August 2006

1 Titfer was curious about my gardening today.  I'm right next to the veg garden fence thinning carrot pot C2.  I look up and there's Titfer right up close on the other side of the fence, craning her neck to see what I'm doing.  No doubt she thought there might be something edible on offer.
2 Odd hen behaviour, but is there any other kind?  When Aggie was still sat on the nest at 3pm, I decides to investigate.  She was sitting on her egg, so I lifted her out to retrieve it and off she went into the garden.  No sooner was my back turned and she was back in the nest.  Oh dear, not turning broody again?  Judging it to be beyond egg laying time for the other two, I blocked off the nest so Aggie could not return there.  By nightfall, she was perched with the other two.  So, Aggie's looking broody, but she's the only one who laid.  What's that about?
3 Broody Aggie 030806Up at 6:45 and in the chicken run in my nightie, opening up the nest for the young ones to lay, but Aggie dives straight in.......

So, Aggie is definitely broody and Titfer hasn't laid for three days.  Just when I thought we were in for a full normal egg month.  Much as it makes me sad to see it, we've put Aggie in the broody pen and I just try not to look.
4 Aggie ornament After a night in the broody pen, Aggie is still trying to get into the nest this morning and Titfer still hasn't laid.  

Just to confirm the situation, Aggie sat like an ornament on the step.  This pic is from 5 May -->

5 Yippee!  One Titfer egg - I guess she had to get over the shock of laying that monster egg on 31 July ;-)
Aggie doesn't seem quite so broody.  I'm hoping we can stop her going into full broody mode. She had a couple of hours on the nest whilst the other two laid and then I removed her and closed it up for the day.  She hasn't been too much of an ornament, a bit more foraging then yesterday, but she's still making little broody noises, trying to find the nest and puffing up her feathers.
6 Every time I venture outside Titfer & Tat come running over to see if I will be a softie and give them corn.  If I don't, they follow me along the patio to the door being quite vocal  (you can almost see them begging).  So, of course, it works every time!
8 Our chickens just love tomatoes.  Crow fed them some today and they kept jumping up to get them - they just couldn't wait.

9

 Aggie watching Titfer in the nest Aggie's still broody and when I let Titfer into the nest to lay, she stood outside as looked at her through the wire.  Sad little girl!


Titfer sat in the nest for ages, made a BIG announcement, but there was no egg!

10 Titfer was so keen to get corn this afternoon that she jumped up onto the table next to me and let me tickle her with one hand whilst she ate out of the other.

11

 Look at my hair!Went to Marsh Farm this morning and found this lovely chicken who looked like she'd been to the hairdresser!
12 Scores on the doors this month:  Aggie 2, Titfer 6, Tat 11.  Tat's obviously going for the hen of the month award.
13 Aggie didn't rush in to the nest when I opened it up at 7 this morning and she's was still "out" at 10.  Could she no longer be feeling broody?  Silly me, we went out and when we got back at 4pm I had to throw Aggie out of the nest.
14 Aggie's stopped brooding!  After a short time in the nest this morning she came out of her own accord and has not gone back in this evening.
15 Crow had to laugh today when I came back from a trip to the garage.  Titfer & Tat followed me to the door, I fed them two handfuls of corn then clapped my hands and said "Ok, that's it, off you go girls" and off they went!
16 Aggie may have stopped brooding but now she's moulting, poor thing.
17 Aggie went missing earlier and although I searched for some time, I couldn't find her anywhere.  I was getting into quite a panic when she suddenly re-appeared.
18 Aggie was eyeing up the nest this evening......
19 3 eggs!!!
Not only has Aggie laid today but she was incredibly friendly when I went into the chicken run to give the chicks their goodnight tickles.  All three are standing on the top perch so I tickle them one by one and I happen to have my left arm extended, holding onto the side of the run for balance.  Aggie looks quizzically with her head to one side and decides she's top hen and should go to the new highest perch (my arm).  She flies onto my arm, turns around to look at the other chicks and climbs up to my shoulder to get better balance.  I'm very impressed but admit that half of me is hoping she doesn't poo down my back.  I have to crouch slightly and move towards the proper top perch and she flies back to her normal position.  Cute trick by a cute chick, huh?
Not so cute earlier when she did her disappearing act again.  I searched for 20 minutes to no avail, when she didn't respond to the treat tray delivery.  I started to clean up the garden and do my watering when at last she re-appeared.  Haven't figured out where her hiding place is yet.
20 Full egg production again and Aggie did her top perch trick on Crow's arm this evening.
21 Tat had a rest today, but since she's laid for 18 days on the trot (this has to be a record), I think she deserves it!
22 chick cornI've grown some sweetcorn but this cob was no longer milky and had gone hard so the chickens got it.  I thought they would peck the kernels off the cob.

Did they like it?  Did they demolish it?

chick corn demolishedThis was all that was left !!!

Just the stalk.
23 We caught our two young babes out in road this evening.  Not sure how they got there.  We were both working in the garden.  One minute they were inside when I walked by.  Five minutes later they were playing with the traffic.  Very worrying.......
I'll be too scared to let them out tomorrow.
24 It poured with rain for most of the day, so I kept the chicks locked up to stop them getting absolutely soaked.  They did get out for an hour at the end of the day.
25 Overheard the chicks talking:  "If we all lay before she comes to see us this morning, she's bound to let us out straight away today".  Sorry chicks, another day confined as we're going out (but they got a couple of hours later and their favourite in the treat tray - tomatoes.)
26 A full day roaming around and another full score on eggs.
27 Locked up all day, albeit with a treat tray mountain, and they just can't stop laying.
28 A dozen eggs in the last 4 days - the chicks are on form!
29 The chicks seem to have been very hungry recently and come running whenever I appear with the treat tray.  In fact, yesterday, I was busy in the veg garden and late with the tray.  They came to find me and then followed me all around the garden as I cleared up, until I got their food.  Today, I tested them and appeared early with the tray at around 16:15.  They all came running, led by Aggie.
30 That test yesterday had a purpose.  We wanted to go out just before 5pm today and decided we could lets the chicks roam, rather then keep them penned in, as they would come for the treat tray.  How did Aggie know?  Titfer & Tat came running but Aggie ran away and hid.  She took a lot of coaxing and finally responded, but we had to get a later train!  Ho hum, best laid plans and all that.....
31 Tat 29, Titfer 18, Aggie 13
Tat had laid 29 out of 31 days this month, which is extraordinary.  In fact, since she stopped being broody she has laid 41 eggs in 45 days, which is phenomenal!
eggs this month
eggs since 1 May 2006