Small, Medium and Large

There’s nothing like celebrating the New Year than with coop cleaning. Somehow, the Christmas holidays have disappeared and with work beckoning tomorrow, I could no longer procrastinate. The only thing stopping me from doing all of the coops was the distinct lack of fresh bedding. Before I started, I judged there would only be enough for one coop.

Even though there wasn’t much bedding at home, I knew there would probably be some at the allotment. Grabbing my keys, I ran down to the plot. Despite my confidence that there would be bedding on the plot, maybe hidden away in one of the coops or in the shed, there was nothing. Frustrated, I went around the coops checking on everyone, topping up their water and food. The plot is absolutely sodden after days of rain and storms. The water table is so high currently, you can see it through the veranda. Heading back home, I decided to clean out the red Omlet first as Nimbus and her gang usually get cleaned out last.

It didn’t take long to clear out all the old bedding and replace it with new. To my surprise, there was still some bedding left over. So onto the purple Omlet! This took considerably longer as the patio needed clearing, cleaning and scrubbing. When I opened up the nest box, I discovered the most ridiculous egg. The girls in this coop are just beginning to come back into lay, and the evidence of this was right in front of me. One normal sized bantam egg and one tiny, perfectly formed, mini egg. Sometimes when chickens are coming back into lay, their first couple of eggs are a little different, sometimes smaller, sometimes with strange calcium deposits on the shell. But the tiny eggs are always my favourite and a sure sign that we will need to regularly check the nest box for eggs!

Back in the kitchen, I decided to compare all three eggs laid today. The size difference was hilarious!

Over the coming week, I’m hoping to do some more clearing of the plot (assuming the weather stays dry and the plot drains!). Gertie and Quail Mansions will be cleaned out too once we get some more bedding in.