Sad day here at the Kitchen Garden when Martin came to retrieve his Brahma mum and her young cockerel. They went off perkily enough, but the remaining two pullets have been severely traumatised and mope about in the run. They were so obviously at the bottom of the pecking order, happily bossed about by mum and blossoming king of the roost, that now they don’t seem to know what to do with themselves.
Have decided against bringing in two other hens. Will leave these two to settle and then either hatch from them or introduce others in a year or two as their laying starts to decrease. An interesting project, starting from scratch. Usually life in the chicken run is a continuum, chicks follow mums, get integrated, initiated by the cockerel, work their way up the pecking order, then down again. These girls will sort themselves out eventually, learning as they go, and hopefully start another dynasty of garden-wise birds who will enjoy a jolly free-range life.
On a much chirpier note. I spend an afternoon a week at a new friend’s blissful seaside home, chatting and sewing, knitting, beading and chatting. Marilyn will be giving residential weekend courses in beading (see vase brooch), garden mosaics (see rhubarb forcer), stitching cushions/curtains, and possibly writing and publishing small books and journals with you know who. Get in touch with her for details marilyn@thebattery.info See also our hen keeping course dates on this website.