An Afternoon Pottering

Behind The Fence

I decided to spend Tuesday afternoon pottering at lottington whatever the weather. I had a few jobs to do so when I arrived I spent the first 20 minutes trying to find a net big enough to put over Johns Brussels sprouts, mine had already been done and was keeping the chickens away quite successfully. Whilst doing this I noticed the Blurs class go out on the field to do P.E. and it wasnt long before she noticed me too and gave me a wave. Giving up on finding a net I go on with my second task of reinforcing the chicken coop fence and trying to find a secondary latch for the coop door. Having my mp3 player on it took a while to realise that the Blur was at the fence with her teacher calling me. I downed tools for a bit and went to say hello. They were peering over in hope of seeing the chickens. Not wanting to disappoint I caught the first chicken who had her back to me, which ended up being my favorite girl to cuddle, Betty (she always seems to be in need of a bit of affection). I had to laugh when the teacher asked Blur what the chickens name was. She answered 'Um...... Polly.' I dont know if her mind just went blank from being put on the spot. She confessed after school that once back in her class they were discussing the chickens she completely forgot Marges name. One of the boys said he didnt realise she lived there.

Now, as the girls have taken the hut to be their beauty parlour they are regular visitors in there which is fine except they have no concept of not pooping on the floor. Being fed up with the smell in there it was time to wash the floor. I blocked the door off with a window pane that was big enough and cleared the floor. Rita didnt see the barrier as an obstacle, jumped up and knocked it over, giving herself a bit of a shock. 'Bloody hell Nicola, I need a nice cup of tea after my ordeal' I think she'd say.

After my little show and tell it was off to greenhouse one and sadly had to throw away the pumpkins that had gone rotten and the sunflower heads that wernt much better. Having nothing left to do, I sat down outside with a blanket wrapped round me and just enjoyed being there for a while. Penny came and sat next to me for a bit. I like to be able to pick out little personality traits for all of the chickens, Alisons didnt come out until after Cairo had died and for Penny its taken a while for me to recognise her personal habit. But sure enough she has one. She likes to explore higher areas, which I think comes from her knowing that all the best treats in the hut are up on the table. Now as I explained about the state of the floor I hastily remove her from the surfaces in the hope she'll learn that I dont want her up there (and pigs might fly.)

I was very impressed with the Blurs shepherding this week as she managed to get the girls to walk in a line along the fence and into the coop. I wish it was always that easy.

The Site Inspection

When we arrived at lotty this morning to let the girls out we were thinking about how much we needed to cut the hedge as there was a site inspection by the council this morning. David walked past and John said 'I think David needs a couple of eggs.' Davids wife wont buy or cook him eggs after she got ill from one when she was in her twenties. He came in and told us that our hedge isnt too much of a problem and we said we'd planned to do it as a winter project. He gave us some advice on planting sprouts and told us a few other things. He was dubious as to whether some of the crops we have just planted would grow but I think he likes that fact that we tend to be experimental with what and when we plant. On our way out he called us into his plot and gave us a lovely, heavy white cabbage in return for the eggs. We've now considered leaving eggs out with a note offering to swap eggs for veg. I told John that someone had left out a big bag of Jerusalem artichokes out in the week for other people to take, but as I didnt have a clue how to cook them or what with I hadnt taken any.

We returned this afternoon so that I could clean out the coop and John could make a big fire. After all the bad weather this week the fire didnt want to get going, but what there was of it warmed my hands up after using freezing cold water to wash the chickens tarpaulin. John came down and had a look in the coop and said he wished he could go to sleep in there. I told him that when we have a barn i'll make it nice and cosy for him to go in. It may look cosy but sometimes when I have to crawl in there to sort it out I think id rather have a proper bed any day.

Once again despite the cold weather im glad I got to spend a few hours there this week. Roll on spring when iv got more to do there than I have hours in the week to do them.

