Violet/Violent (Welsh Black X / Vorwerk)
Born 1st June 2018
Died 29th February 2024,
Violet, Elizabeth and Bott were fathered by Bertie, our Vorwerk.
All 3 of them were very assertive and bossy girls, and I ended up
calling her Violent because she really was. Maybe it was the Viorwerk influence, we'd not had home hatched girls like this before.
The three of them were part of our allotment flock (pre covid) but we never had the chance to breed from them.
None of the three of them liked to be handled, and we never forced them. She would eat out of my hand, but that was it.
She came to live in the garden, along with everyone else, after out allotment theft during the first Covid lockdown. She wanted to be number 1 chook, even though she was less than 2 years old at the time. She quickly reached Number 2 status.
She was not a benevolent Number 2, and she asserted her dominance all the time. She wasn't horrible to the others, but she was very dominating.
Violet
would go broody, for a long period, each year, and this provided a
respite for the lower ranking hens. She was a gorgeous looking girl,
her black feathers had the irridescence of her Australorp heritage
Her death was quick.
She
was a bit off colour a couple of days ago, and was definitely off
colour yesterday. Her comb and wattles weren't right, but she was still
a good heavy weight so hadn't been hiding an illness. I gave her some
Nutridrops, and checked her over, and she just looked like she was on
her way out. I offered her mealworms. She ate one, but refused others,
She took herself off to the Cube very early,
Fleur Cuckoo Marans, bought from Wylye valley
Born 30th May 2015
Died 12 Decenmber 2023
Fleur (and Fay) were bought from Wylyw Valley Chickens when we had an opening in our flock. We'd bought 3 pullets from somehwere else, and two of the 3 turned out to be boys, so I was trying to find 2 girls a similar age to the one remaining (Sasha, our Appenzeller who was later stolen).
Fleur was not the brightest spark. She was a big and timid girl, easily bullied, and well down the pecking order.
She wasn't mean though, and she was a lovely addition to the flock.
She layed very dark brown eggs, although noot very often. They weren't the best quality, and she was always "not quite right". I'd been expecting her to die every winter since she was about 3, but she always surprised me by blooming again in Spring.
She couldn't understand the mechanics of the Jumpy Uppy game, where the other girls would fly up on to my arm when I tapped it and called "up up". She did, however, learn that if she did a little jump on the spot, she would be rewarded for her efforts.
My husband quite liked her, partly because she was just a hen. She wasn't a plotter, she didn't seek to escape, she just got on with doing chickeny things.
We knew she was going to die. I was so happy to see that Fay spent a lot of time with her, standing quietly, on her last day in the garden. Poppy, my eldest girl, pecked her on the head. Initially I thought she was neing horrible but, after Fleur got up and ambled opver to the main flock, I realised that Poppy was actually just getting her to come and join them all.
She died overnight. I'm glad she was able to pass away in the coop, in the company of her friends.
She had a really good life
KathrynParr (Katy) Welsh Back Castle Farm Egg (picture still to be added)
Born 5th July 2012
Died 05 August 2021
Katy was originally part of the Harem. In 2012 we had a hatch which was predominantly girls. We kept 2 for the Garden (Poppy - another Welsh Black, and Lotti who was an exchequer Leghorn ), and the rest went to the allotment. We originally planned to keep 2 to add to the flock, but things worked out differently. We had an accidental integration so we decided to leave all the girls from that years hatch in with the big girls, separating off the boys. Later, when it was time to cull, we couldn't face culling any of the Girls as they'd all become part of the flock.
We decided we'd keep all 7 of them, knowing it meant that we wouldn't be able to keep any the following year (and maybe not the year after that). One of the 7, Gloria, already had a name. The other 6 were named after the wives of Henry VIII.
When Lockdown started, we had a break-in at our allotment and 4 girls were stolen. We assumed the thieves would return, so we had to evacuate all the remaining girls to our garden, and it was chaos. We had 3 flocks set up, and no where near enough grass for them all. After a lot of work trying to get the flocks to integrate, Katy became top chook for most of her time here, although she lost that spot when she started to slow down a few months ago.
She was a surprisingly friendly hen. She didn't particularly enjoy being handled, but she was happy to eat from my hand, or come and sit near me. She didn't mind being stroked. She got more tame the longer she was here. e
I miss her very much.
