Is there a Chickens Anonymous group I can go to here in France as I think I am addicted to buying chickens!
I went to the Hesdin Thursday morning market – to buy apples.
I came home with a grey cockerel and two lovely plump black chickens.
I didn’t mean to buy them, I already have a dozen chickens plus ducks and geese – I mean, how many eggs can one eat? But the cockerel was such a lovely lad, he was hot and bothered and he had a glint in his eye and he winked at me – just my sort of man!
I thought, well, he could go in with the naughty girls and I think he can hold his own. They are a group of four chickens I got about 3 years ago, they were my first chickens ever – they’re very tame with me, they like to be cuddled and stroked but – they are buggers when it comes to the other birds. The ringleader, Scary Spice, sets the tone for Posh Spice, Sporty Spice and Baby Spice (Ginger Spice I am afraid, has departed to the chicken pen in the sky after a spell in the chicken infirmary). They constantly try to escape, are greedy, noisy, nosy and bullies (perhaps I should have called them by those names instead).
Scary Spice does not much like other birds, and she certainly doesn’t like being stood up to by the male species, she bullied poor Cocky Rocky the Italian Stallion mercilessly when I introduced them. She was also horrible to Eaglet the gay cockerel though she tolerated him. The other Spice Girls copy her. I have to keep the four of them separate from my other girls who all have gentle natures and are ruled over by the willing and enthusiastic Kendo Nagasaki.
I think that the big grey cockerel may be just the man to tame the four feisty girls. To give him some back up I bought two ladies with him – they are huge black speckled hens – much bigger than the four naughty girls so I am hoping they can hold their own and that the new cockerel will protect them.
I’ve put him and the two new girls in a little holding pen alone so that they can all get used to each other at a distance – Kendo Nagasaki has been cockadoodle-dooing for all he is worth. He’s a small cockerel (his breed is called nagasaki), very colourful and excitable but so far we’ve not had much joy in the baby chicken department. We had to buy in chicks and I kept them in the house as it was so cold outside. Much as I am a chicken addict that’s not something I want to do again if I can help it as they are a bit smelly. The new boy has been on the other side of the fence calmy calling back, he has a very deep sound – I think he is going to be a ladies man, I’m going to call him Luther Vandross and hope he wins them all over and father some babies!
A bientôt
Janine
