Today was windy with plenty of downpours of rain. I was pleased to see that some of the girls were using the shelters. Freckles and Speckles spent time in this shelter. Rusty joined them for a few minutes and then went on her way and Dandelion was in the other shelter and was joined briefly by Apricot.
Speckles and Freckles are in one of the shelters
Meanwhile Apricot has got wet
However it was too late for Apricot to go in the shelter as she was already wet. She was the only flock member to get wet. It seems to be because she likes digging in the wet soil and so stands under the drips. I don’t like to think of her getting wet but I can’t stop her from standing under the drips.
She did stay dry in the afternoon so perhaps she is getting the hang of it. She laid her second egg in the same nest box as before and it was the same shape and size as her first one, but with no blood streak, so that is good.
I have also discovered that Apricot does squat. I had wondered if it was because she is so comfortable with me stroking her that she doesn’t squat for me. Today my theory was proved right.
Freckles is going through her next broody spell at the moment and I took her out of the cat box for some respite. She is docile with me but takes out her anger on any passing girls. She saw Apricot pecking at some apple and pecked at her back in anger. Apricot dropped into a squat. I moved Freckles away from her and stroked Apricot’s back and she didn’t move a muscle. It is sweet that she feels so comfortable with me stroking her.
The other development today was that four little girls wanted nest boxes at the same time and we have only three. Freckles was back in the cat box and Apricot was in one nest box and Dandelion was in the other. Cinnamon wanted to lay her egg and didn’t know where to go as the two nest boxes she likes to lay her egg in were occupied.
I guided her in to the nest box Dandelion was in as they are such good little friends. Dandelion looked across at Cinnamon as if wondering what was she was doing in there with her.
Cinnamon and Dandelion share a nest box
Cinnamon laid her egg in there and Dandelion gave up. She still doesn’t always get the signals right about when it’s time to lay her egg. I am sure she will get the hang of it eventually.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Such sweet little girls.
They are sweet and funny.
They do look so bedraggled when wet. Strange thing is that many of mine simply refuse to go into the more than adequate shelters and prefer to get wet! They sometimes look awful at evening lock-up, but emergethe next morning looking their normal selves.
They are funny, they don’t always do what we expect them to do. Apricot seems to like digging in wet soil while standing under drips. She didn’t seem any the worse for it though.