Nora Welsh Back mum (Rose/Ruby) x Roo
Born 11th April 2011
Died 05 August 2021
She was an amazing mix of the two. She had brown/black feathers, where the black shimmered an irridescent green.
She outlived her twin, Batty, who died exactly 4 years ago. It was often hard to tell them apart. In truth, Nora was a bit darker than Batty. But, like many of the allotment pairs, they were known by their pairname "Nora Batty" .
She also outlived her daughter/niece, Big
Bird (who died earlier this year), and her daughter Barbara who looked
very much like her Mum. Barbara died just before lockdown.
She lost the sight in one eye years ago, but it didn't stop her.
When she came here, after four girls were stolen from our allotment at the beginning of the first Lockdown, I was worried that she wouldn't be able to cope with the change. She amazed me by being a feisty lady. She got ito full on flying kick fights, many of which she won.
She
was a friendly girl, that came from her Dad's side. Happy to be
handled, happy to be stroked, happy to eat from my hand. She was
heavy, relatively placid, and a real joy to have in the garden.
Who knows. She might have survived longer if she hadn't had the stress of moving, and then of integrating into one big flock. It's also possible that the move kept her fit and thjriving for longer - access to grass every day, all day; no boys; aways new stuff going on.
I'm happy that I got to spend so much time with her over the last 18 months., and I think she had a good life.
Sunshine Gold Partridge Leghorn
Born 02 June 2019
Died 1st July 2021
 |
| Sunshine (centre) in group of 3 |
Sunshine was one of 4 female leghorns that we hatched in 2019. The eggs came from a lady in Daventry, and I had done a mega circular trip embracing Devon as well, as I also collected Silver Laced Barnvelder eggs for me and a load of SLB babies which needed to be dfelivered to the Daventry lady.
Of the 4 female leghorns, 2 were silver duckwing (Summer and Blondie, who were later stolen from our allotment) and two (Sunshine and Astrid) were gold partridge. Sunshine was a lovely chick, happy(ish) to be picked up, quick to learn her name, and was fascinated by Other People. We often observed her observing us, or studying the cats. She liked to talk to the cats through the netting.
Her death was a complete shock. We think it was a heart attack there were no signs of traima, she was a good weight, she'd been happily eating the night before.
Bg Bird - Henry x Nora or Batty
Born 05 June 2014
Died 16th March 2021
Bug Burd was 7 years old, and her death was not a surprise. It was a heart attack overnight.
When
she was a couple of weeks old, she was enormous compared to the other
chicks in the hatch. She was big, and the only yellow chick. We were
sure she was goung to be a boy. She was a quiet bird, no trouble.
She's
descended from the original birds that we hatched as table birds, but
ended up keeping. She has the "brick shaped bum" that meant she had to
have help, from time to time, keeping clean.
The flock is a literally a lot more dull without her lovely yellow plumage.
She was also the last visible link to some of the most wonderful hens we've ever owned, including our first kind roo, Roo.
I'm sad that she's gone, but not devastated. I did not know she was going to die, but it wasn't a surprise.
She was 7 years old, and she had a full, happy, free range life. She died without a long painful illness, and without us having to make a decision to cull her.
Ping - Silver Grey Dorking
Born 22 September 2017
Died 14th March 2021
Ping was sister to Pong, who had been stolen from the allotment a year ago. Ping was only 4.
She was a flighty girl, screamed if she was picked up, and panicked at everything. She had been mercilessly bullied by our cockerel, and we never could work out why he hated her so much.
She had recently started responding to her name.
She was very low in the pecking order, and tried to keep out of trouble. She was very, very vocal.
She had the softest feathers, and he markings were lovely.
Her death is unexplained and sudden. She was a good weight, so she hadn't been hiding an illness.
Gorgeous Gloriana Gloria Glory - Welsh Black from a Castle Farm Egg.
Born 15 July 2012
Died 9th June 2021
Gloria was one of 8 girls that we hatched from a dozen Castle Farm's Welsh Black Eggs. These are a cross between an Indian Game and an Australorp, and they had the best characteristics of both breeds.
