The girls....

Well spent a lovely day with the girls and the family today.
We let them out into the garden, the sun was shining (we have red cheeks tonight and it's only winter - gotto love this place). The girls loved standing on the grass and scratching around in there and two of the girls sunbathed it brought a tear to my eye - what a lovely sight to see. Poor Martha is the lowest in the pecking order (we think she is quite a young bird) and she spent a lot of time on her own exploring and having fun.
So here they are


My lovely Donna, the first to do most things. Her beak has been cut off (quite a bit) but I am sure she'll be fine.



Here is Marjorie, she is one of the bosses she unfortunately likes to frighten Martha. Funny enough she likes being stroked by us the least!!!


This is Lady Christina. She is the boss and will stand up to Marjorie. She loves getting Stevie's laces, must think they are worms LOL!!


This is Martha, sweet timid Martha. She loved being out of her pen (to get away from Marjorie), here she is enjoying some winter sun. How sweet is that.


Here the cutie Astrid. She was so small and tiny when we got her and is really filling out. She jumped on my knee last night before her bed time for a stroke!! The difference a week makes!!!


Last but not least here is Rose. She loves being picked up the most and she is perfect without a feather missing. Here she is trying out the ramp that Key made for them so they can get onto the shelf. I don't think she's too sure about it!


Their names (if you haven't figured it out yet) are the Dr's (Dr Who) assistants, all but one. We gave each one the name to match the character of the show, e.g Astrid, who was played by Kylie, had to be the smallest, Rose's beak has a over bite etc.
Marjorie's name came from the hen that was on the first big bro, it sticks in my mind the man walking around calling her name.

and I also made Lemon Curd using the lemons off our tree in the garden and some of the 'iggs' kindly laid by some of the girls and it's yummy.
New Zealand is certainly changing me, who'd have thought it of me!!!

They're here - our new Whanau!!

Project Indigo is complete!!!
On Saturday we went and rescued six battery hens right from the farm itself.
It's been touch and go if we got any (we were gutted when we thought it was a no), but Sat morning we went to the farm (about 1hr away) and tried our luck and luck it was. After waiting till their lunch time, the lady loaded our Paddy's cage with six ladies for us. Stevie went in to the shed and looked around (said it wasn't as bad as some he'd seen on the net), I couldn't, I was trying not to cry (at the thought of all the others left behind that are going to be culled). So we set off home with the girls in the back.

The kids stayed at home (didn't want them there just in case it was upsetting, they know about battery farms but still....). Anyway we took the girls into their new home and we were pleased that they weren't in as bad as condition as others we have seen. We sat and watched them for ages and could see the differences in them straight away. I could see the one who was watching me and the journey home.




One of them started to walk around and eat, she knocked over the water container and her face when she looked at the water (and felt it) over her foot was like "what the heck is that?" (the water system wouldn't have allowed her to feel the water) and before long she was pushing her way out by knocking into our legs by the door. So we let her and she walked around outside. Bear in mind that these girls have NEVER seen real daylight nor sunshine or felt fresh air. At one stage the late afternoon sun came into the yard bit of the pen, she lifted her head into the sunshine and looked as happy as could be. Bless. That's when I realised what we had done and how important it really was!
Here she is heading down the garden bit of her pen. It was really muddy (really bad down pour the night before and it was flooded) and she didn't like that and was skipping about to save walking on the mud. As you can see Lou is smitten by them already (although she loves birds she is very nervous of them, in fact phobic is more like it).



And just as she did everything else first. Donna (her name) cuddled into Stevie's feet and guess what - she laid an egg!!! We all saw it and couldn't believe it.
Another one later went and kindly gave us an egg (or as we say here 'igg').


These girls are now retired and to us that if they lay us an igg every now and then that is very kind, but we haven't got them for that.

Please remember not to buy battery caged eggs, not all these ladies are as fortunate (nor as in good condition) to see the sunlight one day, most of them (like these girls would have been and their friends did) are 'disposed' of at the age of one or one and half just because they may not lay every single day like the farmer wants, in their second season of laying.