We can tell that Speckles is really feeling her age these days although I am pleased to say that she remains well. I was also pleased that while Ebony and Flame were feeling the recent heat Speckles didn’t actually didn’t seem bothered by it. Maybe because she is less active.
Speckles Spends a lot of time sitting. Sometimes she will perch with the other two bigger girls and sometimes she will just sit on the ground. Speckles also likes to sit in the shelters or on top of the big shelter in the shade of the hypericum. She is often joined there by the little girls.
Another sign of her age is that Speckles is easily anxious. If both Ebony and flame are in the nest boxes at the same time Speckles shouts the whole time until one of them is out again. This was another reason to break Ebony from being broody.
It’s only occasionally that they would normally be laying at the same time but with Ebony in the nest box all the time it would happen regularly. We have also seen Speckles spook herself. I would be pottering in the run when Speckles would cry out as if being attacked and run to the patio although there would be nothing to be seen.
Speckles is our longest lived girl and we call her our creaking gate. I know that we have to be ready to lose her one day but at the moment we are making the most of her and she seems a very happy retired girl.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
She’s a beautiful girl! I wonder why it upsets her Ebony and Flame being in the nest-box together! xx
I think it is because she thinks the big girls have disappeared and she is the only one left. She hasn’t laid this year so I think she has forgotten about how it works.
I got the bigger girls for company for her and then thought that she would be just as happy surrounded by her little girls. But as time has gone on the three bigger girls are often perching together and they perch together at night so I think that they have grown more attached and also she is more prone to anxiety these days. xx
Such a sweet little girl. that is a nice picture of them all under the tree.
She is a sweetie. I only got that one shot because as soon as I go through the gate they run to me and Marmite was just about to jump down as I clicked. Spangle was sun bleached as it was so bright and Salmon had turned away to peck at the wood. They are often clustered around Speckles on the shelter but it’s not easy to catch them in a photo. I thought it showed the essence though.
Today it is raining and Speckles is perched inside the shelter. Even though the run is roofed Speckles still likes the shelter. I think it makes her feel secure.
She’s long been one of my favourites. Let’s hope she copes with the winter; at the moment, she looks to be enjoying chicken retirement – must be exhausted from laying those whopper eggs, few in number but huge for her size. 🙂
I certainly dread the day she goes but she seems well in herself so that’s good. Her comb is a pastel pink and it’s hard to imagine the huge red comb she had when laying. I always thought she had a comb that a cockerel would be proud of. She now has a very white head and pale pink comb which gives her a different look. She shows her age but is still chatty and happy.