In March one of my legbars, Masala, fell ill, stopped laying, and – only days after I took her to the vet (Lady Dane, just outside Faversham) – went and died on me. Now the Lady Dane veterinary centre is fantastic and I love the receptionists, who always ask you the name of your pet – but a session there costs more than the bird itself.
So feeling a twit and a failure I decided the only remedy was to replace her – possibly with two birds. Legbars lay blue eggs, so they are pretty special. A carton of blue eggs makes a terrific present. Crested legbars also have wonderful topknots behind their combs, which makes them look like a dowager duchess. This beauty is Missie – more of her later.
But legbars are not easy to find. Dudley Mallett – of Highdown Poultry and where I bought my hybrids – used to breed legbars, but had retired. None of the people my hen-keeping friends recommended had any, so I chanced it. After a few hours browsing online I found a place within driving distance that had a couple of pullets. Were they vaccinated? “Oh, yes,” a jolly sounding woman said. The place rang a bell, but I was in a hurry. An hour later I chose an entrancing little POL legbar (Grable) and handsome Betty, the buff Sussex. Looking back I’m pretty sure it was the place the author, colleague and hen-keeper Martin Gurdon warned me against.
It was only when I arrived back home that I noticed Grable was sneezing and had a squeaky Marilyn Monroe-like voice. Was this a reaction to the oil-seed rape in full flower in the surrounding fields? Or dust from the new coop? Or something more sinister… Betty had black marks on her beak and seemed not quite with it. I took this to be stress from the move.
I don’t have a separate coop, so I let them run with the others that evening.
And that’s when it all started to go wrong. Grable, who was mercilessly bullied (especially by Missie) never got better. She wheezed and gurgled and struggled to breathe. I took her to Lady Dane. Chest infections can be picked up from anywhere said the vet. “Keep an eye on her. And try Mintamix Respiratory Conditioner.” Mintamix, which you drop into the drinking water, didn’t help. Grable grew weaker and thinner and finally my neighbour R. put her down. A couple of weeks ago Missie (she’s there in the picture), started wheezing. She died on my lap just a few days ago. Betty also started sneezing, and took to laying eggs with no shells in the middle of the night. Then the fox took Vindaloo.
“Don’t be sentimental,” said R yesterday. “You can’t introduce more birds while the existing ones aren’t right. I’d do away with them all, clean out the coop, then wait a few weeks.” Kind R. wrung Betty and Madam’s necks, and I carried my last two hens to the top of the field to bury them.
I have to wait two weeks until I can restock. It feels like a long time.
A NOTE
If you are a newcomer, the best starting point is The Poultry Club , which lists approved hen breeders. And do read Martin Gurdon’s book Doing Bird. It is the best book I’ve ever read on hen-keeping.
thegoodhenguide 