Rained off

I had decided that today was the day I was going to build the vertical garden using pallets, weed fabric and compost. As I opened up the curtains this morning, I was greeted with overcast skies and rain. Great. Plan suspended until the rain stops.

Despite the rain, the chickens needed feeding so my husband and I pottered down. There is a weird relationship between rain and chickens. Or more specifically, rain when I go to feed my chickens. By the time I am halfway to the allotment, the heavens open. Torrential rain then lasts the entire duration of my time feeding the chickens and generally stops as I arrive back home resembling a drowned rat. This hasn’t happened once or twice. It’s almost every time I go to feed the chickens when it’s raining. Maybe the Met Office should start investing this strange phenomenon?

We found Pop looking a little perkier, sitting half out of the nest box. Whilst my husband fed the girls their treats, I watched Pop take several drinks from her fresh water and even have a half hearted peck at some food. Her crop is still empty and there is no apparent lump to indicate sour crop. Due to struggling to move, her rear end is a little mucky but I cleaned it up as best I could. I didn’t want to leave her out in the rain so we left her as she was. Hopefully the rain will be done tomorrow and I can put her back out in her favourite sunbathing spot.

The rest of the flock were in fine spirits and had quickly discovered the driest spots in the coop. We added an extra bucket to collect drips from the roof (another job to sort of it ever stops raining!). Leia and her chicks were curled up warm and dry inside the nest box. As I was filling up the food bowl, an adventurous chick jumped out of the nest box and tried to make a break for it! I grabbed it and threw it back into the nest box before any other chicks got the same idea. I appreciate that having lots of chicks is hard work but it’s no excuse for letting one try to Houdini itself out of the coop again!

By now we were thoroughly drenched and walked home wondering if it was possible to be any wetter. Judging by the puddles on the door mat, I think not.