All the girls from that hatch were very robust. We had planned to keep one girl here (either Poppy or Gloria) along with the single female exchequer leghorn chick, Lotti; we also planned to keep a couple of girls for the allotment. The other girls would join the boys as dinner chickens.
In the end it was Poppy that stayed in the garden, and Gloria was one of the two girls earmarked as keepers for the allotment. I said that if a space opened up, I'd bring her straight back.We suffered a fox attack in our garden, and all bar Poppy was killed. We brought Gloria back to be a new friend for Poppy. Gloria was Number 1 chook from the day she came back. When new girls were introduced, Gloria never had to assert herself, she was always automatically number 1.
She learned jumpy uppy, she knew her name and would come when called, she tolerated being picked up and stroked, and she was just a lovely calm girl.
Her feathering was amazing. Like all 8 Welsh Blacks, she had Australorp eyes and she had shiny black feathers which had a green and purple irridescence which is impossible to catch on camera. They were incredibly soft to touch. She was gentle, non pushy, and loved to be hand fed.
I'm so lucky to have had her in my life at all, and particularly having had her company for so many years.
Annie Welsh Black
Born 20 May 2016
Died 1st March 021
Annie was 5 years old, and was a solid, rugged girl. She was a
harem baby, half sister to Barbara who died about this time last year.
She was a lovely independant lady, very intelligent, and I will miss
her very much. She was very vocal when she came from the allotment last
year, and took a while to settle in to life in the garden.
I'm lucky that she left us with one daughter, Elizabeth, who is very much like her mum in looks and temperament.
She was "not right" yesterday. It looked like she might be coming back into lay and she had the demeanour of a hen brewing a softie. I gave her some Nutridrops, and left her quietly in the coop.
Last night, she went into a different coop, the one with the Oldies, which she never does normally. I imagine the rough and tumble of the main coop, where she normally slept, was too much for her and I imagine she wanted some peace and quiet.
I checked on her first thing this morning, and I could see that she was slipping away. Her breathing was shallow, she was very still, and her head was down. I couldn't tell if she was in any pain, but it was evident that she was dying. This wasn't just a softie thing.
A bit later, I asked DH to take a look with
me. We decided that it would be better if he culled her. We couldn't
tell if she was in pain, but we at least if he culled her, it would be
over for her. I stoked her and talked to her, to tell her how much I
loved her. I told her that Elizabeth would carry on her looks and
personality, and that I hoped Barbara (her half sister) would be
waiting for her.
I've been expecting a few deaths from the older girls - we have some at 9 and 10 years old - but Annie going was a bit of a shock. She had some heft to her, so it wasn' a case of her being ill and wasting away, which is a relief in a way.
It's done now.
RIP Annie.
Sylvia - Silver Laced Barnevelder from a Honiton Egg.
Born 02 June 2019,
died 5th June 2020.
Sylvia was a really placid, gentle girl. She was pretty, the only girl hatched from 6 eggs. I had planned to breed from her, and I really miss her.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/06/sylviaa-accidental-death.html
On 25th April 2020. thieves broke into our allotment and stole 4 of our Girls.
Three had only just moved there from the Garden:
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/04/effing-cs.html
Sasha - Silver Appenzeller Spitzhauben,
hatched 9th June 2015 from a Wilsons Rare Breed egg.
She was a funny lttle character. Flighty, with a really ear piercing squawk. She was a really pretty bird. She had a very identifiable rhino horn on her beak.
Summer - Silver Duckwing Leghorn,
hatched June 2019 from A Stonepit Farm egg.
Blondie - Silver Duckwing Leghorn
hatched June 2019 from A Stonepit Farm egg.
Both were typical flighty leghorns, who were given to moments of being very cuddly.
Pong Silver Grey Dorking,
Twin of Ping, Flighty, didn't like being handled. Bullied by Bertie, she became a very contented hen once Bertie was no longer in charge
As a result of the theft, which happened during the Covid lockdown, we had to evacuate all the remaining Girls from the allotment to the Garden.
We had two young Silver laced Barnevelder cockerels, hatched in 2019, that we were running together. It was going really well. We couldn't take them home. They were stressed out being without any girls, and we coldn't take the risk that the thieves woudl come back for them (and theur fate would likely have been worse than being culled for the pot). We had to cull them.
