Breaking news

Gwenny fairfaxs 4 eggs have all hatched.

Photos tomorrow as right now I really need to water the garden.

Jess x

P.S tomorrow is also my favourite summer village fete

At last

One of my little quail has laid her first egg.

Now I need to cut some really small soldiers.

jess x

The saga of the eggs

Well Friday evening big mama came leaping out of the broody coop so I had a peek inside to be confronted by a truly evil smelling broken egg. So whilst trying valiantly not to throw up I cleared up the mess (even the dog ran away from the stench) and she went back in. So the eggs have been removed I double and triple checked by giving them a little shake (horrible glooby rattle) and candling them. At the moment she's sitting in the box but with the door open, so today I'll be trying to break her broodiness and over the next few days trying to re-integrate her back with the others.

I'm disappointed but these things happen. I'll try again next spring (even more reason for getting a couple of silkies) and I'll be better prepared and organized.

Wish me luck with Ethel, I have a feeling this may not be easy.......

Don't count your chickens.........

Well my eggs are now 2 days over due, my little superstar Ethel has been sat snugly on them for 24 days with only a short snack break each day. I'm beginning to think that they're not going to hatch at all. I'm a bit disappointed but I always thought of this as a bit of an experiment and if we got some babies that would be a lovely bonus (sometimes I tend to veer towards the pessimistic) but I'm not sure what to do with her or when to throw in the towel. She'll need to be re-integrated back in with the big girls and her broodiness gently broken. I think I'll give it until the weekend to see if anything happens before I give up on the eggs.
What do you think? If anyone with experience of hatching eggs has any advice for me, please let me know.
I wonder if poor Ethel will upset at her lack of babies.

The little girls are doing really well. They are now living in a converted two storey rabbit hutch with a small run tagged on (the bright side of no babies will be extra chicken wire to make their playground bigger. They've learnt to walk up a ramp and roost on a little perch when its bedtime, which is earlier than the big girls. They've stopped being scared of Alfie when he goes to see them, one of them even pecked him through the wire (as much as he behaves himself loose with the girls, he has a healthy respect after being chased and pecked by Pixie and Margo, I'd never let him get too close to the little ones). They are still as yet unnamed although I think the adorable little buff sussex will end up sticking with the name Boo. I must really get round to naming the other two soon.
Another thing that need a name is my smallholding, Hubby has fixed up the hen sheds and fenced of a nice little area so hopefully next weeked he'll be bidding for some birds at the auctions. We are going to start off with birds for the table, now I know I'll find this difficult, but we eat a lot of (free range) chicken here so it makes sense to have a go at rearing are own. I reckon I'll be a total wuss with this side so hubby will be in charge and when I start stocking up with layers (and all the other birds I'd like for all my plans) we've agreed (well I shouted, had a tantrum and shed a few girly tears) to keep them seperate from each other.
I just hope there are more silkies at next week auctions as some so and so outbid me on a pair last time, if not I might happened to bid for a few ducks when the mr isn't looking, unless my little eggs hatch......

The photo of Tom and Barbara is included because, well why not.

My lovely ladies.

Its occurred to me that I haven't featured my hens here yet. So let me introduce the girls to you.



This is Pixie (please note the slightly deranged look in her eye)
Pixie is a light sussex with a bad attitude. When we first got the girls Pixie was an absolute little poppet so sweet natured and gentle and she was the easiest to handle. But.... that sweet little girl has grown into a monster. She's bad tempered feisty and the pull no punches lieutenant of Margo. If I go near her she shouts and bawls, unless I've got food and then she might be a bit more pleasant. When she went broody a few months ago I literally took my life in my hands trying to turf her off the nest box. Her favourite things to do are to wind up and chase Alfie, seek and destroy slow worms and frogs, and peck my wellies. Seeing her in a strop you can really see the link between birds and dinosaurs.



This is Margo
She a glamorous maran x, in fact I'm not sure what she is I think I bought her as a maran koovey (sp) (if anyone can tell, please do)
She is queen bee of the bunch although she hates to get her beak dirty so sends in Pixie to do her dirty work. She was the first to start laying last Autumn and hasn't missed an egg since. She likes to strut about the garden looking beautiful. Pretty as she may be though she has a mouth like a fisherwomen. She's always shouting. If Alfie is up to no-good and I tell him off Margo is like an echo. If I shout into the house for a cup of tea, Margo shouts too. If I over sleep or the corn runs dry Margo lets me Know. Whatever room I'm in I'll hear her. She also likes to lead the others on expeditions to areas that are out of bounds, like the rose border and organise the digging up off daffodil bulbs.




This little angel is Tallulah.
She's a bluebelle or blue maran and don't tell the others but I think she might be my favourite. She is such a gentle little soul always pleased to see me, never prone to fits of rage or torrents of abuse and likes to perch on the bench day-dreaming. My husband laughs at me because I often have little murmuring and clucking conversations with Lu-Lu, I'll cluck and she'll cluck back. The only time she raises her voice is to announce to the world that she's laid an egg, and then you could probably hear her half way across Devon. She likes sneaking down the steps to the flower garden when the others aren't looking. She'll peak around the rose's at me then run back up to the hen house and look all Innocent.



Finally we have Ethel (Margo was getting annoyed that she wasn't being centre of attention so snuck into Ethel photo)
She's Pixies sister and she's the chalk to her cheese. Ethel is a really lovely chicken. She's polite, well mannered and very friendly. She seems to have the most common sense, and level headed-ness of them all. She's quite a laid back little lady although occasionally if Pixie is being particularly bossy she'll give her a peck on the bum and a stern talking to. She likes to gossip under the cherry tree with Tallulah, and she loves rolling around in the dirt. I actually seen her do somersaults.

Ethel is very special at the moment because hopefully in a few weeks she'll be a mummy. She's siting on some fertile eggs I got from the Devonshire traditional breed centre. My lovely husband took me there on Monday to window shop for chickens, I really really want a silkie but they didn't have any. So I bought a few eggs because Ethel's broody. Also I have this huge exciting project that I'm embarking on (more about that later).
Anyway if they hatch (fingers crossed) I'll have a Silver Dorking a Cochin and 2 Cream Legbars. Ethel has of course taken this all in her stride even the fact that because this was spur of the moment I haven't build (yet) a proper broody coop, so she's sitting in a cardboard box in a recycling bin in a dog cage under under my standard rose. So wish her luck and wish husband luck for tomorrow, as We're off to a poultry auction.