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OWING TO BLUE TITS... CHICKEN CAM IS CURRENTLY OFFLINE.. BACK SOON!
The webcam of our chickens (right) refreshes regularly... if you are lucky! A click of the refresh
button on your browser often will do the trick! We hope to provide a live video stream soon.
Oh and yes from time to time don't be disturbed if you see a cabbage hanging... an old trick Liz's mum told
us to keep the chickens active!
Preparations for their arrival began with ripping out one side of the fruit cage. having
seen the horrendous price of chicken coops, we decided to buy a £99 B and Q shed and I got on with customising it,
building a storage container and nest box on one side from whence we expect our ladies to produce lovely little eggs.
We were treated to some of these delicious small eggs from Grace's family (one of Catherine's school friends) who kindly gave
us their new brood of Bantams. I don't think I've ever had such a tasty, or yellow, Omelette!! We're giving
up the fruit cage to them, but hoping that the raspberries and gooseberries will still survive!! Some hope. Even Catherine
got the paintbrush out!!
We took on seven girls and one boy. They are a Belgium bantam, but we're still trying to find
out the breeds name.
Grace's family have kept them free range for somewhile. These eight were the result
of them showing Grace the process of the chicken from the egg! At night they flew up into the trees and roosted there,
and we have been a little worried now that they will be penned, albeit in a very nice large pen with a brilliantly
constructed hen house!!
After a further three weeks, the girls are settling in nicely.. without Basil's antics!!
But they only occassionally use the hen house to roost at nights, prefering to sleep on the roof of the house with their heads
up against the wire, which has proved most interesting for the local cat population. As yet they are not laying... they are
still a couple of weeks too young, (that's the excuse!) so we're keeping our fingers crossed for some October eggs!
Mid October 2006
We think the girls are approaching their laying age, approximately 20 weeks old, but a friend who keeps
chickens tells me that he doesn't think they will now lay until the new year as they mault about now. That first egg
is going to be quite an event!
| yummy yummy yummy |
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| .. and yes we did cut it into three very small bits!! |
Late October 2006
I am happy to report the arrival of our first egg!! Despite being only 50mm in length,
we're very proud of our girls. The happy event happened sometime between 10am and 4pm on Sunday 22nd October.
Early November
Temperatures are down to freezing in the UK, so will the chickens make it inside the hen house
instead of roosting on top!! Soon to come..... inside the hen house webcam!!
Wednesday night, bitter cold, but NO, five were out on the roof, just 2 were in!! Daft animals!
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