New year - new hens!

The New Year sees us starting with a quartet of beautiful White Croad Langshan large fowl, courtesy of my dear friend Thorleif who has decided to reduce the size of his flock.

The girls - Angel, Belle and Gloria

I have always been in awe of the huge Croad Langshans that I have seen at poultry shows. The cocks often reach such a size that they barely fit in the exhibition pens! So, although we hadn’t quite planned on having 4 new arrivals at the farm, we were happy to accommodate them.

Young Joseph

The hens, Belle, Angel and Gloria, are all very sweet - though it would appear that Gloria feels that she has a lot to prove. This is probably because she is the lowest ranking in the group. Belle is the largest and most confident, and Angel seems keen to make friends with everyone.

The young male, Joseph, was hatched in May and is still very much a timid young man. I go into his coop each morning while it’s still dark and pick him up, just to get him used to being handled.  He is slowly getting used to me and the fact that I bring treats so he is starting to relax and settle into his surroundings.