Saturday 29 December 2012

Get Back to Work!



My hens have been looking extremely scruffy and bedraggled recently; they were moulting. 

But just yesterday I noticed a marked improvement in their coiffure. They seem to have been given an overnight make-over, maybe I just hadn't seen the gradual process.

They haven't laid a single egg for over a month, so maybe their new appearance will coincide with a more serious approach to their real duties.

For the moment I'm simply forking-out on expensive nutritious food, comfy straw, and a thick pile carpet of wood shavings; and in gratitude they just hang around and do nothing. You'd better get laying soon girls; or else!

Edwina (in the middle with the darkish tail) has now sided with Richard No 1 (left), leaving Richard No 2 (right) being slightly ostracised. I'm not sure quite what to do about this; it's not overly nasty, so maybe I'll just ignore it.

I have no more ground-hugging vegetables growing at Haddock's, so the girls have been given free range. I'm trying to encourage them to scratch away at any weeds that grow; not too successfully as yet!

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17 comments:

  1. Lady Magnon's birthday today. She's 27, but doesn't look a day over 26½. Happy birthday cherie!

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  2. Are you cooking her a special meal or dining out?

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  3. Happy Birthday Lady Magnon!

    Cro, those hens deserve a little winter rest! Laying eggs is hard work! At least you get eggs part of the year...my parrot Marco does absolutely NOTHING to earn his keep...unless looking cute counts. :)

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  4. Special meal - roast chicken?

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  5. Happy Birthday to the Lady of the house.... Perhaps a stern talking to would inspire the hens...or a daily screening of a chicken roast video.

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  6. I've got a pack of moulting, lazy-ass hens too!!! I'm getting two or three chicken eggs a day. I need to go have a talk with those girls.

    Happy birthday Lady M!

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  7. that is a fine look chicken coop, Cro. Did you design and build it?

    Happy Birthday to the lady of the house!

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  8. Hens here laying remarkably well considering the sun never shines and their patch is a spongy mud bath. Would be interested to know what you pay for a bag of food - layers pellets are now 9.40 per bag. Perhaps the cull of the slackers earlier in the season, anticipating the humongous cost of food encouraged the others...

    Hope Lady M has a lovely birthday.

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  9. Happy Birthday, Lady M. Your girls have nice red combs so new laid eggs shouldn't be too far away.

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  10. Happy Birthday Lady Cro! Many happy returns.

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  11. I gave all my chooks away one day for idleness (some years ago) and two days afterwards discovered a huge stash of eggs in the agapanthus. I felt stoopid.

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  12. Once I'm kidless, I'd like to raise chickens. I have a friend who's just started that and she loves it.

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