Raiders Of The Lost Bok-ARK!

It's very blowy here today. At last the snow has gone, unfortunately it has left this dull drizzly weather behind it. Usually in such conditions the hens would stay coop-bound, but after all the rotten weather it probably seems positively spring-like to them today. They have all ventured out to scratch about in the flower beds except the babies, who are incarcerated in the garage and engaging in a dirty protest.

Maude is determined to spend some time outside today, even though the others are beginning to flag. One by one, the other hens have conceded defeat to the strong gales. Being a small, light, but very feathery hen can have severe disadvantages in very windy conditions. In attempting to amble nonchalantly across the lawn in a straight line, you can find yourself incomprehensively half running in a diagonal trajectory aimed straight at a wall. Mabel suffered this indignity, peeled herself away from the wall and legged it for the safety of the coop. Even the silkies can only take so much wind battering. However, Maude is grimly determined.

She attempted to sit on the bench, only to be taken by the wind, over shoot her landing site and disappear through the gap in the back. She strolled out a few moments later, as if that had been her goal all along. Hens hate to lose face. However, she has met her ultimate wind related nemesis.

The children have a light plastic football which the hens are always suspicious of. In the lightest of breezes, it can wobble threateningly. When this occurs, the girls congregate together and mutter darkly. Out on her won, Maude didn't stand a chance. As she sat on the lawn, stubbornly ignoring the rain, her nemesis began to move. Coming from the opposite flower bed, it managed to get up a fair bit of momentum. Seeing it thundering towards her, Maude leapt up and ran as fast as her short pekin legs would carry her. She veered to the left in an attempt to shake it off! But, no! In a weird twist of fate, the wind also gusted in the same direction! Maude began sprinting towards the back door, where I have to confess I was hysterical with laughter. All I could hear in my head was the Indiana Jones theme tune. Give that hen a hat and a leather jacket and she could be a star! Skidding to a halt before she ended up splatted against the glass, she took off again for the Convent. The ball harmlessly bounced against the door frame. Maude eyed it from the door of the run, turned around and sauntered inside.

The comedy value alone makes hens brilliant.

Breaking Out

The new chicks are proving to be little upstarts. Not content with their lot in the garage, the little madams keep making bids for freedom. Now, initially, I would return Purdy (head trouble maker) to the brooder, and there she would stay. No more. She has recruited Celia for her escapologist escapades, and now there is no stopping them.

I am not a killjoy, and ordinarily wouldn't mind too much. When you're trying to sell your house, though, and have to show prospective buyers the garage, you'd rather that the mini poo piles were restricted to their designated area. Instead, little dollops of chick poo are turning up in the most unexpected of places. Like my welly. Or on top of the poultry spice. Eugh.

Now that the chooklets are 12 weeks old, I am turning the heat lamp off in the day (they're never in the brooder to use it, any way). Therefore, I can cover the top of the run. With a flash of inspiration, I covered the roof of the brooder with some trellis. Considering the problem solved, I peered down at the new recruits with a hint of triumph. Purdy assesssed this development silently. I returned to the human quarters feeling quite pleased with myself.

An hour later, I went to the garage to find some string and found Purdy and Celia sitting atop the garlic powder, which is itself atop the mini coop. Purdy then dropped a curry poo to punctuate the point. I have no idea how they escaped, and can only visualise ladders and a pulley system.

Chooklets 1, Human 0.

Maeve Has Lost Her Mojo

So, I've just been back and checked, and its been 16 days since I first noticed that Maeve wasn't herself. There is still no obvious sign of illness, and she is eating and drinking. However, she seems quite half hearted when running for treats, and is generally pretty quiet. This is most out of character.

She pootles about the garden with the others, but retreats to the coop every so often. Sometimes I find her in the nest box, but she's just as likely to be perching. Her crop appears fine, as does her vent. There is no discharge or smell from her head, and I've noticed no unusual droppings in the coop. She hasn't lost weight.

As far as I can tell, there is no bullying (who would dare?). She's just not herself. I've been putting poultry spice and garlic powder in the pellets, in the hope of boosting her a bit. No change, as far as I can see. She has come through her moult now, but is not yet back in lay. She's about a year old.

Any ideas?