Well, for us the chickens came first. We picked them up from a guy in Leyland who carried them over to the boot of the car by their legs, puffing on a pipe, his big gold earring glinting in the weak sun. They won't lay for two weeks, he said, but it was almost four before I found a small, perfectly egg-shaped egg on the floor of their hut. I was amazed and excited and rang Agnieszka to tell her. She had it for breakfast the next day.
Having chickens is really nice. Whenever you go out the back door they rush to the end of the run, expecting grain or other treats. When I try to get into the run, to replenish their food or water, they all make a break for it, to chew on the pathetic-looking broccoli or to trample my salads. Most worrying is their obsession with the rhubarb, which they try to demolish before I can move them on.
So far two of them are laying, with the third just wandering around scratching and making a mess. They have completely ignored the purpose-built sand-pit I gave them to dust bath in, choosing instead to eat the sand and crap on the roof. To bathe they have dug a pit in the corner of the run and flick soil over everything.
While I argued with myself that they have enough room, I am still not wholly comfortable with their accommodation. I would like them to have more room, a bit of grass to play on, somewhere they can wander about in. However, I am also trying to learn about them and their needs so that, when the time comes that we have a nice big garden, I know what I am doing.
We still haven’t named them, though. Nothing seemed to come to mind when we got them and, now we have had them a month, there’s still not been any inspiration. They’re known collectively as ‘students’ because, after they are let out in a morning, they have a drink and some breakfast and then go back inside (and presumably to sleep) for a couple of hours before emerging again some time later in the morning.
One thing I have realised is how tied we are now. If we can’t find anyone to look after them we are going to struggle with time away from the house, even for a weekend. It’s one thing reading how tying animals are, and quite another to have it hit you when they arrive. I’m glad I am finding this out now and with chickens, rather than later with a cow or two.
Having chickens is really nice. Whenever you go out the back door they rush to the end of the run, expecting grain or other treats. When I try to get into the run, to replenish their food or water, they all make a break for it, to chew on the pathetic-looking broccoli or to trample my salads. Most worrying is their obsession with the rhubarb, which they try to demolish before I can move them on.So far two of them are laying, with the third just wandering around scratching and making a mess. They have completely ignored the purpose-built sand-pit I gave them to dust bath in, choosing instead to eat the sand and crap on the roof. To bathe they have dug a pit in the corner of the run and flick soil over everything.While I argued with myself that they have enough room, I am still not wholly comfortable with their accommodation. I would like them to have more room, a bit of grass to play on, somewhere they can wander about in. However, I am also trying to learn about them and their needs so that, when the time comes that we have a nice big garden, I know what I am doing.We still haven’t named them, though. Nothing seemed to come to mind when we got them and, now we have had them a month, there’s still not been any inspiration. They’re known collectively as ‘students’ because, after they are let out in a morning, they have a drink and some breakfast and then go back inside (and presumably to sleep) for a couple of hours before emerging again some time later in the morning.One thing I have realised is how tied we are now. If we can’t find anyone to look after them we are going to struggle with time away from the house, even for a weekend. It’s one thing reading how tying animals are, and quite another to have it hit you when they arrive. I’m glad I am finding this out now and with chickens, rather than later with a cow or two.
2 comments:
And try to put them back together into the run! That's hardly possible without loosing more beans and rhubarb. But still, eggs were very good!
For such normally slow creatures they do move at lightning speed when they see a tender bean or juicy frond. We will have to watch them carefully!
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