Moving on
In August 2005, we exchanged house with a couple in France. We came back determined that we would move to France over the next 3 years.
That has quickly developed to, we're moving to France next year. So, I will be rehoming the hens, as we will be renting initially and won't have suitable accommodation for them. I hope, once we have bought somewhere to have 4 to 6 hens in a suitably refurbished outbuilding.
June 2006
We are now down to 3 hens. A few months ago, I had to offer Thunderbolt for re homing as he was bullying Ratchet. He would target her and take bit's out of her comb which was unbelievable since she was the biggest hen and he was a Pekin Cockerel.
Here he is back 12 months ago.
So, I advertised him and his sister Lightfoot on the poultry forums, and someone local came for them. I also offered some of the other hens, since I knew they would need rehousing later this year and I was concerned that Avian Flu would make that more difficult.
So off went Blue, Muppet, Thunderbolt, Lightfoot, McQueen, Chicken Licken Purple.
In late April, the 3 hens were attacked by a dog which had escaped into our garden. Henny nearly didn't survive, she looked dead when we got to her. All we could do was put her in the coop and leave water for her and wait. I checked on her every so often throughout the evening, and we managed to syringe some water into her, but I thought she'd die overnight. Amazingly, she was still alive and we fed her fluids again and tried to tempt her with some corn. That evening I took her to the vet where she had four staples put into her wounds and was prescribed some antibiotic and some pain relief. She stayed in the coop for days, unable to move properly, limping and leaning to one side. It was so hard to see her struggle back into the corner after we'd fed and water and medicated her, and she would sit in her own poo. Ratchet was less injured, losing a lot of feathers and some of her tail. Bracket had done well and avoided being attacked, but had flown over into next door and hidden herself deep in the undergrowth. Ratchet was missing, and it was several hours before I found her wandering along the unmade road at the bottom of out property. Anyhow, they have all survived, and Henny limp for several weeks but is looking very well now and has hardly a limp.
Our house is being sold, and the purchaser already has 6 hens, so she will be adopting our final trio which is great. Little stress for them, as they will remain in their own home and garden.
Unlike us, who have to pack up, move some furniture into store and some into the house we have rented in the Vienne region of France. All being well, we should be there by the end of July!!
watch this space
OCTOBER 2006
Well, here we are in France. W've been here since July, moving out and leaving UK on my birthday 
We've been renting this
and have found a house which will be ours on the 10th November. It has over an acre of land with it, and some outbuildings. I suspect there will be chickens living there before too long.