Carol's Chickens

Today I went to a large garden centre and bought three large bags of compost that were on offer at three for the price of two. Yesterday’s bags were twenty litres but these bags were fifty litres.

Today I wanted to get the level of the run back to where it used to be so that I don’t have to keep doing it a little bit at a time. My mission was accomplished.

Three big bags of compost

Before I began I went in to check the nest boxes to see if Butterscotch had laid her egg while I had been out. As soon as looked in the nest boxes Peaches, Barley and Speckles jumped up to look too. It makes me laugh when they have to look just because I am looking. I missed the shot of Peaches with her neck down looking in the nest box but I managed a few photos of the three of them.

Peaches, Barley and Speckles check out the nest box

Nest box patrol

The compost bags are in the run

We dumped the compost in the run

I spread the compost

This was before we started building up the level

This is the level now

What a difference. I am really pleased with the new level of the run. My boot scraper on the left of the photo is no longer over hanging a foot drop. I am sure over the next few days the girls will enjoy scratching and mixing the compost with the soil.

Today I went back to our local D.I.Y. store for another bag of sand. After I had bought it and was on my way out I saw a pallet of bags of compost that had been split open and were reduced to sixty three pence each. I bought four bags for the run.

My bargain compost

I decided to put the sand in the part of the run that gets the most wet and boggy to help with drainage and put the compost in the spot where I am trying to build up the soil.

I dumped the bag of sand in the run first.

The girls investigate the new sand

This time it’s Barley that photo bombed the shot.

Topaz and Butterscotch were soon scratching in the sand

I dumped some of the compost in the run

The sand was immediately abandoned for the lure of the soil and Topaz was vigorously scratching in it.

I dump the rest of the compost in the run

All the girls enjoy scratching in it

The girls much prefer the compost to the sand and soon had it spread out.

Speckles gets her turn

After lunch I took the girls some apples and while they pecked at the apples Speckles made the most of having the compost to herself. She especially liked a bit of root that had been in one of the bags.

We decided to go back and get some more but it was already sold out.

At the end of the day when I gave the girls their bedtime corn my husband said that Honey had side stepped the sand on to a strip of soil next to it and come through the hatch rather than cross the sand. She really doesn’t like the sand.

I got the fork and mixed the sand with soil so that it’s not so obvious.

It’s a shame the compost was sold out so quickly but at least I got four bags. The compost is much lighter and easier to carry and the girls prefer it so I will be keeping my eyes open for any more reductions.

I know that I have already done a post on this recently but yesterday Peaches and Barley were dust bathing together as usual and I just find it so cute that I couldn’t help grabbing my camera again.

Peaches and Barley dust bathing together again

Communal dust bathing but once again Peaches and Barley dust bath together

Here we are again

They will squirm around and get up and sit back down and shuffle a little closer and peck some specks of goodness knows what from each other. They lean on each other and sometimes almost sit on each other and their toes curl in all sorts of odd shapes. The closeness of these two girls is obvious to anyone watching them and is heart warming.

Yesterday afternoon I was watching the girls in the run. They were all perched up as the ground was muddy after being frozen and then thawing and when I went in they all jumped down to come and see if I had any goodies for them.

Speckles was on the highest perch and it dawned on me that it was quite a jump down. The perch that is on the other side of the divider has a ladder to help drop down from the perch and the perch at the other end of the run is low on one end. The perch on the other side of the hatch has the table as a step down.

I felt a bit concerned that jumping from this height may be tough on the girls feet and this gave me a light bulb moment. We still had the ladder in the garden shed from the chicken’s shed when their perches had been higher. We had kept it in case we could find a use for it.

This would be perfect to give the girls a way down from this perch and also some extra perching space.

I dug the run over as it was so wet and muddy and then tried the ladder against the perch and decided it would be good there. At this moment my husband came to see what I was doing and said that as I had the ladder in position he may as well screw it in place. As it is hinged I can also lift it up to clean under it.

It was dusk by now so we thought we would wait until the following day for the girls to discover it. By mid morning the ladder was muddy so we knew the girls had tried it out.

I took some grapes into the run to try to get some photos of the girls on the new ladder. I put the grapes at the top of the ladder and waited to see who would be first up.

A second ladder in the right hand section of the run

Note it is much cleaner than the old ladder on the left hand side of the run but has some mud on the rungs meaning the girls have already tried it out.

Thinking about it

Toffee has spotted the grapes at the top of the ladder but can’t seem to work out what to do next. Peaches is also thinking about it.

Peaches and Barley are the first to make their way up the ladder

Peaches is first up closely followed by Barley.

They are working their way up the ladder

Peaches has made it to the top

Once at the top Peaches couldn’t work out how to get to the grapes.

Now what!

And back down again

Peaches jumped down as they did before but Barley went back down the ladder. At least now they have that option.

I retrieved the grapes and sprinkled them on the patio for the girls. I am pleased with the new ladder. It was sitting in the shed doing nothing and is now back in use again. I am sure there will be many future photos of the second ladder in use.

