For a few months now I had been thinking about getting more friends for Eliza and Victoria. There were a number of factors that held me back though. First, Cosy Cottage had a number of furry and feathered bereavements over the past six months, Tim and Tom the guinea pigs, Mabel the bantam, and finally the heartbreaking passing of Teddy, one of the two family dogs who lived with my parents. His death after a series of seizures was awful to witness and it left a massive hole in our hearts.
With all this, I didn't feel ready to welcome any new arrivals to the family. The other matter was Victoria and Eliza seemed happy enough by themselves, there was no bickering or pecking, just a companionable twosome enjoying pottering around the garden and searching for worms and grubs. Why rock the boat with newcomers who may have their own issues? At the best of times, the integration process has to be done slowly. A pecking order needs to be established and a new leader 'elected'. Last time it took grouchy Mabel a long time to accept the fact that she had new friends and in the meantime she was determined to take out her broody grumpiness on the youngsters.
So bearing all this in mind, I decided this week to get two. The time felt right and I was aware that if anything happened to either Eliza or Victoria, the other was left by themselves resulting in, probably, an unhappy chicken, as they thrive in flocks. It would also be much more awkward to reestablish a group in this case. My local poultry farm had long left so I prowled the internet. My first hope failed as it turned out they only had one pekin bantam left and I wondered if it was too late and bantams had stopped having chicks but then I heard of a poultry seller called Fylde Fancy Fowl, near Lancaster. An email later and I found that there were plenty of pekins available and the following Saturday I brought home 20-month-olds Grace and Emily (named afterwards).
In my living room, Grace (a lavender shade) was quiet and tried to hide. Emily (light golden) was more vocal and adventurous, exploring the room. It was when she kept flying onto the coffee table and welsh dresser that I wondered if she wanted to lay an egg. It was time to embark the waiting the area to their temporary home in the spare coop.
Despite Emily's loud protests about being cooped up in this small coop (don't worry Emily, it's only for a few days), Victoria and Eliza showed little interest in the newbies. Although I did spot Victoria peering in at one point ...
Maybe this is a sign that they will integrate smoothly? We will see...
When I went out to check on the ladies later, I found one egg in Victoria and Eliza's coop and another in Emily and Grace's abode.
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