What a night!

My Mr picked me up from work and the car was all packed with muffins, coats and ventilated boxes ready for our trip to Lanark near Glasgow for the Royal Scotland Poultry Show!  We went the wrong way really, and it took longer than we thought. Sent a few texts forward and back to our first collection, and when we arrived we waited in the carpark with our big yellow umbrella so that the hen breeder named Toddy would be able to recognise us.

She came walking towards us at dusk and in the rain and wind carrying a quiet little Scots Dumpy tucked into her arm - so lovely!  Toddy put her into our box in the boot of our car, and Mr reached in to giver her a pat when she suddenly jumped up and flew out of the box!!

Toddy had to go through the front door then into the back to try and find her to rescue her - and she was hiding on the floor of the back seat.  Toddy said she was a bit dazed but ok.

I gave Toddy a card of thanks with £20 inside and 6 homemade cupcakes as a treat.  Then she and I went into the showroom where breeders were all setting up and putting their birds into cages to help me find the other breeder.  He doesn't use mobile phones so we had to locate him the old-fashioned way, by asking around.  Toddy asked a few people and the second person she enquired after knew him and said "he's right there" and there was Colin, in the very next row, putting a hen that belongs to a friend of his into a show cage.

So I met Colin and he led me out to his car to give me our Australorp.  Colin said he's given me a "lovely bird there."  So I ran back to the car for another 6 cupcakes and a thank-you card with a £5 note inside (all that he wanted). Colin had packed her up for us, into a box with holes and tied up with string.

Then we had to wait for Richard to arrive and that wasn't going to be until 7:30, so we had a quick walk through the sheds to have a peek at some of the hens - so many massive birds!  They're so alert and the rooster noises were amazing!  Richard phoned to see if we still wanted them (I think he didn't want to come really) and because we weren't going to be able to make the show tomorrow, he said he would still come out tonight.  It was raining by then and pretty cold.  He drove in about 7:45 and had two blue Orpingtons in a box ready for us!  He took them out and showed them to us - lovely and much bigger than I thought!  We game him a thank you card with the £60 asked for.  We asked their age but he said "honestly couldn't tell you.  We've so many in the shed, I just grabbed them.  One is in lay now.  Are they just pets? They've a breeding gault, but that won't worry you then."

So that was us.  Driving back in the dark and rain with our four lovely hens!

We just got home and fed them some mixed grain whilst they were still in their carrier boxes in our utility room and we could hear them peeking away happily.
Took out the Orpington first and and carried her in the correct way out to the hen house and put her on the perch.  Then took out the other Orpington - she pecked my hand when I reached into the box!  They're so warm on their underside - I was surprised at that.  Then Mr took the Australorp out without any trouble at all.  The Scots Dumpy wasn't happy at all and flapped around lots, even when we just peeked at her through the lid!  We decided to leave her in the dark for a while and have a cup of tea and a chat.  

Went outside to visit the other three girls.  Threw in some seeds for the girls to peck at in their house and put some water inside the house for them to have a drink before bed too.  Then Mr decided to go into the Scots Dumpy's box from above and she kind of flew up into his arms!  After all that, when he put her into the hen house she walked in calmly.  They were all making happy noises and pecking at the ground, so look happy enough after a stressful and long day.
Can't wait to watch them tomorrow - Goodnight!