Miraculous Mother Hens

To start, I would like to quote a well known site (est. 1828) Merriam-Webster, defining a Mother Hen:

“ A person who assumes an overly protective maternal attitude”

Keep this powerful and enigmatic statement in your mind as I explore the marvellous Mothers of Chicken Corner.

The late season Mothers include the Light Sussex with her famous five gathering and the Lavender Araucana with the three Musketeers! The extent of their unconditional love for their offspring is quite extraordinary.. well, at least in comparison to the Silkie who has decided her chick must make her own way in life; interpreted as a Bear Grylls survival technique of hiding under a shed at night. Plus, there is the unfortunate Pekin case, as her chick suddenly passed away in the night (and went to the other farm). I say ‘suddenly’ – he had been looking a bit dodgy for a couple of days and like an unhappy cat, had taken himself off to rest in peace.. but I discovered him and put him in the shed with his Mother. They spent his final hours together.

..but back to the Sussex and Araucana chicks, who are more like adolescent teenagers, typically still very dependent on their Mothers. She still cuts up their food (grinding it up in her mouth and spitting it out for them) and runs their bath (finding good soil for a perfect dust bath). In her eyes, they are perfect: even though, in my humble opinion, they are going through that ratty-looking stage!

I’m just so surprised by their dedication; they have overcome every obstacle Mother Nature (pardon the pun) has thrown at them. Normally once a hen starts the cycle of laying eggs again, it marks the end of her mothering duties, its her saying “I’ve moved on .. you should too” and her Motherly communicative clucking cease. Alas, they have shattered this theory, as far as terminating the egg laying process again!

The two families live side-by-side in Chicken Corner, in a little location that the Sat-Nav would class as an ‘unknown road’. Who can trust a Sat-Nav these days when it calls our village a ‘city-centre’! .. Anyway the families fill their time with various NCT meetings, discussing all things KIDS! But like most Mothers, they like to have plenty of quality time with their offspring (and this I feel has gone on for way too long)!

So, I think my hens truly represent the Merriam-Webster’s (est. 1828) inspiring quote.

The situation may be manic, however, they are very special relationships to watch and I wait in anticipation for what is to come for these special families at Chicken Corner.

Bye chicks x

Written: 17th October 2017

Lets get down to Business..

Now, the topic of the day is a particularly important aspect to the successful empire of Chicken Corner.. and I can tell you’re on the edge of your seats in excitement. What’s my secret? You ask, how has Chicken Corner gone from strength to strength resulting in the global enterprise you see today?

Well it all comes down to a concrete (“a very American thing to say” – quote SA Rainey) Business plan. Before I jump in, and I know for one, Izzi & GJH Rainey can vouch for me quoting this, (we watched ‘This Farming Life’, BBC 2, together whilst Izzi was rapidly getting IzziRainey orders together!) anyway .. to my quote ..

“farming isn’t about the pay cheque at the end, it’s about the lifestyle”, now imagine this in a Scottish accent for true authenticity.

Now Izzi & I may have taken this a little too literally; maybe we are just too hopeful that our love for animals will be enough to suffice. But don’t worry! Chicken Corner is not in the red yet. I won’t give you the financial breakdown of its accounts – it all get a bit muddled as egg money is placed in my office (/bedroom) and when I sell birds, straight in my pocket! ;)

Luckily, there is one who similarly to myself saw the potential in the brand. I have a very generous sponsor who will remain anonymous for the benefit of their quality of life, not everyone loves the limelight as much as the characters of Chicken Corner – that’s a life lesson for you. Back to business .. the sponsorship doesn’t work in the typical way of many other international cooperations – there is no bill-board advertising. I like to keep the public’s interest focused, similarly to that at the Olympics – compare an Olympic event to, for example, any football stadium; report back to me with your findings.

Instead, it’s a very complex business relationship we’ve built up .. and as SA Rainey would say, ‘a friendship is a two-way passage, you can’t always take, take, take!’. I have two responses to this quote I’ve plucked out:

a) its not a friendship, it’s a very critical and convoluted business partnership

b) I have allowed them to “adopt” the Gold Silkies (like what you do at an animal sanctuary)

.. However, monthly newsletters are currently not an option, so if necessary, I’ll give them an update via face-to-face communication. Come to think of it, this has not been requested as of yet, but I won’t bother them with the fact that they seem totally uninterested in their birds (can’t lose my core sponsor)

So to all aspiring entrepreneurs, you could feature on ‘The Apprentice’, BBC 1, 9pm Wednesday, to gain your transferable skills OR learn from the elusive business model fabricating Chicken Corner. I would also strongly emphasise stopping and saying WWCCD to yourself (What Would Chicken Corner Do) if ever faced with a dilemma ;)

Bye chicks x

Written: 8th October 2017

The Moult

Like all animals, chickens live their lives according to the seasons of the year .. Just like deer losing their antlers, chickens lose their feathers.

Moulting is a big part of the chicken’s calender during October, but they pencil it in anytime after the Great British summer decides to stop.

Chickens breed in the Spring because there is an increase in daylight hours, resulting in the hen laying more eggs and the cockerels dust off those winter cobwebs and feel more inclined to pro-create. For the slower and ‘unlucky’ hen, by the end of Summer, her back and scalp are mostly bare. Its unfortunate, but have no fear, the moult is here..

This is an apparently very stressful time for the bird but I beg to differ as the only thing she can be upset about is how horrendous she looks. I would say its more a tiring process as a lot of the food she eats goes into keeping warm and all that rejuvenation. Other feathers on the bird drop off and after all is complete, the hen can look a bit dappled; fashioning a mixture of this season and last season’s outwear collection.

Why mid-Autumn a hear you ask? .. Well I’ve done a thorough assessment and have concluded

1. Climate - Its still warm enough for the bird to continue having a nice life without freezing to death

2. Preparation – ‘Winter is coming’ (Copyright GoT).. the hen has a full set of feathers seeing her through to the new year and next spring

3. Less Interest - Cockerels don’t care during winter

3. Egg Production – Decreased due to decrease in daylight hours

4. (Mini Point) - Cockerels go through the same process but so they look handsome and attract females for the following season!

As you can see, Chicken Corner represents a microcosm of a global cycle as animals continuously interact with the environment around them. How incredible ;)

Bye chicks x

Written: 2nd October 2017