Given the response to Celli's recent post, I wondered whether any of you had caught the Radio 4 programme last Tuesday (29/03)? Interview with hen fans and, in one case, their less enamoured other halves...:) his wife was obviously bit hard by the hen bug, and despite his lack of enthusiasm his commitment to his wife and her obsession just has to make him a 'hen hero.'

I did find the programme a little cheesy at times--what's the big surprise about hens being carnivores and cannibals, after all? I once saw one of my Light Sussex hens catch sight of a mouse making a dash for it across the pen, but he was not as quick as she was. Never mind the cat with the canary, that hen tucking into fresh mouse was the picture of self-satisfaction. Poor mouse :(

I questioned a statement in a hen book "Do not give your hens meat"because what else are worms,insects,slugs etc!My hen goes mad for a bit of sausage!But a mouse?yuk,poor critter!Theyl eat theyre own eggs too,wont they?I once dropped one by accident and they were on it like demons!I think the answer to the meat question was that theyve got very simple digestive tracts,and can get impacted(or something!)Only got one left now,and debating whether to get more.I feel sorry for lonely Molly,but she probably wouldnt get on with a strange hen.

I caught the very end of it, I did laugh at the man interviewed at the end, what a guy.
As to the meat thing, my hen's are the very devils for meat, if I give Ben his tea outside ( he sometimes likes to lie out on the terrace if it's a nice day ) I have to patrol round him with a broom to keep the cocky cluckers at bay, dearly departed Esme would quite happily pinch meat out of his mouth lol. Last year the dogs caught and killed a wild rabbit in the garden and the hens ate more of the poor thing than the dogs did, the sight of a hen legging it up the garden with an eyeball swinging from her beak, hottly persued by her chums, would put you off eggs for life. I also found a young pigeon last year that the hens had nearly killed, I had to take the poor thing to be pts.
Colliepam you should be ok to introduce more hens, you just have to keep them separated for two weeks but in view of each other, I've done it loads of times with never any bother , it's quite stressful for a hen on her todd, ideally the least amount kept together is three.

I'm hoping to get some Croad Lanshans this year, if I can find a good breeder.

> the sight of a hen legging it up the garden with an eyeball swinging from her beak, hottly persued by her chums, would put you off eggs for life

ROFL!!!   Thank you for the image impact! 

>the sight of a hen legging it up the garden with an eyeball swinging from her beak, hottly persued by her chums, would put you off eggs for life

O....M.....G That is just wrong!!!!

I always slip new birds into the hen house at night, and in the morning they always seem fine with each other, they just get straight into mealtime :).

I'm hoping to get some Croad Langshans this year

Lucky you! Will be interested to hear what they are like. I have an absolute darling of a gold dutch bantam girl, she comes running up to me and when I bend down to collect the eggs, stares into my eyes, hops onto my arm and purrs along--I had no idea she was so sociable until one day she flew onto my shoulder, unasked--it's been true love ever since :). None of the other birds are like that.

I couldn't understand why the interviewer was making such a big deal out of talking to hens--I talk to mine all the time. Didn't realise that made me either completely nuts or just a bit creepy.

> I couldn't understand why the interviewer was making such a big deal out of talking to hens--I talk to mine all the time. Didn't realise that made me either completely nuts or just a bit creepy.

We had hens and ducks when I was a kid - I didn't realise that NOT talking to hens was optional. Must be pretty weird to have them and not say a word to them ever.... especially when they are probably yakking at you nineteen to the dozen! Must be like having a cat and never stroking it.... i.e. Possible, but missing something from the human-cat relationship there.

oh,good,il look into getting a couple then, i think!I had her inside over winter,in a huge dog crate,couldnt bear to think of her freezing out there on her own!

Their response is nicer than the grunt from a teenager and at least happier!! I talk to everything really dogs, cats, chicken's horse's oh and OH if I ever see him!

oooh I had a croad broody a few years back....she was a delightful character. Unlike our Maran who had my OH in hospital last week after a vicious attack!!! (yes he is in the freezer now LOL)

> Unlike our Maran who had my OH in hospital last week after a vicious attack!!! (yes he is in the freezer now LOL)

Maran or OH??????

DEFINITELY THE MARAN lol