Jemima, a trip down memory lane, and piggy first aid.

Sadly on Saturday Jemima slipped away.  She has been looking like she was set to die for the last couple of weeks, but something has always caught her interest and made her rally round, (I'm convinced some chickens just choose when to die!).  But on Saturday morning she came out for a drink had a last wander round Chicken World and then sat herself in the doorway of house number one.  She left enough room for everyone else to get in and out to lay their eggs and have little chunnering chats with her, but sat basking in the morning sunshine for a couple of hours.  And then she was gone, simply and peacefully, what a nice end to a life well lived.

Going through the old photos to try and find one of Jemima on her own, that's her at the very top of the post.  I realised how far we have come since we got our original 10 White Star hybrids, way back in Spring of 2009.  They were all approximately 2 years old and were rescued free-rangers.  From day one they were characters and each had a name to suit, they thought they lived in our house with us and made themselves very at home.

That's Mother above surveying the living room and then she proceeded to sit on the floor to watch some of the match!

They all roamed the farm, coming and going as they pleased, but always running to greet us when we appeared from the house.  Jemima is the second from the left in this photo.  I could recognise each and everyone of them, from their slightly varying feather patterns although they all changed slightly with each moult, so I had to watch the new patterns develop.

It's funny going back to old photos, you find some good shots....these are three of our four Welsummers, back in 2009 when they were young and went everywhere together.

 

And this little lady arrived on the farm in August of 2009, I can assure you she no longer sits on the table and drinks tea!!

Yesterday when I went to feed the pigs, these little ones were lying fast asleep in the ark absolutely covered from head to toe in mud.  They were completely dark brown all over.  I though it strange as when pigs wallow usually it is just their bottom halves or all down one side that gets muddy and these were literally covered in it.  I looked around to try and find a hole they might have fallen in but there was nothing.... except a lot less mud in Mum's wallow!!

It all became perfectly clear this morning, looking in the ark to check them while Maud was eating her breakfast, they were all fast asleep (again) but glowing pink!!  They must have got sunburnt yesterday while they were roaming about, and sensible Mum had given them all a mud bath and sent them to bed!!

Clever girl is my Maud!!

Sue xx