I have contemplated adding sand to the run because it’s so wet after so much continued rain. The amount we would need to make a difference would be an awful lot of sand and impossible to carry up to the run so I rejected the idea. Besides it has to stop raining eventually doesn’t it!
The middle strip of the run is the only part that stays dry enough for the girls to dust bath in, but even though I dig it over all the time the soil has diminished to a couple of inches of loose soil there. Usually I would top up with soil from other parts of the run or the garden but there is nothing dry to add. I decided to compromise by buying the smallest bag of sand I could (which was only £1.80) and add that to the dust bath area. Even the smallest bag was pretty heavy!
I cleaned the run, dug it over and added the sand to the dry middle area. I sprinkled a few sunflower hearts in to the mix to get the girls scratching.
I have added sand to top up the girls dust bathing area
The girls inspect the sand
Honey is missing from these pictures because she has gone into the nest box.
Honey in the nest box
Honey stayed in there for half the afternoon. Later in the afternoon there was honey’s first egg since her moult after a four month break. Well done Honey.
Bluebell’s egg is on the left, Pepper’s egg is in the middle and Honey’s egg is on the right
The egg famine is over. Dotty has stopped laying at the moment, Bluebell never stopped, Pepper and Honey have started again and I am sure Amber will start too. The photo isn’t very good because the light indoors takes out all the colour, Bluebell’s egg is really blue. Usually I take my egg photos outside on the patio table as daylight is much better but it didn’t stop raining for one moment today so I wasn’t able to do that.
The girls had taken a dust bath this morning so I will need to wait until tomorrow to see if they like their topped up dust bathing area. I am sure they will appreciate it.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Well done that girl! She is really concentrating .
She was concentrating. She didn’t even flicker or move a muscle when I lifted the lid and took her photo.
I can’t believe how tiny Honey looks in the nest box. My Coco, she’s a Jersey Giant, is HUGE and fills it up from end to end, top to bottom. As a matter of fact, I can tell when I look at her if she laid that day because her tail feathers are all frayed from being tucked in so tight into the nest.
The bantys are tiny. Amber is even smaller than Honey. The dominiques are a small breed and the bantys are a third of their size. They are not much bigger than a pigeon but goodness they have loads of character and loads of attitude. They make laugh when they shout because they sound like a machine gun but a very very tiny one!