Carol's Chickens

Since the weekend we have been hardening off our broad beans and runner beans. We are putting them outside on the patio table, by the back door, during the day and bringing them back inside at night.

Beans hardening off

The runner beans and dwarf beans have really started to grow and are catching up with the broad beans.

We plan on meeting up with the rest of the group at the allotment on Sunday and planting the potatoes as they are now ready to go in.

Chitting potatoes

We will wait a bit longer before putting the beans in. We need to be fairly certain that there aren’t likely to be more frosts before they go in. We have had a bit of frost the last few mornings.

We also need to get the net around the plot to protect anything we are planting. The raised beds have been filled with soil and are ready to go and putting the net up is the last job to be done other than planting.

I will probably report back again after the weekend.

From time to time we have seen a little mouse in the garden. Last year we used to see it in the chicken run and this year we have seen it scurrying around the garden in and out of the borders.

Yesterday the little mouse was sunning itself on the path and we were able to get close to it.  I have been noticing bits of peanut on the path and had put them down to squirrels but am now wondering if they are bought in by the mouse because yesterday the little mouse was munching on a bit of peanut close to the chicken run.

I was able to get super close to it to take some photos. Sadly we are wondering if there is something wrong with it, for it to be letting us get so close, to it.

Little mouse

Close up of little mouse

I didn’t use a zoom, this is simply me pointing the camera right in front of the mouse.

Little mouse with the girls in the background for size comparison

The little mouse is eating a bit of peanut. It isn’t bothered by the girls nor are they bothered by it. I think because we have had a little mouse in the run, possibly the same one, they are used to each other.

I know some chicken owners say their girls would eat a mouse but our girls have never taken any notice of the mouse. As you can see both sides are quite casual about each other.

We wonder if it is the same mouse we are seeing and perhaps it is elderly. Either way we don’t fancy it’s chances of surviving much longer while allowing us to get so close to it. I am sure a tame mouse is not a safe mouse in a garden environment.  It is lovely for us to be able to get so close but it is also worrying for the future of little mouse.

Sienna is the last of the girls from our current breeder to lay her first, tiny, egg today. She is a late starter. She must be coming up to about a year old because we got the silky girls on 20th May last year and the breeder said they were about two months old, although I think they may have been slightly younger.

Jasmine started laying three months ago so we were beginning to wonder if Sienna was ever going to lay. We have had four of these tiny eggs from the girls that came from our current breeder so they seem to be a feature of these girls as we had never come across this before.

Sienna’s first egg next to a pound coin

Sienna’s egg sat on a pound coin

Assorted eggs for a size comparison

On the left is Flame’s large egg, next is Smoke’s egg to show the largest serama egg size, next is Spangle’s egg to show the average serama egg size, next is Dandelion’s egg to show the smallest serama egg size and on the right is Sienna’s tiny egg.

The inside of Sienna’s egg

Although tiny, the egg has a good shell and a perfect little yolk. Well done Sienna!

The allotment is really taking shape now and isn’t far off being finished all by the planting.

Our broad beans are coming on a treat

The runner beans are just coming through

The allotment now has all four raised beds in place

Tomorrow we have some top soil being delivered to fill the raised beds. They have been lined with black plastic to stop the weeds coming through. Once they are filled we will get the netting in place. The metal poles have been sprayed with camouflage paint.

There were plenty of spare bits of pallet so we bought a bit home for our veg plot to plant some strawberry plants in. This is perfect to keep the strawberries off of the ground.

We have strawberry pants on our veg plot

Strawberry plants on the left of the plot and raspberry canes on the right

Once the allotment is completed we will plant the potatoes we have chitting as they are ready to go in. We will start to harden off the broad beans by putting them outside during the day but bringing them in overnight.

We will save a few potatoes and beans for our veg plot too.

It shouldn’t be too long before the broad beans will be ready to plant out. It is great to see everything taking shape.

Since Smoke started laying again after her last broody spell followed by a two week break, she has laid fourteen eggs, in exactly three weeks.

I lift her out of the nest box every time I go into the run. I put her down in the run and she makes herself as big as she can.

