The Nest Box

The girls have been queuing up to use the nest box today - but only 2 eggs so far.  I wonder if the queue is because of the foul weather we're having?  Perhaps they're just trying to get in there to have some respite from the wind and the rain.

Lian went up earlier and reported that Merida was in the nest box, so she couldn't see if there were any eggs.  Merida was in there for an awful long time - we thought she was trying to lay a whole clutch at one time!

When I went up, Merida was outside in the run, but Mirri was in the box, she was in there for an absolute age too.  Eventually I went up and she was outside, so I had a look in the nest box and found one lovely warm egg.  I noticed that the shredded paper that I put in there on top of the sawdust was quite damp (obviously from wet hens sitting on it), so I went back down to the 'greenhouse' to fetch another bucket of sawdust to replenish the nest box and the "poop tray" in the bottom of the hen house.

As I moved that paper shreds I found another egg!  It seems as if Mirri had found Merida's egg in the nest box, buried it and then laid her own on the top of the paper.   Hmmm - I must remember to check through the paper and the sawdust next time I go up.

I have also found that the hens are very fond of raw potatoes - I found some with quite large eyes growing in the veggie store in the shed, so took them up and tossed them in with the hens (yup, I went "chook, chook, chook" and they all came a-runnin' to see what I'd brought them this time!).  The scramble to get to the tatties was amazing - with pushing and barging, shouldering others out of the way, and the occasional indignant squawk as Whitey pushed her way in - but then again she is the dominant hen (not that it does her any favours where Peck is concerned!)

Next egg-check 1500 hrs

Chooks' tea time 1700 hrs

Can't wait to see that hilariously funny "full nappy run" they do!!

Day 2 - PANIC! and Panic over

Well, we got up this morning to a suspiciously quiet hen house - and that was after we all slept in!  It was close to 9.15 and even Peck was quiet!  What was wrong??  PANIC!!  What was I going to find?  Blood and feathers everywhere?  Had a pine martin got in (despite the house being just-about airtight!!)?  Had Peck had his revenge for having to share?  Even with the girls?  Why were they still so quiet?? Were they alseep?

I didn't even bother to get breakfast first - nope - chooks came first today!

I threw my clothes on and headed off to the 'greenhouse' to get wellies and chook food.  I put greenhouse in inverted commas because it really isn't!  There is staging in there, and a small part of a bag of compost, and a few old plant pots, but there's also an almost-working petrol lawnmower which has seen better days, a top box for the car, a couple of old demi-johns (from the days when home-made wine was THE thing to be seen drinking), a sack of wooden blocks, part of a plastic baby walker, part of a plastic baby gym.  So 'greenhouse' is really "shed extension" - and our shed is the size of a garage and is also full!

Wellies on (yup, the black ones with multi-coloured small stars all over them) - up to the field - inanely singing the "chook, chook, chook" song.  As I got closer I could hear contented humming and haa-ing coming from inside the coop - you know, that lovely little song that they sing when they're really happy?  All sort-of coo-ey?  A bit like doves with very sore throats?  I didn't know that hens did anything but cluck - but mine seem to do anything but CLUCK.

Sprinkle the food into the run, clean out the water dispenser, make sure all fencing is secure (I don't want any more chooks escaping from my "Colditz" chicken run!) and open the door.

Peck is out first (naturally!) followed by a huge tumble of hens as they all try to exit a small door at the same time!  What a mix!! Black Mirri tangled up with Ruby, who had Whitey almost climbing over her, while Rosie and Merida were trying their best to crawl out between her legs - upending her in the process.  They fell out of the door in a tumble of feathers and clucks and then fell over each other again as they began the mad scramble for the food.   But what was this?  TOAST!!  The chooks obviously knew about toast - you know, the left-over corners that some fussy kiddiwinkles won't eat because there's not enough spread/jam on it, or because "but that's where I've been holding it, Mum!".  Forget the chook food - let's go for TOAST!!!  But it's toast!!  Lovely toast!

Oh, the toast is gone - back to chicken food - oh well, it's FOOD!!!!

The feasting began.

One more egg - bringing the count to 4 now

Panic over - all chooks present and correct, nothing wrong, one more egg (but that's a little by-the-by).  I know we've had them for only just over 24 hours, but they really do grow on you quickly - they're all such characters!

Day 1! HELP!!!

5 chooks are installed in the house with Peck (the rooster). All but 1 slept through the transfer from car to house. The dark one (Mirri) went in first, followed by Whitey then the 3 brown ones (Rosie, Ruby and Merida). The one with the most, white speckles (Rosie) went in last and she was the one who woke a little and spread her wings as she went in through the door.  Did you know that it’s a tad difficult getting a flapping hen through a small door into a hen-house when it’s getting dark and all you want to do is shut them in and get them to go to bed?  Anyway they all went straight for the perches and settled instantly. Peck looks like he's still claiming the nesting box as his bed!!

