Occasional Scribbles

Turns out last update was completely wrong. Hearing the most frightful noise coming from the chicken shed, cockrills and hens frantically screaming away at the top of their voices, I rush out fearing the return of the Retched Rooks. A nasty scene is taking place, an argument in fact between two of the Wretched Cockrills (WC’s). I don’t know what about, (possibly which is the Daddy) as feathers are flying, spurs pointing and beaks pecking and all this in the air as they raise themselves up to provoke each other. Horror of horrors, I see Young Henny One (YHO) all puffed up to twice her size as they do when, a) they do not want to be jumped on by the amourous WC’s (wretched cockrills) and b) when they are protecting their CHICKS!! Yes there are at least 7 black chicks (so that narrows down the paternity to two possible, identical WC’s) and the horrible fight is going on directly above the nest.
I rush in and Skinny does too (Skinny the pup, see other posts) who shouldn’t be in there at all (and is strictly forbidden since she thought the chicks born in February were merely toys for her amusement, and killed them). I rush out to get Skinny out too and I yell at the WC’s who by now are landing on the babies, tallons heedless of tiny bods. In a panic now, I shew them out, all of them, even the ones who did nothing and were perching quietly on their perch for the night entirely minding their own business. When things settle down at last, I take a look in the nest. Yes there are about five in the nest, incredibly they seem uninjured except one whose head is very definitely facing too far backwards. I notice a couple more heading in the wrong direction and as I go to head them off back towards the nest, YHO is just placing herself carefully on top of the others. I just manage to grasp the last one who is heading for a tiny hole in the back of the shed that leads to the outside, a mass of huge stinging nettles and no place for a baby. PHew! I pick him up and as I do so, I sternly tell YHO in my most meaninful voice that she must look after her babies. I stop short of reminding her that she has allowed the Retched Rooks to take two already and is now in danger of infanticide by one of the possible WR fathers and gently place the chick near her. She shuffles a bit making sure they are all under her, quite a feat since she is only a Bantum and pretty small and the little one I placed nearby, slides under her.
I worry about the one with the backwards facing face.

Drama over, I reflect that only an hour ago, I was contemplating removing her from the nest, thinking I couldn’t bear any more babies being meals for the Retched Rooks. Lesson learnt. Never interfere with nature. All is calm now in the hen house. Except that Young Henny Two is awaiting her babies. Oh god!