Wednesday 25 January 2012

From Small beginnings...

Hello, I have returned.. Sorry Ive been away for so long, its been a hectic few months and lots of ups and downs... what an awful lot I have learnt over the past year... from a broody hen in May to 4 chicks and months of wondering and worrying whether I have cockerels or hens...


as it turned out I was very lucky indeed with one cockerel and 3 hens...


Archie the red cockerel grew into a beautiful lad, as he reached 6 months his crowing and amorous advances towards the girls became too much... and a new home had to be found... it wasn't easy either... a friend of mine asked the farmer where she kept her horses if he'd like a cockerel... he said yes and Archie was transported over to the his new home and a rather large flock of girls... I thought he'd be happy.... however I didn't realise that the farmer (who I thought would have more sense!) already had 2 cockerels and they were not separated.... it was his opinion that they would sort it out between them... and they did... I can only assume Archie lost... as all I was told was that he had "disappeared" ... no more of my birds will be heading there... naive of me to not check it out first really... and I was very sad and guilt ridden at the end I forced upon him...
On the day he left I received a letter from the council about him.... a neighbour had lodged a complaint... if they'd only bothered to ask me I would have told them that I had no intention of keeping a cockerel... the noise drove me insane!


The girls inspecting their porrige! ;D

I have noticed that since Archie left the garden birds have returned... bird feeders were untouched by the garden birds when he was about crowing his importance and now he has gone there are blackbirds, finches, robins and all manner of garden visitors... I had never considered that a cockerel stating his claim to his patch of the world would keep all types of feathered friends away...


Sun Rise from my back door step... love my back door sunrises... you'll probably see a fair few more of these.. ;D
The three black rocks are all laying well... Amber has had her first molt the end of last year so she's currently not laying... so I get eggs most days ... sometimes four ... sometimes just the one ... but something is better than nothing...


Hettie, died shortly after Archie left... she had stopped laying earlier in the year and eventually became frail and passed in her sleep... she's buried in the flower border and the stone is on her grave... the rusty metal rooster watches over her... and the girls enjoyed a handful of corn in her memory...


Before Christmas I found myself with a glut of eggs that I had let mound up... after float testing them I decided they'd be perfect for pickling so a huge jar was dug out and the egg boiling commenced...


Only 2 left so I am waiting for a dozen to get just past a week old and I shall start boiling some more... older eggs shell easier than fresh eggs when they are hard boiled..

The girls have been enjoying cabbage, sprout stalks and the leafy tops... cauliflower and tinned sweetcorn is by far their most favourite treat... I am of the thinking that the eggs will be all the better for the variety in treats! lol

well I had better get on... always loads to do...
take care and i'll be back soon
x Alex

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