[nerdle]

After a great year (she was already of uncertain old age) her health nosedived a few days before a long trip abroad so vet put her to sleep (£10 .26). A good life and painless end - the best we can do I suppose .

On a more cheery note - I now have a vacancy for the next feathered creature(s) to enter my life so am thinking about it.  Currently favour a pair of Pekin bantam hens - from chicks perhaps...? Or two quite different hens for variety - any suggestions?  I favour friendliness and beauty above egg laying. Anyone hatching anything in my neighbourhood (Hants/Dorset/Wilts)?

[helens-hens]

Hi Nerdle

So sorry to hear about your hen. She was lucky to find a loving home with you (I think you found her by accident if I remember correctl?). You are right - a good life & and being able to make that decision at the end is the best we can do. It is always sad though & I still miss my first 2  .

Best of luck with your new girls, when you get them. Thinking of breeds, if circumstances had allowed, this year we were going to get faverolles who quite large birds but seem to have lovely, friendly temperaments. They weren't available when the last of our first girls was PTS before Christmas so we got a barred Plymouth Rock & a Welsummer. The Plymouth Rock is a friendly, cheeky hen but the Welsummer is a bit skittish and quite aloof.... If you do get chicks bear in mind unless they are sex linked you could end up with cockerels.

Helen

[splash101]

Nnnoooo, Sorry to hear that nerdle.

As for the next feathered friends, its a difficult choice as there's so much to choose from.

[snowdrops]

Oh so sorry to here about your girl,but as others have said she had had a lovely year with you.

[compostqueen]

Oh dear, so sorry to hear about your hen. It's so sad isn't it. We seem to have them for so short a time.

I would wait til the weather warms up before getting a new one as you'll be keen to spend more time getting to know her if the weather is warm and you can spend time outside observing 

[nerdle]

Thanks for kind words - after observing the treatment meted out to hens in Sri Lanka our girls have such good lives so no regrets.  I did see some wonferful jungle fowl - what glorious creatures they are!

Thank you for the suggestions - hadn't thought of Faverolles.

[ANHBUC]

So sorry nerdle, Henny hen was so lucky to have spent her final year with you.

Good luck with your new hens, it is such a hard decision as they are all such characters.

[wildwitchy]

Sorry to hear about your chix.

If you favour friendliness over anything, then perhaps i'm biased but I love my polish hens and they're bantams.

My little blondie is a sweetheart and many other polish are too. She is very friendly. Infact she much prefers it indoors on my lap to being outside given the chance. They are my favorite chicken. Even the boys are super friendly and love a cuddle. Blondie loves being carried around in the crook of my arm.

Here is a picture of her sitting on my desk lamp. She has grown a little as it was last year.

[nerdle]

Thanks for new comments guys.  Blondie is a BABE! I always hoped Henny Hen would rest on my lap but never would - that would be So Nice!    

[wildwitchy]

Well polands certainly like alot fuss, infact they can be a bit OTT! I might be hatching out some eggs in the spring. But she is laying at the moment and they're fertile.

[nerdle]

Interesting!  Let me know if any girls and for sale etc.

[wildwitchy]

I will do but unfortunatly they are quite hard to sex. I thought nancy was a girl by his pompom and it turned very spiky later on. So did the breeder who I had them from. Apparently because i'd got sidney;the dominant cock, nancy was late develping. :blink: Still kept him though as hes gorgeous.

[nerdle]

Woken in the night by the dog and can't sleep so what better to do that browse hen breeds.....hmmmmm......
I really don't like feathers on feet...so... not Pekins and Faverolles........ but possibly...

Gingernut Ranger, Maran, Miss Pepperpot, New Hampshire Red, Plymouth Rock bantam, Speckledy.  Light Sussex are so beautiful and would love bantams but prone to broodiness it seems....

Good to have some thinking time...

[helens-hens]

I really didn't like the idea of feathered feet but when I saw the Faverolles in the flesh so to speak, I was won over by their personality.

Having said that when we went back after our 2nd 'original' hen had died they had no Faverolles & I was then won over by the Plymouth Rocks  . These are full size (not bantams) but they had about 15 or so, some black and some barred and they were all so chatty & inquisitive I could have taken the lot. We had one barred girl (along with a Welsummer) and she has a lovely temperament & probably the friendliest of our 3 hens. She is the first to come over & see what you are doing & actually jumped up on my lap last weekend for a moment or 2 last weekend.... ah bless! She should start laying now in a couple of weeks or so.

[nerdle]

  - we seem to be in this for the exact same reasons!  I take your point about seeing them live before deciding - perhaps a tour of local breeders when the time is right.  Coming home without hens might not be easy though.