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
