Here’s a brief update about the newest members of our family, 3 Bantam hens (KFC, Nugget & Drumstick) and how we got on…….

It was with a little trepidation and some may say stupidity, that we went ahead and got our hens, knowing what the present company of hounds were like with respect to other wildlife – Woody with his frogging, baby birds and mousing habits (mind you he doesn’t have any teeth these days), Pepper tried to eat the guinea pig on many occasions when we first had her and even got the taste for chicken when she managed to get a mouthful of feathers whilst on a home-check visit (very embarrassing) and Pickle basically will go for anything that moves! Thankfully though all has turned out well, but only after all hell broke loose on day one!!

Getting hens was something we had thought about for a while but only became a reality after a wet a Sunday afternoon being bored, trawling EBay when I came across a hen house 4 miles away. We decided to bid and long story short we missed out on the local one and ended up having a lovely day out to Bournemouth to collect our new hen house instead!

The original plan was to put it the other side of the patio trellis so it was safely away from the dogs but with the weather being so bad and the garden so boggy we changed our minds and put it inside the patio perimeter next to our shed, under a shady tree. It looked perfect, the dogs got used to it being there (at this stage minus any inhabitants) and there it stayed for a couple of weeks until we had time to get our “girls”.

We collected them one evening so when they came home the hens were tired and went straight to bed. That evening when dogs went out in the garden they were completely oblivious to the new additions in the hen house until suddenly someone inside made a noise and then all 3 dogs were at the wire, very curious with heads on one side and ears pricked – this was the calm before the storm.

The following morning when I let them out they were a little curious but as the hens were still shut away not too bothered by them. When the dogs came in the hens went out and I opened their bedroom door to the run. Therefore the next time the dogs went out there they were in full view.

As fast as lightening all 3 greyhounds shot straight towards the henhouse, the hens squawked, and flapped their wings, the dogs were at the wire, teeth going at it to get to the hens, barking, growling, fur and feathers flying in all directions, but I was ready for them…………with a full sports bottle of water!!

All it took was a complete drenching and a few choice shouty words (sorry – commands!) from me and remarkably that was it. No one wants to get wet so they have completely ignored them ever since, which has been amazing! They are funny though as they all go out on the patio and walk along the opposite side to the hens and you can see them looking slyly at them out the corners of their eyes. In the early days I would watch them like a hawk, water bottle in hand and ready for action but it hasn’t been needed since day one.

Pepper is probably the most curious and will walk along the side of their run and look in and almost touch nose to beak with them, which is fine, but very occasionally, if she thinks no one is looking she will try to take a sneaky pop at them but all I have to do is pick up the sports bottle and she disappears, and slinks off sulkily. Meanwhile Woody just chooses to ignore them completely and Pickle being the aloof one puts her nose in the air and walks past on the other side of the patio giving the outward impression of not caring less but I know she gives them the odd sly look!

The hens aren’t remotely interested in the dogs as they were used to them before. It has now been a few months and the dogs totally ignore them, even to the extent that the hens can now come out of their run into another fenced off area of the patio to scratch around, which is brilliant. So there we have it, hounds and hens are living happily, peacefully and in total harmony together. Who says you can’t teach and old dog (or 3) new tricks!!

PS – well worth doing as the eggs we get are lovely!!

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