30th November 2010

It snowed this morning, and to my horror when I looked out there was a big fox in the garden!  It ran off when it saw me, but I was quite shaken, because we havent knowingly had a fox for a year.  Poor thing is probably hungry but it can leave my fish and chickens alone. I let my friend up the road know because she has chickens and ducks, and the ducks free range all day.
Clara was a bit down at the weekend, and I was going to the vet with her yesterday,but she had picked up a lot and rather than stress her out taking her the the vet I cancelled.  She came bouncing out this morning so hopefully she's ok, but I'll keep my eye on her.
The girls havent been too fazed by the cold, Ive been giving them extra corn to keep them warm and despite loosing the odd feather they are still laying well.  I get 6 eggs every day.
I think Clara's off lay at the moment but hopefully she'll start again soon.  Having said that she's a pet and I wont worry if she never gives me another egg. They are just an extra.

4th November

I was washing up, and realised the girls were standing stock still, looking at the sky, I thought perhaps there was a bird of prey over head, so I went out to see what was wrong, and realised there was  a squirrel in their run!
It must have got in there through the gap above the gate, and it couldn't remember how it got there.
So I went to get meal worms to get the girls in one area of the run so I could give the squirrel a chance to escape through the gate, but it had found a gap at the back, and was gone.  They had the meal worms, and I filled in the gaps so that wont happen again.

3rd November

Girls are all doing well.  We've got past the egg withdrawal time and they are getting on much better until food appears.  But the three younger ones dodge around and get their fair share.
Belle is funny, because when I go to give them mealworms or supper she dives out and stays out eating grass while the others tuck in.  She's easy to pick up and put inside where she fluffs up her feathers and goes about her business.
Its still surprisingly warm despite the wind, and now the clocks have changed they are in bed about 5o/c.

Alice and Bramble.

Clara, Bramble looking and Clarice.

Bramble, Bell and Spice, with Henrietta at the back.

Clara

15th October

The girls are almost integrated. Clarice still gives them a nasty peck if they come too close, the others arent too bad, but when there's food in the offing Clarice chases the youngsters off, especially Bramble who's bottom of the pecking order,  everyone has a go at her if they feel like it.  She doesnt seem bothered, and comes back time and again.
When I open the gate to give them meal worms, or supper, or just to go in and see them Belle dives out and starts eating grass, and I have to lift her in again.  Alice has started joining her, but she's easy at the moment to get back in again.
Bramble is laying again, but I have to withdraw her eggs for a couple more days.  Iv'e collected up a lot of them, and Iv'e blown them to be painted for next Easter.
The nights are drawing in, and tonight I think they'll be in bed by 6.30pm.

11th October

The new girls have been here about 7 weeks now, and they are sort of integrated.
Poor Bramble is bottom of the pecking order, and Clarice is horrible to her.
The older girls chase the newbies off the food, but other wise they all seem to get on ok.

Supper time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ax2h0nGr8

5th Oct

Ok, so yesterday Bramble was still rather muddy, so I decided to give her a bath.  I ran a bowl of water and took her in the utility room and put her in the water.  She was not impressed and clucked and flapped around, and started the others off.  The all stood  by the run door clucking in sympathy.  Any way she started to enjoy her wash, the water was brown when I finished, and I wrapped her in a towel and took her in the kitched and gave her feathers a blow dry.  That was when I noticed she has a bald strip on her stomach, and shoulder.
Possibly a partial moult, but she's only about 25 weeks old, a bit young for moulting.  Clarice is being a real bully to Bramble, going out of her way to peck her and really jumping on her and pulling feathers.
Today (5th) I rolled back the omlet fence from across the middle of the run.  Its nice to see the whole run again. It means no one gets trapped anywhere.  Bramble laid a small white egg today, and Ive started collecting hers and Spices eggs and Im going to blow them and paint them to sell next Easter.  I wish I'd thought of it before, because Ive thrown away so many eggs!  The girls are going to bed before 7pm now.