Martha then managed to lift her bum off the floor and propel her legs straight up in the air and then forward, where she kicked Blanche in the bum with both feet as hard as she could.
The kick sent Blanche flying forward ten feet, doing somersaults along the way, where she was stopped by the wall of the cell.
She stood up and shook herself off as Martha was already on her feet, legs kicking in all directions as she went towards Blanche with fire in her little black beady eyes.
Martha jumped up in the air and did a spinning side kick which landed on Blanche's left side, below her wing, knocking her to the ground.
As Blanche got to her feet again for the second time, Martha crouched down, knees bent, then she thrust her right leg forward, spun round on her left leg close to the ground and caught Blanche on the back of her legs, sweeping her legs out from under her.
It was Martha's best karate move.
She had learned all her moves from watching "Bruce Lee" movies, her favourite. She never missed his movies when they were on the telly!

She held karate classes in the barn to teach the hens and chicks how to protect themselves from fox attacks.

Blanche fell backwards onto her back, her legs kicked wildly in the air. Martha's feet shuffled back and forth, wings held up in victory as she watched her try to get up.
Blanche managed to roll onto her side and push herself into a sitting position with her wings.
Martha then flew at her, knocking her onto her back. She jumped on top of her chest, then began to bounce up and down, hissing and blowing raspberries in Blanche's face!

Blanche squirmed and twisted from side to side to throw Martha off her. Martha then smacked Blanche across her face over and over with both her wings.

At that point Gilbert turned to Mr Finleyson and said, "Don't you think you should break up the fight before one of them gets hurt"?

Mr Finleyson chuckled and replied, "They're just letting off steam. I've seen them fighting like this hundreds of times since they were chicks. Being cooped up in this cell hasn't helped their temperaments any.
They are actually very fond of each other but they both have strong personalities which clash at times.
If they wanted to hurt each other they could.
Notice they haven't used their claws which would cause serious damage to one another.
They are angry at each other but are not fighting to wound or hurt each other. It's a power struggle between them that has gone on from day one!
Martha is the queen of the farmyard and Blanche wants her crown! None of my other hens fight and neither Martha or Blanche ever fight with the other hens!
Martha usually wins these altercations, the only thing that gets hurt is their egos! You should see them fighting in the farmyard.
They have room to move around and all the other hens always form a large circle around them as they cheer them on. I've seen them rolling around the yard and somehow end up in the barn, ,swinging from the rafters at each other! The other hens perched atop every bale of hay in the barn, jumping up and down cheering them on.
I never interfere. I just let them get on with it. When it's over the two of them are "thick as thieves"!

Gilbert replied, "You know your hens better than I do Oliver. Come to think of it, my hens have had a few squabbles with each other over the years. I always thought they had a pecking order and one of them ruffled a few feathers.
After the fracas was over they were all the best of friends. You're right not to interfere Oliver"!

Mr Finleyson looked over at Martha and Blanche rolling around the floor of the cell, knocking "seven bells" out of each other.
He noticed that Blanche was now covered in bald patches. He shook his head in despair. What had Martha done to her? When Blanche saw all the bald patches, and she would, there would be hell to pay! She would make the whole farm suffer, including him!

He had never met or owned a hen as vain as Blanche. She would sit in front of the old mirror that had been his parent's. It had hung in the dining room and had seen better days! He had taken it down and put it in the barn, propped up against a bale of hay at the far corner of the barn.
He had put it there until he decided what to do with it.

Blanche would spend hours in front of the mirror preening herself, oblivious to her surroundings or the passing of time.
He decided to leave it there for her. When she wasn't in front of the mirror or rolling around the farmyard fighting with Martha, she could be found in his house, upstairs, in the bathroom, either sitting in the sink, the bath or standing in the shower cubicle.
She loved being in water so she could carry out her daily ablutions.
He would either fill the sink, fill the bathtub or turn on the shower for her to run around in.
She would spend hours paddling around the filled sink or filled bathtub, where she had room to do the backstroke, kicking her little stick legs as she propelled herself around the bathtub with her eyes blissfully closed!

He had tried on many occasions to keep her from sneaking into his house and taking up residence in his bathroom. But she always managed to get in through an open window or door.
He had to bolt the bathroom door when he was bathing or showering, as she had once sneaked in while he was soaking in the bath which was full of bath salts. He was lying back, head against the back of the bath, eyes closed, deep in thought, when Blanche got into the bath and paddled around at his feet. He opened his eyes, raised his head and looked down the bath towards the taps.
What a fright he got when he saw two little black, beady eyes staring down the bath at him! He thought for a moment he was dreaming. He shook himself awake and realised it was Blanche. She had somehow sneaked in without him knowing about it. It was after that he bolted the door behind him.

Martha hated it when Blanche was in the house. She was the only hen allowed in! Blanche had no business in her and Finney's house, especially Blanche. The cheek of her!

Mr Finleyson noticed that when Blanche was in the bathroom bathing, Martha became very abusive and belligerent towards the other hens and also himself.

She would lay in wait for Blanche, under the porch steps. Little black, beady eyes peering out. When Blanche emerged from the house, all spick and span from her hours of bathing, Martha would pounce on the unsuspecting Blanche, knocking her to the ground into the nearest pothole of mud.
Poor Blanche would be covered in slimy mud from head to toe! Just her little black, beady eyes poking out of her muddy little face!
Martha would then chase Blanche round the farm, imitating a potoroo in the pursuit and make sure poor Blanche went through every muddy pothole on the farm!

When Martha got bored, the chase was over and she would wander off leaving Blanche standing in the farmyard caked in slimy mud!
Blanche would then have to sneak back into Mr Finleyson's house, up the stairs and into the bathroom, leaving a muddy trail in her wake.
She would then clamber into the bath and wait for Mr Finleyson to come along and fill the bath so she could wash the mud off!