Just about to go and let them out now - usual time is between 8.30 and 8.45, but Peck is in full voice this morning (he's usually fairly quiet until I let him out!!)

Well, the look on Peck's face was an absolute picture this morning when I let him out, he was absolutely astounded. He came out first and looked in absolute amazement as 5 hens followed him - as if to say "What? Where? How? And who are you lot???" Fun has been had with at least 2 chooks. They had only spent all night together- but he seemed to look at them as they followed him out this morning as if to say "what the ****? Where did you come from? Oooooo GIRLS!!!" and then he got some exercise (much to Lian's disgust - "Mum, is he really having "it"?")

We just had a bit of excitement! Lian opened the nest box to see if there were any eggs in there without checking that all the hens were in the run - one of them (now called Rosie) vaulted out over the top of another two (Whitey and Ruby) and made a run for it – all over the cleared bit of the field!!! Picture this, if you can, - me in wellies (black with multi-coloured stars), jeans slowly slipping down and not really doing their job at modesty (dratted hipsters!) and elderly “T”-shirt flapping round in the breeze as I “sprinted” (well faster joggling than usual, lol) through the clouds of midgies, tripping over all sorts of ivy, vines and tussocks, chasing this dratted bod all over the field at the back of the garden with Abbie and Lian "helping" by standing there looking on, trying not to wet themselves laughing, flapping their arms around in a more than somewhat useless fashion every time Rosie got anywhere near them.  That did a lot of good towards calming her down, I can tell you!  Eventually I got her cornered (for the third or fourth time) and managed to get a hold of her by chucking Abbie’s hoodie partially over her and then grabbing her from another direction, almost going arse over tip in the process!

While putting/stuffing her back into the coop another 2 decided to make a break for it - but I got 'em beat now!! It’s amazing how fast you can close a coop door when you truly believe that you’re going to have the same trouble twice over!  Hmmm - maybe I'll end up losing weight by having chooks after all!!

Oh, we’re up to 2 eggs now, and the girls are demolishing food like it’s going out of fashion – scratching up roots and weeds and seeds (good girls!).  Peck is very protective of them (I think that’s the best phrase to use).  He’s making a bit more noise than usual (I had thought that all the extra “activity” would have tired him out, but no such luck!) and he tends to peck at everything that goes anywhere near to the run, including wellies!  Dozy bird!! Hope he calms down soon or feeding them is going to be a nightmare.

The “new” (to us) coop has arrived, and it’s considerably bigger than the one we’ve got.  It needs a bit of a facelift and some loose/sticking out nails banging back in – so that may start to get done later.  The big plus is that it came with some fencing and a few fence posts – so I’ll be able to expand the run in a couple of days to make sure that the chooks have enough room to each have their own personal space, and to get away from Peck for a rest!

Next stop – to get more fence posts and get the BIG run constructed so that they can be more free-range than caged.

That is, if I ever get the chance to – another escapee!  Oh no!  How did she get out?  A quick look round the fencing revealed nothing, and the girls swore that they hadn’t opened the nest box area again.  But, first things first – to catcher her and return her to the rest of the flock.  Sneaky plan, I have, a really sneaky plan.  I go to the shed and fetch their supper.  Going up towards the hen run I start the inane shout of “chook, chook, chook.  Chook, chook, chook” – and they all turn to look at this stupid person who thinks she can fool them into getting close to her.  But wait, what’s that?  What’s she got???  FOOD!!!!!

They all run towards the fence in that stupid “full nappy” way they have of running – including the escapee!  This should be a doddle.

Famous last words – doddle indeed!  Even with her head down eating the food I carefully spilled within easy reach, she could still do a fancy dodge.  I grabbed left, she feinted right.  I tried straight on and she showed me that hens can run in reverse (and I never knew that!). I grabbed right and she simply side-stepped and I ended up with fingers within reach of Peck’s beak – my reactions were, fortunately, quicker than his and I escaped uninjured (phew!!).  Finally Merida was tricked into eating with her head directly towards me and I managed quite a spectacular swoop and grab movement and got a hold of her.  She was really friendly snuggling in for a cuddle and then promptly pooped down my chest – this old “T” shirt is now fit for the bin.

Once Merida was reunited with the rest of the flock (do you call 5 chooks and a rooster a flock?  I suppose you must do, but it does sound a tad pretentious), it was time for some serious examination of the run to see where she had managed to escape.  Merida must be the Houdini of the chicken world – it took me ages to find it – a small slit in the wiring which she must have absolutely crammed herself through to get out.  Needless to say, that slit isn’t there any longer.  I wonder why Peck hadn’t found it before?  Something to do with the fact that he’s male, and food was always delivered to his “boudoir”?

Today’s egg count is now 3.  I think it’s perhaps Mirri (the oldest hen) and Ruby who haven’t laid today – but it’s only tea time, so there’s time yet!