Updates

There was a lot less drama today. After Topaz having a determination to be in the nest box at bedtime yesterday she showed no interest at all this morning. It’s as if it’s totally forgotten.

While all the girls were pottering about Honey was just sitting as she often does these days. I can definitely tell she is older than the rest of the flock by the way looks and behaves.

Honey is looking her age.

I have taken to sometimes leaving my camera in the store cabinet so that if there is a moment happening I have my camera to hand. I took the photo of Honey, leaving the store cabinet door open, and when I turned round this is what I saw.

Emerald checks out the store cabinet

These girls are so nosey and of course they also know that the treats come from here. I love seeing Emerald upright and yesterday couldn’t capture a photo of her comb but here you can see that it is pink even though her face is white. I love seeing her stretch her long neck. She often looks comical when in this pose but I don’t often get to capture it.

Meanwhile Barley was having a scratch around in the nest box. It has been a week since she laid her first egg which is the gap she had last year before the second one.

Later in the afternoon Topaz was missing. She was in the nest box but came running out to see if I had bought any treats in. There in the nest box was a small white egg. I am pretty sure this is Barley’s egg and Topaz just went in to sit on it. It’s the white colour and small size of Barley’s eggs, although I have no eggs at the moment to compare it with.

I checked back on a photo of Topaz first two eggs last year along side a shop bought one and they were quite large, almost as big as the shop bought egg. This egg is very small so I think it is Barley’s egg.

Topaz showed no more interest in the nest box once I had removed the egg and went to bed as usual tonight.

I keep looking at Butterscotch’s head to see if there are any more missing feathers but it is really difficult to say. I think she may have lost some more but I keep comparing photos and it’s really difficult to see. This is really bugging me at the moment but there is nothing I can do about it.

Only time will tell and I can only hope this doesn’t beyond her losing her crest.