Do you suppose they're really feathered cats, Spreckly?! We noticed that they don't like being 'put' either - they seem to have very firm views about being made to do anything, especially given how little choice they've always had so far. We live high in the hills, so get a lot of rain and think we ...

Thanks for your warm welcome and advice, Willow. I'm starting to think that the privilege (spelling?) is all ours! We've got an inherited wooden coop - not as grand as many, but obviously OK since 1/12 won't come out this morning! Am letting them do their own thing to minimise stress. I've put newsp...

I heard that an old-fashioned remedy for this was to rub mustard onto the area, which would act as an astringent to help constrict blood flow (and therefore the red colour) and provide an off-putting smell/taste to the marauding hen. It may sting a bit. But I'm new to all this, so offer it with no r...

So Barbie was a chicken!

Hi all, Stupid newbie question coming up....I collected 12 ex-bats yesterday who were taken from a filthy factory farm, and have been living for about a month at a rescue centre. They are quite 'ripe' and the feathers they have are quite oily. Frankly, they pong, and after a day in their company I w...