What a two weeks since I last posted. Grey mist has hung over us like a thick soggy blanket only allowing the sun through on occasions to brighten up the gloom. Yep - me as well! What with the fox calling one lunchtime and reducing my happy little flock of feathered friends from 16 to four in one fell swoop, the head cold from hell and lets face it -its November good old Christmas on the horizon and everybody know how much I love that!
Even a street party failed to get me bouncing off four walls as it usually does but I enjoyed Toby watching the fireworks and giggling as we shouted 'bang' together. He held his first sparkler under grandad's tuition.
We took the decision immediately that our chicken keeping at this house was indeed well and truly over. The bonfire at the party was built up with our chicken pens, fencing and run. In the middle were the headless carcasses of Mr Phillpott our pet duck and his chicken wife Martha, along with the rest that were left for Mr Fox to call back for when he needed another meal. Sorry mate - we over cooked them. I well remember all the evenings we had sat outside and shared tit bits with Mr Phillpot - he loved a party night it seemed fitting he should be there at the end.
As we dismantled the runs in the daytime we had found some survivors, one even came out of the bonfire. We collected them together caught them up and put them in the shed out of harms way until we could decide what to do.
So today found us on the road South to Leominster to meet another blogger Woozle 1967 with four chickens on board. We had an assignation in a carpark by a fire station for 3:30pm. We found the place and decided to have a walk round because we were early. As we walked between the cars the shepherd pointed to something on the ground 'somebody has lost their beetroot' he remarked - and there it was, a big bag of beautiful beetroot, all on its own, by itself with nobody with it. Now having walked out of a shop this morning leaving the most stunted beetroot tied in bunches of five with a price tag of £1 this was indeed a find. We looked round the car park, we noted some had been kicked over to the grass and abandoned so with no more ado we scrabbled around on the ground and collected them all up and before you could say 'pickle' they were all in the back of the truck up and by the end of tomorrow they will be reformed into beetroot chutney.
The chickens were soon on their way further South to a new home where I know they will be well cared for - thank you Woozle. (and if you think 'purple' women can talk - you should see what happens when 'purple' men get together......)!
We drove back home in silence just a stop at The Ludlow Food Centre at Bromfield to find something 'different' for this evening's meal. This infernal virus has left me without any taste buds and most food is like eating chaff.....and so back home ....no chickens to shut in.....no duck on the doorstep.....end of an era...well just for now anyway.
15 comments:
Oh, what a sad post. We've got a lot of foxes around us and I put food out for them in the hopes they might leave chickens and ducks alone.
I'm glad you found a good home for the four remaining chickens.
Hope you feel better really soon
xxPat
So sorry about your chickens - the same thing happened to us a few times and in the end we called it a day - it was so horrible to see the mangled remains of pet chickens strewn over the garden.
It comes to something when the highlight of the week is a stray beetroot!
Love the new autumnal header to the blog.
Well, the beetroot was a positive happening anyway. Such a sad ending to your chicken/duck keeping.
Is that some kind of karmic compensations? Beetroot for chickens? I'm not sure I'd be quite as pleased as you were to see the beetroot as they don't do it for me... surely after all that lot you deserved something nicer? Ah well, I expect meeting Woozle did you good. Hope you're on the mend soon. (Did you find out why KJ has fallen from grace so spectacularly in Mil's eyes btw??)
Oooh, beetroot's almost my favourite vegetable. No, I actually think it is my favourite vegetable.
Sorry to hear about your chickens' chickens coming home to roost (or not coming home to roost) - v sad indeed. Hopefully Mr Fox will not be able to sniff them out chez Woozle.
We gave up keeping chicken for the same reason SBS. I still love foxes though.
You know I am with you on Christmas :-)
Oh no, what a dreadful end to the chicken keeping! I must remind myself how lucky we have been and not take it for granted.
Glad to know there was some small recompense in beetroot.
Oh, how sad. But you managed to rehome the survivors - that's one good thing. Have never made Beetroot Chutney, but quite fancy Hugh F-W's chocolate and beetroot brownies!
I'm here . love the new autumnal header lovely colours.
Hopefully i'll see you and woozle soon xx
can l send morris down to help with the vermin?
So so sorry to hear about the chickens and ducks.... but very glad to hear that Woozle has taken them (funnily enough have just jumped from her blog to yours but hadn't quite made the connection).
Another beetroot fan here.
jx
So sorry that you are finished with chicken keeping. We were without hens for 9 months and I really missed them. So far they are safe at night in their coop, but I do worry that a mink or otter will slip in one night.
My chicken keeping days are over now too, but I do love them, particularly Rhode Island reds.You will have fond memories, but try to forget the heartbreaking bits.I enjoyed the travels of your previous posts as it takes me back to these places.
So sad about Mr Philpott and the chickens. I've really missed reading your blog. Write again soon
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