Tag Archives: Ixworth chickens

More chickeneering part 4 – happy chickens

Well, I popped over early to the allotment to make sure all was well. It was, of course. This was the sight that greeted me:

Most of the chickens were enjoying a dust bath in the nice fresh woodchip

While a couple strolled unconcernedly about. It was as if they’d lived there ever since they left the brooder.

Just as a postscript, I mentioned in an earlier post that we’d been given some feeders and drinkers with the run. One of these was a bit large for our little flock, so we’ve passed it on to one of fellow allotment holders, Salvador, who has many more chickens than we do. He was delighted with it. But as I carried it into the allotment, it caused much amusement amongst the school run mums after one of the children asked me what it was for.

You can see why from the picture. Luckily chickens can’t read.

More chickeneering part 3 – they’re in

The garden chickens moved to the allotment this evening.

I’d made the connecting bridge between the run and the house, so it was just a matter of fitting it and putting a few finishing touches to the arrangement. Why did it take me all day? These things always take longer than you think.


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More chickeneering part 2

But first, some gratuitous pictures of chickens enjoying a dust bath. It was a lovely bright autumn morning, and the cockerel dug himself a nice big hole in front of the feeder. The hens quickly ousted him, and he had to dig another hole nearby. Here they all are:


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More chickeneering part 1

At long last we’ve started to build a new allotment run to extend the space and to accommodate the garden chickens as they develop. The idea is to have two self-contained runs and two free range areas, but with the flexibility to combine or alternate the two.

When we bought our wonderful Maggie’s 24, we also acquired an old but serviceable Flyte so Fancy chicken house.


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The allotment hens are laying!

Rather to our surprise, a couple of the allotment hens have started laying.


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Broody hen

Ixworths aren’t renowned as broodies, but middle hen has decided to have a go. She’s occupying one of the spacious nestboxes, and she’s been there for about two weeks now.


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The new chicks have hatched

We have six more Ixworth chicks. This time from our own hens.


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A new hatch and allotment green shoots

It looks as though the long wet spell is finally coming to an end. The chickens are far happier, even though they’ve still got muddy marks on their feathers. It’s still a bit gloomy and cold to attempt to give them a bath!


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Water, water every where

It’s rained every day since the beginning of the drought and the hosepipe ban on 5th April.


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Goodbye to the ducklings

This is a slightly sad posting on two counts. First, after the early hatch of three ducklings, we had no more. Two more eggs pipped, and one of those almost made it, but the remaining five just didn’t start to hatch. I’ve asked advice on the specialist forums, and it may be that the humidity levels programmed into the incubator were insufficient.

Second, we’ve had to hand them over to their owner. It’s inevitable that you get sentimentally attached to cute fluffy creatures, even ones as messy as ducklings!


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