Although we put some extra perches in the chicken’s shed the girls always perch on the main back perch. I think the side perches were used at first by the lower ranking girls because it got them away from being pecked at but as the flock have settled down and also perhaps with the colder weather they have all taken to perching together on the back perch.

Butterscotch always goes in last and often quite a while after the other girls but she is a confident girl and once in she quickly pushes her way to a spot around the middle of the perch.

Peaches and Barley are the only girls that choose to perch next to each other and if they can’t manage to find a space next to each other they do a lot of jumping up and down from the perches and they make a sound that sounds like they are crying.

Last night I could hear this whimpering sound that they make and I looked in and saw that Topaz was so close to Peaches that Barley couldn’t find a space to get in. I thought that she stood no chance of moving the formidable Topaz along.

A few minutes later the shed was quiet and I looked in again. Barley had managed to squeeze herself next to Peaches and Topaz had a stern look on her face but all the girls were settled.

This is the usual bedtime line up

Peaches and Barley are together and Topaz looks stern

Their combs are looking lovely and red and I keep thinking that we may get some eggs soon. Last year Topaz started laying half way through January and Peaches and Barley at the end of January. Honey and Emerald started in March and Toffee in April. Speckles is the unknown quantity so it will be interesting to see how she does.

I can only imagine the chaos when all the girls are either laying or going broody (you two know who you are). I am sure it will be interesting!

Since I said that I would keep adding sand to the run, one bag at a time, we have got quite busy with work and I hadn’t found the time to go and get another bag. Yesterday afternoon I finished work early so I decided to go and get another bag of sand.

We dumped the bag of sand in the run.

Speckles is once again the first girl to check out the sand

Toffee photo bombed the shot.

Topaz and Butterscotch seem to like scratching in the sand and soon spread it around

The odd thing is that Honey doesn’t like the sand. After we put the sand in the run last time she wouldn’t go down to the run for the bedtime corn. I started giving her some corn on the patio instead. Once the sand had got mixed in with the soil and changed colour she was happy to go back down for the corn.

Last night when I threw the bedtime corn out into the run Honey wouldn’t leave the patio area once more. I again gave her the corn on the patio. It seems that she doesn’t like the colour of the sand.

Honey doesn’t like the sand

Honey has her bedtime corn on the patio

We wondered if it was because she is the same colour as the sand although I don’t see why that should bother her. All the other girls are happy to scratch in the sand but when Honey goes into the run during the day she goes via the wooden block and stays off the sand until it gets mixed with the soil and changes colour. At bedtime when it is getting dark she won’t go down to the run at all.

I find this very odd but who knows what goes on in those little chicken brains.

While we are having a cold frosty spell the girls are spending a lot of time perching. I think they like to get off of the frozen ground and they often sit all fluffed up to keep warm. The one constant is that Peaches and Barley can always be found perching together.

Peaches and Barley perch together

These two girls are kindred spirits and are never far from each others side.

Speckles is always too nervous to join the other girls at the mash but I never worry as I know that as soon as they tire of it she moves in for her share. Every time this happens I can’t get to my camera in time to catch the shot.

Today I left my camera in the chicken store cupboard and was at last able to capture the shot.

Speckles has some mash

Speckles and Butterscotch have some mash together

Speckles and Butterscotch

It is good to see Speckles getting her share of the mash and also good to see that Butterscotch is the one girl who doesn’t intimidate her. During this cold spell these two girls can often be found perching together. It is good to have a friend.

Recently it’s either been cold and frosty or cold and wet and muddy. On days like this I like to give the girls warm mash. I do this to give them a treat and to help occupy them. They spend a lot time fluffed up on the perches and the ladder when it’s like this.

Some mash for the girls

Emerald seems less fussed by the mash than the other girls and is often either at the pellet dish or pecking at the shavings which is something she likes to do a lot.

Emerald is busy pecking at the shavings

Topaz abandoned the mash to go and practice laying an egg

I have never known any girl to need as much practice as Topaz does. She has now been practising for a month. Most days she will sit in the nest box for half an hour then come out shouting. I go and check and there is no egg and that was the case again on this occasion.

It was at this time of the year she that started laying last year so I am expecting her to start any day soon.

Emerald decides to join the girls and Speckles would really like to join in too

Speckles is getting brave

Speckles is getting much braver although a stern look from Peaches or Barley will still send her running. She returned to the dish when the other girls had tired of the mash so she still got her fair share.

By lunch time the mash was all gone and I know that the girls enjoyed this simple treat.

I know other countries, such as America, have had a lot of snow. I know that even in the North of England there has been some snow but down here in the South of England we haven’t had any snow until now.

It came as a surprise to look out of the window this morning and see some snow. This is not only the first snow this year but the first snow this winter. Some years we have had lots of snow as early as November and some years we have had a sprinkle of snow as late as May but this morning we awoke to our first snow this winter.

I felt it needed to be photographed.

Our first snow this winter

Snow in front of the run

View from the top of the garden

It wasn’t much and by lunch time it was gone except for a few patches but it was still our first snow of the winter.