Update on Dopey

About 4.00 I went out to the chickens to check on them as it got dark - in the nest box was a very warm egg - I think Dopey had JUST laid it. She certainly did look a bit perkier, and was having some food and drink, so I hope tomorrow will see her well again. It wasn't a particularly big egg - perhaps a little bigger than usual, and a little longer, so maybe the cold weather blocked her up a bit? Whatever the reason, I hope she is back to her usual self tomorrow.

Dopey is not feeling well

Dopey is very quiet at the moment. Yesterday she was standing looking very uninterested in everything. Today she came out with the other chickens, and had a huge drink of water, before going in to the nest box, presumably to lay. She has been there a while - I went to check on her and she seems ok, so hopefully she is just trying to lay a big egg. I hope there is nothing more serious wrong with her. One thought was that she may be egg bound - I think the cure for this is to stand the chicken in a tub of warm water which helps them to lay. I will try this if she doesn't improve.

I think I will also give them a 'protein boost' this evening with some cat food, hard boiled eggs and poultry spice. But I hope Dopey will have picked up by then.

Happy Christmas Hens!

Happy Christmas Honey, Dopey, Ginger and Speckeldy Selina. We celebrated Christmas with eggs on toast for breakfast, laid yesterday. What a luxury!

It is so hard taking pictures!

I find it very hard to take photographs of the chickens - they just don't seem to want to pose for me! But here are a few from last week. Honey looks VERY fat on her pictures - they are taken in the afternoon when she has a bulging crop - it really does swing from side to side! But it goes down overnight. Speckeldy Selina is the 'queen of the chickens' according to my son - she is definitely the grandest chicken!

Eggs anyone?

I have too many eggs! The girls have been laying and laying and laying! I think I need to find some new ways of using eggs in baking. I want to try making ice cream if I can find a good recipe that doesn't require an ice cream maker, and also mayonnaise would be good. I've been doing lots more baking, and giving eggs away - I gave 18 away today, and still have a good number in the fridge!

The chickens are all happy and healthy - no problems to report which is always good news!

Competition for something tasty!

Our hens are normally the best of friends, with very little pecking or bullying. But today I looked out of the window, and saw a full scale chase - Ginger had something in her mouth (I suspect a slug) and the other three were very energetically chasing her round the run. I think Honey actually managed to steal it off her, after a fairly violent assault. Sometimes they are so mean!

We are still getting lots and lots of eggs. Strangely, the colour of them seems to be stabilising as a darker brown - one chicken (I think Ginger) lays very pale eggs, but the other three are almost indistinguishable. They are all definitely laying as we often get 4 egg days now.

Bedraggled hens

It has been very wet here over the last few days, and the poor chickens have been looking very soggy. Honey and Dopey, the Goldlines, seem to really hate the rain - their feathers seem to absorb the water more. Ginger doesn't seem to mind the rain - she has thicker feathers and seems a bit more 'waterproof'. Speckeldy Selina doesn't mind it much either. Their run is a bit of a mud bath now.

Eggs - we have lots! Generally 3 or 4 a day. They are a little less reliable about laying in the nest box - Ginger in particular often lays in the house or even the run - perhaps this is when the nest box is engaged and she just can't hang onto her egg any longer!