Settling down

Today I ambled down to the allotment in the sunshine to feed the chickens. I started off with the main coop. The girls were all busy enjoying the sunshine with Snap and Holly bagging the best spot. They jostled for position but eventually settled down to some serious relaxing.I topped up their food bowls – we have a second one temporarily whilst the flock settles down. I forgot that the feeder had a bit of an issue and the bottom fell out. Food went flying everywhere much to the chickens delight. I tried to fix it but a few minutes later it happened again. I will fix it tomorrow with a wing nut. I topped up the second feeder and threw some porridge oats, sunflower seeds and a handful of mealworms. These were greeted with enthusiasm bordering on indecency. Honestly from their reaction, you would believe they were perpetually starved!
The new trio seem to be settling in better although they aren’t fully integrated into the flock yet. They are keeping to themselves, using the second food dispenser and water bowl. Hilariously, they keep laying under the nest box. My husband had to rescue several eggs this morning as they don’t seem to have worked out that they should lay in the box rather than beneath it.
I stopped by Geoff’s coop to say hello to Emily who is still in residence on the top of the nest box. She looked very grumpy so I left her to sulk and went off to check on the chicks.The chicks are still doing well and growing fast. Unfortunately, the gorgeous golden headed wyandotte is standing proud and has started to make strange strangled noises. It looks like we need to get Phil’s friend to come and give it a home on her small holding. As yet, I have no idea what sex the other wyandotte is. It is smaller and carries itself lower but this in itself isn’t enough to be 100% certain whether its a boy or a girl. The Plymouth Rock still doesn’t have much of a comb, has short tail feathers and carries the bodywork which makes it certain that she is female. I am so pleased we get to keep her because I worked so hard to being her back from hyperthermia at a couple of days old.
Steve swung by to say hello and to let me know something odd is going on with the hives. Apparently the new split hives don’t have a queen. Even odder is the lack of bees in the hive on Phil’s plot despite filling three supers to bursting point. Steve’s bee mentor is coming across to help us on Sunday afternoon. It will be fascinating to see what they make of the hives.Tomorrow’s job is to clear the plot of weeds and excavate the patio from the mass of bindweed that has taken it over.