Broody Smoke

She moves to the wooden block

When either myself or one of the girls moves her on she goes to the wooden block. Last time she snapped out of this as quickly as she started so I am hoping that it doesn’t last too long.

This post has evolved over the last few days. I knew that Dandelion was getting ready to start laying again. She had been very vocal and had been looking in the nest boxes.  Dandelion and Cinnamon have become more and more inseparable.

A couple of days ago Dandelion marched purposefully towards the nest box with Cinnamon in tow. It looked as if they were joined by an invisible string. Dandelion marched into the first nest box and Cinnamon marched in behind her. It was so funny to see. Minutes later they both bounced out again.

Yesterday Dandelion settled in the first nest box and I knew she was going to lay her first egg of the year. It wasn’t long before Cinnamon was in with her keeping an eye on her.

Dandelion in the nest box

Cinnamon checks on Dandelion

Dandelion soon laid her first little egg of the year. When Dandelion left the nest box Cinnamon moved on to the nest box Ebony was in.

Cinnamon moves into Ebony’s nest box

Ebony laid her egg and when I next checked on Cinnamon she was struggling. I could hear her crying in the nest box. She was straining and every time she pushed she whimpered. It was awful to see and hear. Her vent was pulsing and red and I worried that she may prolapse. I wondered if her first egg was too big.

Cinnamon is struggling in the nest box

I had an appointment that I needed to go to but decided that when I got back if she was still the same I would try giving her a warm bath. I have never seen her like this before.

To my amazement when I got back Cinnamon was out in the run and back to normal and no egg in the box. I wonder if she watched Dandelion lay her egg and thought that she should lay one too. Maybe she was straining when there was no egg. Cinnamon has made no attempt to lay an egg today.

Today Dandelion settled in the nest box again. I knew it was highly unlikely that she needed to lay again as she rarely lays two days in a row. I think her egg was so small that she wasn’t sure that she had laid it. We have seen this with Dandelion before.

At this point each nest box had a girl in it. Smoke was in the middle box and Vanilla in the third box. Marmite being bottom girl and not very brave was sitting by the ramp of the nest box Dandelion was in. I put Marmite just inside the nest box and when I next checked she was settled next to Dandelion.

Dandelion shares the nest box with Marmite

Once Marmite had laid her egg I lifted Dandelion out of the nest box and she went happily on her way. Smoke, meanwhile, has gone broody again. She still laid her egg but was all puffed up in the familiar broody pose.

Dandelion’s first egg of the year

For size comparison Flame’s egg is on the left followed by Smoke’s egg. Next is Vanilla’s egg, her eggs are now as big as Smokes. Next is Marmite’s egg and on the right is Dandelion’s egg.

The whole thing with Cinnamon was really weird but she seems back to her usual self now. Last year Cinnamon started laying a month before Dandelion so she is late this year. I just hope she starts laying okay without any further drama.

Yesterday it was the little girls’ turn to do a bit of communal dust bathing in the sun.

Communal dust bathing

It’s us

And them

Dandelion and Cinnamon are near enough to join in the communal spirit but as always they are their own little pair of, inseparable, friends. Regardless of what the rest of the flock are doing, these two girls, are always together.

I worm the flock twice a year in March and September so it’s worming time again. I find the easiest way is to mix the flubenvet powder with two dishes of mash which is pellets and water. This needs to be done for seven days.

As soon as I put the dishes down on the girls’ patio area they all come running and all get a share. Very quickly the mash is gone and I know that they have all had some.

When I do this I love seeing the whole flock together on the patio area. I put the dishes down and snap away with my camera.

Worming the girls

Two dishes of mash with flubenvet

I love seeing the whole flock together

This works really well

This is such an easy way to get the worming done.

I never tire of watching the girls dust bathing. It is often a communal exercise and cements friendships.

The three bigger girls share a dust bath

Togetherness

They are having such a lovely time.

Yesterday I received a small parcel through the post. It was my prize from the postcard competition. I won “Most Boring Postcard” but also made the final selection in several categories and got a mention for my “Walking Dead” postcard.

My prize

The card says – Carol, your prize! It’s a love spoon from Wales. Better late than never. John – Going Gently xx

I am thrilled to win a prize and have thanked John on his blog.