May 2008

1 Unusually, Aggie is on the 2nd perch tonight, right under Tat's bottom.  Aggie's always so ultra clean, I hope she doesn't get pooped on.
2 Lacey's not laid for two days.  What's going on there then?
3 I'm quietly labouring away weeding in the net tunnel when suddenly a hen appears at the door.  Who else but that nosey Pepper.
4 Mother moorhen seems to be quite aggressive at the moment.  Even though her chicks aren't hatched yet we saw her have a go at chasing the chickens.
5 Lacey has sat in the nest & made a big, big noise this morning, but still not laid - five days now.
6 Clover's still clucking.  Aggie had her annual "senior moment" day as she toured the garden, in and out of the nest several times, trying pots, wheelbarrow and anything else as a place to lay.  Finally when she looked at the nest again, I locked her in the run and it worked, she settled in the nest, at last, and laid her egg.  Gentle Tat pecked us today for the first time ever.  In contrast Lacey allowed Crow to hold and cuddle her.  Another first - what a strange day.
7 Tat laid but she's definitely turning broody - had to lift the big fat chick out of the nest.
8 Tat & Clover are sharing the broody pen.  We found a papr thin eggshell in the nest, squashed and the egg eaten.  Whose having trouble?  Salt or Pepper?  After a seven day rest, Lacey laid.
9 Tat & Clover wouldn't come out of the broody pen of their own accord - help was required as I thought they should have a run around.  Another paper thin egg - not eaten by the chicks this time, but broken as soon as I touched it.  Extra grit in the food tonight!
Once out and about, Tat pecking everyone, me, Crow and any other living thing that came near.  She obviously "vants to be alone".
10 Four good eggs this morning, the grit did the trick.
11 Our chicken had visitors today.  Neighbours of our friends wanted to come and see our chicken house and the girls as they are just about to build their own and start chicken raising. 
12 Tat seemed quite keen to get out of the broody pen this morning.  I'm sure if I left the nest open she would have gone there but wanting to be out was at least a step in the right direction.  Clover on the other hand tried immediately for the nest.
13 Aggie has laid 11 days out of 13 this month and now I fear she's turning broody again....
14 Salt went outside into the road!  I don't know whether she squeezed under the gate or through the side but it's a bit of a worry.....
Tat hasn't really tried for the nest today and she's stopped her constant clucking, so fingers crossed....
Meanwhile, Aggie spent hours in the nest but finally laid.  Then she strutted her stuff and fluffed her feathers and tried to get back to the nest.  I don't like to put her in the broody pen until she has a day without laying.  That is likely to be tomorrow so it will be the broody pen on Friday.  Hopefully Tat will be "better" by then or it will be a little crowded in there!
15 Aggie spent all day in the nest until I turfed her out, so she's in the broody pen with Clover tonight.  Tat however hasn't clucked all day so we're trusting her......
16 ... and she wasn't in the nest this morning, so we seem to have stopped her getting in too deep.
17 We seem to have a single surviving moorhen chick.  It's having to be fairly independent although it is occasionally seen with a parent.  It's still fluffy and gangly but it has grown to about 5 inches tall now.  I don't know how long it takes to get its feathers and fly but it sure can run!
It's occurred to me how fascinating different wildlife can be.  Although both birds, how different that blackbirds are born and after about ten days cosseting in the nest they are fully feathered and flying, yet moorhens take so very much longer to get their feathers and have to largely fend for themselves outside of the nest for a long time before they are full grown.
18 Lacey laid the 500th egg of the year and Clover passed my broody release test by totally ignoring the nest this evening in favour of perching with her four mates.  Aggie's still in the broody pen and I caught Pepper out by the road - is this becoming a worrying trend?
19 17:00 Well there's food and water in the broody pen, but no chicken!  so far.......
19:30 Aggie couldn't resist the nest, so now she's back in the broody pen.
20 We were out until 4pm so it was all out for a dirt bath when we returned.
21 Aggie's still trying to fool me.  She perches at the back of the run, out of reach, then waits until I go indoors "for the night" and makes her move to the nest.  Nice try, but it doesn't work.
22 Poor Pepper has been pooped on - who did that?  She ventured into the paddock this afternoon while I was watering in my tunnel so she got a shower as I chased her gently back with the hose, but she's still a pooped-on Pepper.
23 A double celebration today as both Clover & Tat started laying again. Tat's only had 15 days off but Clover had a long broody spell amounting to a 29 day egg break.
It's turned into a triple celebration as Aggie has settled on the top perch tonight and ignored the nest.
24 Just when I thought I was a happy chick because I had six other happy chicks, Lacey sat in the nest for hours today and didn't lay.  In the meantime, I found Salt, Pepper and Clover outside of the front gate so we've had to block the side and bottom of the gate with some netting to prevent future escapes.  The things we do for our chickens!
25 Drenched hens in the pouring rain and the driving wind means there's not much shelter in their run either.  Poor babes.
26 Aggie's laying again!
27 Lacey's resting - she hasn't laid since 23rd and she's just a little subdued.
28 Tat's laying at full capacity - every day since she started again on 23rd.
29 Aggie's also laying very well and she's very sprightly, jumping up for treats and generally being queen.
30 The three big girls are trying to foil me - and succeeding!  Only two big brown eggs and I've no idea who hasn't laid.  I tend to think it's Tat as she's older and should lay slightly fewer eggs than the new girls.  So rightly or wrongly, Tat gets the zero score today.
Lacey gave me a slight turn today when I found her lying on her side on the gravel drive.  At first I thought there was something wrong but having done a double-take I could she she was breathing and fast asleep in the sun.  I guess the garden is still very damp and cool whereas the gravel was warming up nicely.
31 Tat surprised us this morning by jumping onto the study windowsill when the window was hardly open enough to accommodate her chubby body, so desperate for a tickle, huh?  She had a long sleepy tickle later, on the table.
Chicky scores: Pepper 31, Salt 30, Aggie 17, Tat 15, Lacey 13, Clover 7
eggs this month
eggs this year