Plodding along

Today we ambled down to the allotment with no real plan of what to do beyond feeding the chickens. I was a little concerned about the chicks as we had some rain yesterday and they were outside in their mini coop. We checked on them and they were all dry and cheeping away happily. My husband disappeared off to start doing some digging while I was in charge of feeding the chickens. The chicks always seem determined to fill up their water feeder with sawdust which absorbs the water and they struggle to drink. You would think they would learn but apparently not. When I refilled the water, all three of them stood and drank for a good 5 minutes without stopping. Surprisingly, they had half their chick crumb left so I cleaned it out and put it back in before sprinkling around several handfuls of growers pellets. These are not greeted with much enthusiasm but they are now starting to have a proper go at them.

Putting down the lid of the chick coop, I walked down the plot to the main coop. All the girls were happy to see me and immediately demanded their daily sunflower seeds. I relented quickly as it’s the only way to be able to do the daily cleaning and refilling of food and water without seven feathery hindrances. I collected two eggs and cleaned out the nest box. The old girls, who you would have thought would know not to knock over the food bowl, had managed to tip it over completely for the third day in a row. I put it back up and refilled it. Only Pop was interested.

Moving on to Leia and Rey, I found them enjoying a dust bath together. It was a lovely sight although I think Leia was slowly pushing Rey out of the way. Two eggs again and sustenance replenished, I left them to squabble over the bath.

I stopped to have a chat with Geoff and while we were talking, Tracy appeared and gave us two beautiful sunflower plants. We decided they should go on either side of the bench and a few minutes later they were in their new home.

I gave Tracy the pots back and walked past the main coop to check on the girls. Almost without exception, they were sunbathing. Georgie ran up to meet me at the door. Since giving her a bath a few days ago, she is like my little shadow, following me everywhere. Andy says it shows how grateful she is for us helping get rid of the waste stuck on her back end. He may have a point. Whether it’s because she is grateful or because she has taken a sudden liking to me, I don’t know but I love my new little chicken shadow.

My husband finished off the section he had planned to dig. Before we left, we added a couple of plastic sheets to the top of the chick coop to ensure that some of the outdoor run would stay dry when it rains.