We have more hens! I know, I know, fox fodder, but this time will be different I am sure, because: we have made a new improved run, hopefully fox proof, and in it they shall stay until Spring since we have found the Winter period is when Mr Fox snacks on our hens most often.
Also I am going into their run every day at around 4.30pm-ish and locking them up in their actual hen house - double barrier to the fox. And well, that's it. Oh, wait! We have a dog now, their scent in the garden is supposed to be a deterrent. Alas, the dog is as keen as any fox on devouring them and keeps an unhappy vigil whilst I am in and she is out of the run. Isn't she getting big?
The Cockerel is most happy to have ladies back in his vicinity, but it's beneth him now to spend a night in the hen house with them. Nope, he flutters out (some how) and spends the night on the welly room roof. It's as fox proof as ever up there, since it's so high, but I am sure he'll freeze to death if he keeps it up over winter. Still he doesn't lay eggs so he's the lesser bird out there (sorry, but it's true). I regret I shall not be flapping about rounding him up every sodding day if he can't keep himself safe by staying in our nice hen house.
These new hens were purchased from a very nice lady, here and they are really all very pretty and so friendly, and inquisitive. Which is lucky. I keep having to tell Esmé - don't kiss them for goodness sake! You didn't did you? She just smiles at me. Totally gross.
They are about 22 wks old, and totally MASSIVE. One has just started laying and hopefully the others are soon to follow. Hurray for proper rich yolky eggs again. No others compare to your own, garden eggs, an hour old and on your plate. Especially rich and delicious if like me you feed them veggie scraps and left over porridge alongside their wheat grains, layer pellets and hole-y kale from the veg garden. Oh and we built their run around one of our compost bins so they could scrape and dig and find all sorts of rotting kitchen foodstuff. Gross, again, but yum for them. And us, eventually.
