July 2010

4	Our first Legability event and a lot of people around so the girls were cooped up all day, until about 17:30 when our guests departed.  I usually let them out near the end of the event but we had so many people here that I was too worried Pepper would get stepped upon as she would want to be in the thick of it.
6	A big ginger tom rushed into our garden today trying to maul a moorhen which it had in its paws.  The moorhen escaped, not sure if it was injured and our chicks got a big scare.  Later, I had to pick Pepper up to carry her to the run as she wouldn't come of her own accord.
7	Chick's won't go to bed.  Salt & Tat came for treats when I filled the bowls but Pepper hid under my car and Aggie & Clover in the bushes.  What's up?  Is there a problem in the run?
8	Chicks didn't get out until 4pm today, just for a couple of hours.  Behaviour a little more normal but still a little subdued.
9	Aggie's laying again...  :-))
10	But I had to lift Tat out of the nest for supper and she went back later.
11	Guess what?  Now Tat's broody.  Made her perch with the others tonight though.
12	A rather perplexed Tat is in the broody pen and when let out is giving Salt a few unprovoked pecks, which Salt duly passes down to poor little Clover.
13	A strange sight, all five chicks sat down on the gravel between the carport and their run.  One group of four with an isolated salt away in the corner.  Tat must have enlisted them all for "nest watch".
14	Aggie has laid for 5 consecutive days, what a grand old girl she is.  I don't think Pepper is laying though.
15	Did you catch "The Private Lives of Chickens" on the TV this evening?  Obviously I just loved it, especially when they trained three hens to recognise shapes, proving that they are not totally bird brained after all.
16	Clover has gone to sleep and looks like a little round fluffy ball. She's tucked her head right under her wing so it's hard to tell back from front.
17	It seems that birds (and I assume this includes hens) have no taste buds.  This leaves me very puzzled as our girls seem to go mad for certain treats but will walk away from some things.  Just what makes certain foods unattractive to them then?
18	Tat was not inclined to go into the broody pen tonight - is she trying to tell us something?
19	Tat seems to have gotten over her broodiness at last - back to poop-poop-pooping not cluck-cluck-clucking.
20	I had a special bonding with Aggie today.  She was alone near the door so I quietly opened it to feed her some raisins which she ate out of my hand.  As I talked quietly to her she was submitting slightly - she obviously recognises me as top hen - so I picked her up and she sat in my lap for a few minutes.  This is a rare experience with her and, of course, I loved it.
21	Aggie laid another egg but strangely spherical and rough, where her eggs are normally like porcelain.  And it was right at the front left hand corner of the run.  Senior moment?
22	Another egg from Aggie, this one quite normal AND in the nest.
23	Hurrah, two eggs from the big girls, one from Salt but no idea whether the other is from Tat or Pepper BUT not again, Aggie went into the nest for the night.
24	Had to get Aggie out of the nest where she was sitting on two large eggs (once again, I can't tell whose), then got her out again later when she was sitting on her own egg and then she sat in my lap for a while.  Confined to the perch for the night but not in the broody pen, yet.
25	Poor Aggie's back in the broody pen and Tat looked like she was going to spend the night in the nest but then she came out again - strange - perhaps she was looking for Aggie  ;-)
26	A lone, small moorhen keeps hanging around our garden, looking for food.  Doesn't seem to have a partner.
27	Not seen much of the girls today as it's been raining and I've been busy indoors.
28	Aaaah, sweet, Aggie's perched low in the broody pen and tat has perched low in the main pen to be next to her.
29	Pepper's a cannibal - she likes eating pepper leaves.
30	Three big eggs, proof at last that all three Light Sussex are back in production.
31	Pepper is so relaxed around us.  She was up on the arm of my chair, preening herself while I tickled her.
	eggs this month
	eggs this year