January 2007

1	Titfer started the new year perfectly by laying an egg!
2	Muppet & Lacey chased a moorhen away today.  They don't like foreigners on their patch!
3	A day in for the chicks, so no antics to report.
4	Muppet & Lacey were in the nest with Titfer while she laid - hope they're learning what to do!
5	Tat seems to be ailing a little.  She's definitely off her food.  Time for her winter rest, perhaps, after the last four stupendous months.
6	Wet or what!  And five very, very, very wet hens.  And one very dirty looking Muppet.  In fact, it was so wet & dull that they all happily went back into their run at 14:30.
7	Muppet looking pretty again, now she's dry.
8	Squawk squawk from Lacey.  What's up?  Has she laid another egg? No, Muppet has gone missing!!!!  It took us some time to locate her next door.  Then, silly chicklet, she couldn't figure out how to get back through the fence.  In the end I had to tempt her to come close with some corn, get hold of her and lift her through.  Is there nothing I won't do for my babies?
9	A very quiet hen day as the girls spent most of their time hiding under the bushes, sheltering from the strong wind.  Tat went to bed early, quickly followed by Aggie, leaving all of the tea-time treats to Titfer, Muppet and Lacey.
11	Muppet & Lacey got their first taste of canned sweetcorn today.  A little treat for them, saved for our dinner yesterday.  Aggie, Titfer & Tat made theirs disappear like lightning and I had to stand guard whilst Muppet & Lacey got a chance to try it.  It's hard to tell what Muppet is pecking as her head obliterates the view, but Lacey certainly kept picking out the pieces of sweetcorn and delicately nibbling them until they were all gone.  Everyone seemed to have a good appetite this evening.
13	All the eggs are Titfer's this month - she's seeing us through this lean period, thank goodness!
14	I watched the evening tussle in the nest with much amusement.  It went something like this:  Tat went in first and settled in front of the leftmost nest;  Aggie followed and settled in the rightmost nest;  Muppet & Lacey next, Muppet perching on top of the leftmost nest divider and Lacey settling in the middle nest;  Titfer disturbed the peace by trying to get her head under Tat's breast until Tat got fed up and moved; Titfer settled in front of the leftmost nest where Tat had been;  Tat squeezed into the middle nest, pushing Lacey right to the back.  What a palaver!
15	Muppet's still as friendly as ever, running to greet us when we go outside, bless her.
16	Tat by name and tatty by nature at the moment, as she's moulting.
17	Why do Muppet & Lacey want to roost on the quarter inch wide nest partitions, when they've got two nice inch wide perches at the front of the hen house?  I'm sure it can't be comfortable and we're convinced they'll break the plywood, as it's not really designed for this.
18	An extremely windy day - a bad idea to let the chickens out - but I did it!  Then I got a bit worried about them.  Fortunately they had the sense to huddle in a sheltered corner, from which I couldn't tempt them when I tried to get them back into the run early.  Crow picked Muppet up and took her to the run, hoping the others would follow, but they weren't playing.  Shouldn't have been so silly - at 3 o'clock they were on the move towards the run and the treat tray soon sped up that journey.  Even so, a lesson learnt - on another windy day as bad as this, I won't let them out.
19	Poor Tat has lost all of her tail feathers now, just like Aggie did.  Still, better ones will grow back soon.
20	For the first time ever, little timid Lacey took some food out of my hand.  Now that just proves how much she loves sultanas!
21	Lacey also seems quite keep on sprouting broccoli and snatched some of this from my hand today.
23	Brrrr....  winter has arrived, it's very cold....
24	.... and the hens are very hungry!
25	Muppet & Lacey had a little run up and down my arm this evening - it's been a while....
26	Our hens have taken to hanging out in the back garden, scratching around in the soil under the trees.  I love it - less poo for me to pick up from the front garden :-)
28	Strange sleeping arrangements - both Titfer & Tat in the leftmost nest with Aggie sat in the straw in front of that nest.  Muppet & Lacey up on the rightmost nest divider.
29	We don't quite understand why all of the hens have taken to indoor sleeping?  No matter how cold, they always just used to use the outside perches.  It's very mild overnight just now, so we're blocking up the nest and reminding them about sleeping under the stars.
30	5 overnight perched chicks --> There's LOTS of squabbling to get to this final resting point, with Crow having to man handle them until they settle. And we end up with a very squashed Lacey & Muppet.
31	All the eggs belong to queen Titfer this month.  We are so grateful that she's keeping us provided through the "winter".  We must be doing something right!
	eggs this month
	eggs since 1 May 2006