Mutt - silver laced Barnevelder, egg from Honiton Devon.
Born 02 June 2019,
died April 2020
Geoff - silver laced Barnevelder, egg from Honiton Devon.
Born 02 June 2019,
died April 2020
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/04/goodbye-boys.html
Anne of Cleeves one of the Harem girls,hatched from Castle Farm Eggs
Born July 2012
Died 17th April 2020, aged nearly 8
Died suddenly. None of these girls were trouble. They thrived at the allotment. http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/04/another-one-gone.html
Barbara - daughter of Nora/Batty and Henry.
Born 30th May 2016
died 21st March 2020, aged nearly 4
Absolutely gorgeous coloured girl, with a calm and gentle nature. I wanted to breed from her, more than from any of my other then-current girls. My husband thought it was Nora that had died http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/03/goodbye-nora.html http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2020/03/not-norah.html
Jane Seymour - one of the Harem girls,hatched from Castle Farm Eggs
Born 6th July 2012.
Died 15th February 2020, aged nearly 8
She became ill and had to be despatched. None of these girls were trouble. They thrived at the allotment.
Anne Boleyn - one of the Harem girls,hatched from Castle Farm Eggs
Born 6th July 2012.
Died 12th November 2018, aged 6
She died, unexpectedly, literally fell off her perch. None of these girls were trouble. They thrived at the allotment. http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2018/11/unpleasant.html
Dyllis - daughter of one of the Harem girls and Henry.
Born 6th June 2015
died 26th July 2018.
Flat combed, shaped like Tilda. Twin sister of Phyllis. Couldn't tell the two of them apart. They were both nosey, funny, friendly girls. they liked to be icked up, they liked to be involved. Really lovely natured.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2018/07/goodby-dillys-darling.html
Camilla - daughter of Norah or Batty, and Henry.
Born 5th June 2014
Died 26th June 2019.
Always a weak chicken and bottom of the pecking order. She was one of the friendliest girls we've ever had. SHe was unwell.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2019/06/
Siouxsie Sioux - Dorking X. Parents were Captain Flint and one of the Mrs Flints. Sister to NotNorman, Pogo.
Born 6th September 2009
Died 11 June 2018, aged nearly 8
She had the softest, silkiest feathers.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2018/06/sayonara-siouxsie.html
Henry Castle Farm (Australorp/Indian Game) fertile egg.
Born 05 July 2012
Died 13 August 2017 aged 5.
Such a gorgeous gentle boy. Great with his ladies, great with us.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2017/08/tough-call.html
Batty - (Rose/Ruby x Roo)
Born 11 April 2011
Died 04 August 2017
Sister to Norah. Lovely, friendly, bolshy, nosy girl. Not quite right one day, died that night. Over 6 years old. http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2017/08/bye-bye-batty.html
Adult Batty
Young Batty
GreenRing3 Peacomb (Harem x Henry)
Born 06 June 2014
Died 21 July 2017, aged 3
Unexpected. http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2017/07/goodnight-poppet.html
NotNorman - Dorking X - (Flint x Mrs Flint)
Born 05 September 2009
Taken by an unknown predator 12 September 2016, aged 7
Named because we were trying not to give any of our dinner chickens names. Norman got a name because of her circumstances. We were having a conversation one day and trying to identify this one, and I said "not Norman, the other one".
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-sad-goodbye-to-notnorman.html
Norman - Dorking X - (Flint x Mrs FlintToo)
Born 18 September 2009
Died 23 May 2015
Hatched naturally under his mum, she abandoned her. Geoff L rescued her. We brought her home, and then she was raised with her cousins and didn't realise she was much younger than them. She was called "Norman" as in "Nobby No Mates". We were sure he was a boy until the day he laid an egg.
Taken by a fox because some mindless idiots broke into the allotment and let the chooks out. http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/05/rip-norman.html
A fox attack on 29 April 2015 killed 4 of our 5 garden Girls:
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/04/foxed.html
Florence - Australorp - Hatched (Castle Farm egg)
Born 27 May 2010
Killed by Fox 29 April 2015
Enormous, but had no idea; scatty; funny
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/04/florence-rip.html
Roobarb - Welsh Black (Rose or Ruby)
Born 27th May 2010
Killed by Fox 29 April 2015
Surrogate cockerel, made the funnies sounds. Every moult returned a slightly more coppery hen.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/04/roobarb-rip.html
Custard - Sasso (Roo x Mrs RooToo)
born 2010.
