceptible to inflated egos as they have to deal with the devastating syndrome otherwise known as ‘small-man’. Its harmful effects can be known to reduce the quality of life of those that come into contact, with suffers known to repetitively mutter the lyrics to ‘The Man’ by The Killers, going along the lines of .. “Who's the man? Who's the man? I'm the man, I'm the man”. Our hearts go out to the Pekin hens.

But sadly it could be seen as a double-edged sword for Zuccubar, as by avoiding an inflated ego, he spends his time alone with only the two ducks for company. It hasn’t been a great week for poor little Zuccubar and its difficult to ‘un’see him as the chicken rendition of ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. But I’m sure he would be in full support of Russell Crowe aka Maximus, saying on behalf of Chicken Corner, “Are you not entertained?!”

Until next time, chicks! x

Written: 23rd January 2018

The Shed

The Pekins have been temporarily moved into ‘The Shed’ which comes as no surprise as every winter they relocate out of the wind and rain. Although Chicken Corner likes routine, December 2017 marked a radical change as the Pekins remained outside and braved the winter weather. Now, this is all well and good, but, quote S.A.R. “I would say its been the wettest Christmas on record”.. things therefore at Chicken Corner had to change. There has been some pretty destructive weather recently, with winds causing extensive damage to the gate into the Light Sussex run. I don’t think they mind, if anything it means they have permanent assess to the lush green grass in the orchard!

On the odd sunny day, I have let the Pekins out into the orchard which they have thoroughly enjoyed; their dark orange, apricot and black feathering really is quite striking! However, Pekins, for those of you who aren’t aware, are bantams and very short. Unlike the large fowl with long legs providing plenty of ground clearance, Pekins have feathered feet and their tummies spend the majority of the time in contact with the grass. As you can imagine, throughout the day they soak up a lot of mud and water and take on the form of a wet mop – it must be physically and mentally challenging for them.

The shed consists of several cages and is in no way the ‘rave dungeon’ you see in the movies kids! Its also quite clear that I will never be shouting the words “Hi MTV, Welcome to my crib!” in association with this particular structure. Its probably considered more of an early retirement home or disappointing holiday cottage, with its dilapidated nature providing a less than perfect ‘get-away’ from all their stresses, but it does the job.

So, late in the afternoon I caught them all and purposely split the group in two according to their personalities. As with humans, chickens create a social hierarchy and naturally form stronger friendships with certain individuals. Having observed the gang outside, I’ve spent time assessing who hangs out with who and where a bit of bully takes place. The psychological strain for some of these chickens must be heart-rendering but there’s hope at the end of the tunnel because in the shed, they’ll only be with their friends; everyone’s a winner!

The family are fully aware of the translocation that has occurred .. I was either ignored or met with anxiety as Olivia responded with “I hate the shed”. She repeated this statement several times for full impact. But I reassured her that they would be returning to the outside world in a few weeks, so she wouldn’t have to enter the vicinity.

Again, Everyone’s a winner at Chicken Corner!

Bye chicks x

Written: 7th January 2018

The 2017 Finale

When Burberry came to visit in October 2017, didn’t we all rejoice?! So you’ll be happy to hear that in tribute, I’ll be celebrating the ‘Land & Country’ knitwear campaign, monthly .. just kidding, or am I?

Fame has most definitely gone to my Buff Orpington’s head; I threw an apple core out of a window yesterday (this was followed by moaning from G.J.H.R, as it is in fact his window ledge and we wouldn’t want any ‘bits’ falling into the limp-looking flower bed beneath). The piece of fruit was gobbled up by the Buff before any of the Light Sussex had a chance. Showing she’s the matriarch of that group now!

It must be said that currently, she’s keeping a low profile in terms of press releases and interviews because... don’t want to offend her but she’s not looking her best. She is half way through the moult and as you well know from previous reading, this is a whole other kettle of fish for a diva like herself (if you want to be in-the-know – can I graciously point you in the direction of ‘The Moult’ in ‘Backyard Reading’?).

Frankly, her rejuvenation period couldn’t have come at a better time because, for those who have not seen or heard already, Chicken Corner has had four new members join! And guess what?! They are indeed, Buff Orpington! Caesar and his 3 girls came all the way from Lincolnshire and they are absolutely beautiful! This does indeed mean, the total number at Chicken Corner has increased. In the Burberry video, the once irreplaceable line ‘I have 50 chickens’, is in fact replaceable. All dreams must come to an end I suppose. It is understandable that the internationally renowned fashion brand did not predict the expansion and evolutionary progress that would take hold of Chicken Corner. The enterprise is an unstoppable force that cannot be contained.

Just to confirm though, ‘50’ has been changed to ‘53’ in the ‘Introduction’ on ‘Clucking About’.

WAIT, HOLD THE PHONE!!.. Can this successful business director and manager count?!

The answer is YES. But, plot twist, the Light Sussex cockerel was laid to rest in November.. I don’t actually know the ins and outs, just on the tail-end of a phone call, Olivia piped up to say that he’d died. So when the credits roll, please put on Adele’s ‘Hello’ and commemorate his life. Why ‘Hello’? What can I say, he was just one of those guys, you know, always smiling, always joking, never a bad word to say about anybody … always said ‘hello’ to others. Stretched himself to a ‘Bonjour’ once on Bastille Day. He was an absolute inspiration.

Well, its been quite the roller coaster of emotions this season, we’ve had ups, we’ve had downs, we’ve had hellos and goodbyes. But farm-life goes on no matter the fame or heart-ache that occurs – so for one last time..

.. Let the credits roll and cue Adele’s ‘Hello’ (I suggest on Spotify but I’ll leave you to sort that out).

Or for those inclined, please follow the link to Burberry’s ‘Land & Country’ Video, Deluxe Edition with extended commentary by yours-truly. And remember #ChickensAreCool

https://www.facebook.com/Burberry/videos/10155763864446425/

Merry Christmas, chicks & I hope you will continue your journey with Chicken Corner in 2018! x

Written: 20th December 2017