| 1 |
It just had to happen, a very naughty Aggie has been over the fence into the
no-mans land between us and next door. It took Crow some time to
entice her close enough to get hold of her for retrieval. |
| 2 |
Aggie's been next door again... |
| 3 |
Salt has still been laying eggs which I find broken in the nest.
Chickens like eggs - it's what they were fed on before hatching - so a
broken one gets eaten. No doubt about one of the culprits as Frida had
yolk around her head! It's not good for them to get a liking though,
because they may then start pecking and breaking the eggs intentionally.
Anyway, I digress, I was cleaning out a nest box when Salt came up the
ladder to see what I was doing. I had rubber gloves on so I thought I
might remove that poo attached to her bottom. I was horrified to find
that it was hard like a rock. So, she's probably been breaking the
eggs as she sits back down after laying. We waited until dusk, hens
fed and perched and went in to retrieve Salt. We stood her in a trug
of warm water which she seemed to quite like. The poo wouldn't soften
so Crow had to hold her while I very carefully cut it away with scissors.
This was so successful we did Tat too. She wasn't quite so dirty but
did need a clean up. I've vowed I won't let them get so bad again, now
that we've discovered this calm way to do the trick. |
| 4 |
Aggie went missing for 5 hours today. I searched and failed to find
her, then I searched again with Sue, then Crow searched when he came in.
Nowhere to be find. Then, at 3pm, she's blithely sitting preening
under the fir tree with the others. |
| 5 |
Aggie missing again and when I came out with some fresh shredded paper for
the nest, there she was pacing up and down outside of the front gate.
At least she knows where she lives, but that's not much good if she gets run
over. |
| 6 |
Aggie ate a rather large hard backed beetle that was on the patio this
morning. Yuk, it was horrible and about 1.5 inches long. Tat,
Salt & Frida all tried to get it but couldn't hold onto it. Aggie
succeeded and it took her a while to peck it to death and break it up but
she did it, despite having me trying to tempt her away from it with a treat.
It's only eleven o'clock and already I've had to retrieve Aggie from the
orchard. |
| 7 |
We are wondering whether we should have Aggie's wings clipped.
Generally I'm not in favour but she's such an explorer I wonder if she's
better clipped than missing presumed dead? |
| 8 |
Aggie seemed happy at home today, maybe because the weather was so bad.
In fact, everyone but Frida has gone into the nest for the night. |
| 9 |
Salt has laid another egg which has been broken and eaten in the nest.
Not sure how to get her to eat more grit, it's supposed to be instinct on
her part. |
| 10 |
We've observed some strange preening behaviour. All five chicks
huddled together on the lawn, Aggie pecking Tat's tail feathers, Tat having
a peck at Frida's tail feathers. I hope that's what it was, we're in
trouble if it's bottom pecking! |
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eggs this month |
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eggs this year |