Dirt Bath

Nestle and Chilli like to have a dust bath under the trees.

 Chilli looks happy and cute sleeping in her dust bath.
Nestle is lying low so you can't see her head.

 Chilli  fluffs herself up so that she can coat herself in a cloud of dirt.

Nestle camoflagues well with the brown dirt! 

 Nestle's tail fluffs up ready for some dirt bath action whilst Chilli sleeps.

 The 2 Happy Hens are sleeping beauties.

 Nestle looking very relaxed in her dirt bath.

Chilli is ready for some post-dust-bath preening whilst

Nestle is still sitting in the dirt bath in the background.

 Chilli preens her tail first.

Chilli sits down. 

  Chilli preens her shoulder.

More preening... it's amazing how flexible a chicken's neck is!

Esperance Poultry Show 2013

Gerard promised fans of the 2 Happy Hens blog that we

would show some photos of poultry exhibited at the Esperance

Poultry Show held in Western Australia in July 2013. 

Lydia took dozens of chicken photos at the show and has

 chosen just a few of her favourites to post on her blog.  

 

The 2 Happy Hens (Nestle and Chilli) were home alone for

a few days whilst Lydia and Gerard escaped to Esperance for

 the poultry show and to relax by the sea for a few days.

We returned home to 2 Sooky Hens and a destroyed yard 

with holes and dirt dug everywhere! Many thanks to our good

friend Laurie for "Chick Sitting" whilst we were away!

 A pair of large white birds.

The hen had a floppy comb which flopped from

 side to side as she moved her head.

 Big birds!

 The White Sussex breed was a feature of this year's poultry show.

This hen just laid an egg!

Strange to see the hen sitting next to the egg and not ON the egg...?

 A pair of black and white beauties separated in different cages.

A stunning little rooster.

His feathers would be great for Lydia's millinery work! 

 A pair of fancy bantams.

 A naked neck frizzle. 

 Another naked neck.

Wow, that is the fattest chicken neck I have ever seen!

A black naked neck hen.



Let's Watch TV

 Nestle perched on Gerard's shoulder whilst he watched TV.

Nestle even had a little nap whilst sitting on Gerard's shoulder.

 Nestle got a little distracted.

Maybe she didn't like the TV show they were watching?!

 Peck!

True love!



Nestle Listens

Nestle stands on the verandah listening to Chilli's

clucky egg laying noises in the distance.

The noise is getting louder....

Where's Chilli?

I can hear an egg coming! It might be time for an 'egg song' annoucement!

Hang on a minute.....

What's happening over there?



Chilli Loves The Pet Carrier

Chilli spent a long time travelling in the car in the pet carrier from

 Perth when she came to join the 2 Happy Hens family in October 2012.

Chilli loves to sit in the comfortable pet carrier just for fun.

She feels safe in her mini, portable chicken coop which

comes in handy when she has to go to the vet.

 Chilli loves to nest in the straw.

 Chilli stretches over to pick up a piece of straw to make a nest.

Chilli picks up a piece of straw in her beak.

 More nesting in the straw.

Chilli spends a long time being a Happy Hen building her nest.

One happy Chilli chicken.

1, 2, 3, A Chicken In A Tree

Nestle likes to jump onto a tree branch about a metre off the ground.

 The 2 Happy Hens like to eat the green leaves off this particular tree.

Curry and Giblet were never interested in eating the leaves,

however Nestle and Chilli love munching on them!

 Chilli joins Nestle on the tree branch.

Chilli is not a good flier, unlike Nestle.

Chilli's Isabrown hybrid breed prefer stay on the

ground and don't have much interest in flying.

Nestle, on the other hand, who's also hybrid hen who's mother was a

White Leghorn, has strong legs and is good at jumping and flying around

(even with her wings clipped)!

Nestle sitting on a higher tree branch.

Nesting Nestle

 Nestle sitting in the nesting box in the coop.

 Nestle throws straw around whilst nesting before an egg arrives.

Some of the straw lands on Nestle's back.

 Nesting Nestle!

A fresh, white egg.