Killed by Fox 29 April 2015
Horrible bully chicken, who mellowed in her last year.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/04/custard-rip.html
Lottie - Exchequer LeghornHome hatched (from CastleFarm Eggs)
Born 05 July 2012.
Killed byfox 29 April 2015
Completely loopy, unable to share a nestbox - unhappy if someone using next-door nestbox. Very vocal, very flighty, very cuddly, very lovely. very friendly, very clever.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2015/04/lotti-rip.html
Mrs Roo - Sasso Home hatched (Ebay eggs)
Born 07 August 2009
Died 29.July 2014, aged 5
The last of the first lot of chicks we hatched ourselves. Wife of Roo, mother of Tilda.
Goodbye Mrs http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/goodbye-mrs.html
Tilda - "Sasso" Home hatched April 2010, daughter of Roo and Mrs.
Born April 2010
Died 24 July 2014
My house hen. Picture is of her as a youngster. Goodbye Tilda here: http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/goodby-tildy.html
Coffee - Black Rock Hybrid - Chicken of Fate
Arrived Sept 2011 (aged about 6 mths) http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/chicken-of-fate.html
died 05 March 2014 http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/goodbye-chicken-of-fate.html
Milly - Cream Legbar
Arrived (with Jasmine) July 2008 aged 8 weeks .
Died 01.July.2013
Very pretty, but possibly the nastiest most spiteful hen that ever lived.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2013/07/did-it-make-difference.html
Ruby - Welsh Black - Castle Farm
Arrived 2009 (hatched 2009?),
Died 03.Sept.2012
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2012/09/goodbye-ruby.html
Rose - Welsh Black- Castle Farm
Arrived 2010 (hatched 2009?)
Died (prolapse) 14th April 2012
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2012/04/goodbye-rose.html
Roo - Sasso Home hatched (Ebay)
born 07 August 2009
died 12 July 2011
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2011/07/roos-gone.html
Lily - White Star -
Arrived (with Daisy) Jan 2009 aged 14 weeks
died 30.May.2011 aged 2
My loveliest most favourite Girl. Loopy, but such a friendly girl.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2011/05/lily-my-lovely.html
Daisy - Amber Star
Arrived Jan 2009 aged 14 weeks
died 06 April 2011, aged 2
My gentle girl. Happy to be picked up. Superb escape artist, limboing under the slightest gap.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2011/04/goodnight-daisy.html
Mrs Flint - Dorking X
died 20 March 2011
Tiny and absolutely beautiful lady. Mother of Pogo, Siouxie, and NotNorman.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2011/03/goodbye-mrs-flint.html
Delilah - Bluebelle
died 13 March 2011
My beautiful girl. Superb colouring, big, bossy, and lovely.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2011/03/bye-bye-delilah.html
Pogo - Dorking X -
born 05 September 2009
died 27 Deember 2010
Injured in a scuffle,hurt her leg (so ended up being called Pogo) nursed back to health.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2010/12/pogo-as-disappeared.html
Mrs RooToo - Sasso -
born 07August 2009died 06April 2010
Enormous, beautiful, home hatched girl. Mother of Custard
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2010/04/unexpected-blow.html
Mrs FlintToo - Dorking X -
died 14.November.09
Petite and lovely, such a pretty girl, and such soft feathers.Mother of Norman.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2009/11/dead-hen.html
Jasmine - Welsummer -
died 18.March 2010 (Arrived July 2008 aged 8 weeks)
Possibly the world's least intelligent chicken. Didn't come into lay until over 40 weeks old; stopped for the winter and never re-started.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2010/03/jasmine.html
Scarlett - Transylvanian Naked Neck
died 03 November 2008
Such a gorgeous girl, but sooooo noisy!
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2008/11/goodbye-scarlett.html
Lydia - Buff Sussex-
died 12 May 2008
Supersoft gentle girl.
http://witchhazelhens.blogspot.com/2008/05/shes-gone.html
