November 2009

1	Tat has celebrated the first day of the month with an egg, but she's on her own with that action.
2	Some big feathers with large black tips in the run this morning.  Examining the big girls' tails, I think Pepper looks a bit sparse.  Hope she's not starting to moult.
3	Four adult moorhens in the garden early this morning, no doubt wondering just what we've done to their pond.  Despite some recent rain, it's still very empty.
4	I learnt today that one of my course tutors has four hens (actually three hens and a cockerel) and I think she loves them as much as I do (if that's possible).  She's having her run improved so that her flock can grow to twelve in number.
5	The days are sadly and quickly drawing in for winter and the girls are ready for bed at 3:30 to 4pm now.  Hope there aren't many big bangs tonight, although I have to say that our chicks don't generally seem to be bothered about firework noise or thunder after dark.  perhaps they feel very safe in their run.
6	I watched "Jimmy's Food Factory" on TV recently because I caught the opening section and saw he had an item on eggs which meant I'd surely see chickens!  Have you any idea the colossal amount of technology that goes into preparing and checking eggs that get into the supermarket chain?  I was amazed and realised that most of our eggs would get rejected as they often have slightly faulty shells and are of random shapes and sizes.  They don't know what they're missing.
7	Usually the three Light Sussex lay large brown eggs, but today one of them has laid a large white egg.
8	Chicks are munching their way through all of the carrot and beetroot tops from yesterday's harvest.
9	What's up with my chicks today?  They've spent an unusually long time just hanging around under the fir tree and seemed unwilling to do their normal exploring.  Very odd.
10	Salt was in the nest when I opened up this morning, but she just couldn't resist the breakfast corn treat.  She came squawking out of the nest , obviously annoyed by such an untimely interruption, scoffed some corn, then went back to do the business.
11	Cauliflower leaves to munch today, but obviously not as tasty as carrot & beet tops. I think Salt, egg layer supreme, is the only one still producing.
12	For the first time in five years, I fear we are going to have a winter spell with no eggs.  Laying seems to be very much slowing down just now and the chicks are quite lethargic.
13	In fact, we've already had four days this week without any eggs.
14	Clover tried to fool me this evening.  I've been blocking the nest at bedtime so that Aggie & Clover stay out and perch for the night with the others.  We always leave the nest open when temperatures are at zero or below but the nights are mild just now and it's a bad habit to have them always overnighting in the nest.  Clover hid in the hen house at the farthest end of the perch away from the door.  She obviously hoped that I wouldn't miss her.  Silly girl.
15	I'm declaring our chickens officially SAD.  They've not been their usual selves since the clocks changed, so it's not only humans that can suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.
16	Aggie has regrown all of her feathers and her magnificent tail and is back to her spotless and very beautiful best.  Pepper, however, has started moulting - it's her first time!
17	When I opened the run this morning I thought "If Pepper has shed all of these feathers, she'll be bald."  She wasn't bald, although she's looking a raggy site and she's getting a bare bottom.  The reason for so many feathers is that Tat has also starting moulting.
18	Pepper came into the lobby in search of a treat and shook herself and I had to pick up all of the fluffy feathers she shed.
19	All egg laying seems to have definitely stopped.  No eggs since 11 November.
20	And now "no eggs" is definitely official as Salt has joined the moult.
21	I don't like this, my hens stand around most of the day, inactive, not pecking about and not running to greet me at the door.  Tonight they didn't even want their oats.
22	Five in the nests at night just now, hardy Lacey out on the perch alone.  I haven't got the heart to block the nest in case baldy chicks catch a chill.
23	Last year when Salt moulted. she grew back very few black feathers and became almost all white, losing her distinctive Light Sussex look.  I wonder what will happen this time?
24	I know I complain about my Light Sussex girls and their dirty bottoms.  Well, there are three very clean, but very bare bottoms at the moment - all the dirty feathers have dropped out.
25	I am pleased to see that my very scraggy looking Pepper is growing new feathers at quite a rate.
26	Our hens really don't like the wind and we've had a lot of strong wind recently.  Clover had to take a long indirect route from the bedroom garden across to the run as the wind forced her into a long arc rather than a direct crossing.
27	Strangely, Clover has stayed out on the top perch with Lacey tonight.
28	There's plenty of room for five hens to overnight in the nest boxes, but they like to stick together.  The right hand nest is empty, Aggie presides queenlike in the central box, Salt, Pepper, Tat and Clover all squeeze along the left hand side - two in the nest box, one spilled out directly in front and the fourth on the perch.  You'd think there was central heating in the left hand wall.
29	The moorhens just love the now full pond.  Between three and six of them visit for an early morning dip.
30	Now that the small birds are back, there are fat ball treats for our hens where crumbs are dropped by the birds pecking at the feeder.
	eggs this month
	eggs this year