Yesterday we had quite a lot of work to do as we have two functions this weekend. A bank holiday weekend doesn’t always mean time off for us. We worked all morning and part of the afternoon.
As soon as we were done we were itching to get started on the new veg plot. As always these things are never straight forward and the first corner my husband started digging over revealed some buried brickwork. It looked like a former cesspit or well. It was very well built and went very deep. He broke up and removed enough of it to get a planting depth of soil over it.
My husband removed all the plants then added some topsoil with compost from the original veg plot and raked it over.
Progress
He took a well earned breather, it had been harder work than expected.
The new veg plot is started
An hour later and the first half is planted. We decided to do it a bit at a time to spread the hard work. The plants that have come out have been relocated and the thyme has gone in the chicken run for the girls to scratch through.
In the mean time Amber was looking really poorly again. She used to only lay one or two eggs a week but now seems to be laying every other day and this means she is feeling unwell more often. Each time she seems worse than before and each time I get scared we are going to lose her or I am going to have to make a difficult decision.
Amber looks so poorly
It breaks my heart to see her like this. As always though it seems she gets weak really quickly because once she feels poorly she stops eating. Once again I hand fed her some chopped grapes and sunflower seeds. I also found some worms from the new veg patch and dropped some in front of her.
Amber ate the worms and soon seemed to perk up and join in with scratching through the thyme.
The thyme goes in the chicken run
Topaz and Amber scratching and pecking through the thyme
Amber seems to quickly improve once she eats something and by bedtime she seemed better than earlier.
This morning I put two dishes of mash in to make sure Amber eats and she went straight to it and tucked in. I don’t know how much longer she can go on like this but we feel that it isn’t her time to go just yet and we can’t do any more for her than we are doing. I feel that I will know when it’s her time but just keep hoping she will get a reprieve. Amber is such a lovely little character and is a real fighter. I am willing her on with all my heart.
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What progress ! He has worked hard and like Ian and our flooring once started it has to be done . I can see already what a good idea that is of you both .
Poor Amber she does have a hard time and always reminds me of my little Rosie and they soon become special. Rosie was like Amber right from the beginning and when I did find her rather than take her to the vet it was such a relief for her .Hang on there though as you just never know .
She does remind me of Rosie. We had two banty eggs each for breakfast this morning and Amber’s egg shell was really thin and fragile. I think perhaps she can’t absorb calcium because I am constantly giving her limestone flour and crushed egg shells in her mash and it makes no difference.
Richard said it would be better to just find her one day but I keep hoping she will get better even though I know how unlikely that is.
I love her so much though, she is such a character. I just can’t give up on her yet.