bish blog

By chance, Miss found out that the local farm shop had some ‘Point of Lay’ chickens for sale and we picked up three new girls on Saturday. We now have two Marans – our original Speckledy from 2005 and a new Basic Marans, the two Welsummers from 2007 and two new White Sussex.

The picture is taken from my study, and no doubt we’ll get better ones once the new chooks are a tad less nervous. They’re getting one hell of a sorting out from the established crew – the phrase “pecking order” has very real and painful meaning behind it! Eventually they’ll either sort out their differences and get along or we’ll be burying the loser(s). Nature, red in beak and claw…

The naming of chickens is apparently mandatory (!) and a friend has suggested “tikka”, “vindaloo” and “madras”… The resemblance to our original chickens though means we will probably be recycling their names So welcome Spike-let, Scarlet-let-let and Clara-too, otherwise known as “the Sequel Chooks!”

Oh, and we’re still running the egg spreadsheet… Since we started we’ve had 2535 eggs at a total per egg cost including housing, chooks and feed of 54p each! [grin] Call it £3 per half dozen – you’d be mad not to.

Back in February 2006 I fitted a Chicken House automatic door opener. Three years on the four AA cells have depleted and needed replacing. Three years service isn’t bad, out in all weathers including days like these… even if the supplier said four.

The girls are having a great time in the snow, building snowmen and throwing snowb… oh, hang on, that’s us.

If only the entire blackbrid, crow and rook population wouldn’t consider the chicken run their favourite diner… I guess, though, that having feeders all over the back garden it would be odd to rant about constantly refilling the feeder in the front.

We had our first egg of 2008ce today! The last one of 2007ce was 16th November, so the girls have been freeloading all over winter. I was wondering if they’d all gone broody, or just plain idle. The mite infection on Esme’s leg seems to be clearing up and, assuming it clears up for good, we’ll probably get four more ‘Point of Lay’ Speckledys in late Spring.