Snow And Hail

Sundays Snow

Having looked out of the window early on Sunday morning and seeing snow on the ground my first thought was lotty. Not just the chickens, but our recently planted onions and potatoes. They've so far managed to survive the frost but I was unsure if they'd be able to cope with a layer of snow. Luckily the onions seem to be just fine. As the potatoes are planted alot further down and then covered in a foot of hay I cant as yet tell if the weather has had any effect on them. Im hoping the hay has offered them some extra protection.

Aside from having cold feet (the bottoms of chickens feet are similar to ours) the girls didnt seem too put off by the snow, although they did seem quite keen to get into the hut as soon as the door was open. As Saturday was particularly cold, I took some tea to lotty to drink whilst I cleaned the coop out. I felt slightly bad as all the chickens had to drink was some near freezing water. So I got an extra mug and offered the girls some tea. It seems Rita may not live up to our impressions of her wanting to come home with us for tea and cucumber sandwiches after all, as none of them looked impressed and turned their beaks up at the offer.

Mondays Hail

Yesterday afternoon I watched from the kitchen as a huge dark cloud rolled closer and closer to the house, and eventually pelting down what I can only call the worst hail storm I have ever seen. As much as I love our chickens I have to admit that chickens in general are not intelligent creatures, so the concept of going inside during the hail probably never occurred to them. When I arrived to put them away they still looked ruffled and damp. Now as I said the hail was coming down hard, so much so that it snapped one of the thick posts that is part of the girls run. Although we no longer keep the girls in there anymore its essential for getting the chickens away at night. What made it even harder was that it was my first time putting them away on my own as the Blur had gone to a friends house straight from school. I put the tub of chicken mash in the coop which tempted two of them in. Alison and Betty were unceremoniously and in Alisons case indigently caught a placed inside. Marge on the other hand decided to give me the run around and escaped the run by jumping over the fallen fence.

Repairs

After letting the chickens out and giving them something to eat I found a new post, step ladder, gloves and a brick and proceeded to strengthen the fence again. The step ladder has a rung missing from my apple picking in the summer and its really not very steady, so very carefully I climbed the remaining steps and started banging the post in with the brick. Two blows in and all the concrete stuck to the brick shattered over my head. I was still brushing bits out of my hair whilst paying for my shopping.

To end on a high note I can say for definite that all five of the chickens are now laying. Payment pending we have sold our first dozen eggs to a neighbour. Now all we need is as many egg boxes as we can lay our hands on.

Hours Of Entertainment

Looking Hopeful

A few weeks ago we planted some onions outside and have been told on numerous occasions since that they wont grow. Well on the weekend we found the first shoots appearing and now there are around seven or eight. After that small success I thought id have a quick nip down to the greenhouse to check on the peas and beans albeit doubtfully. Once again to my surprise there were definite shoots on the broad bean side. Its been lovely to come home and say 'guess what, its growing.'

Unfortunately having the girls roaming free at lotty means they assume anything there is chicken fodder, including onion shoots. Not wanting them to go the same way as our pak choi and spinach it was time to construct a chicken barrier around them and at the same time protect the brussels plants. For the brussels I stuck 4 canes in the ground and tied some fabric mesh around while the chickens made the most of their last moments with them. Not being able to find any more suitable mesh for the onions I had to think again. The only other option was to make a cage around them. It wasnt long before I regretted putting the wire panels behind the shed and piling everything else in front of them. Standing precariously on the wood pile, wrestling with the panels took longer than making both barriers.

5 Chickens = Priceless

Ever since we got the first three girls we have always said its the best entertainment you could buy. They have so much personality, from the raptorseque run to Ritas middle aged woman tendencies. Other plot holders tell us how the chickens run along the fence to see them too. Brian has been looking after chicken Johns hens as he's not been well. He called me over and said he'd been bringing extra chicken mash (basically anything left over from the previous nights dinner) for our girls and they loved it. So the next day we took the remains of our Sunday dinner to lotty in a container and set it down in the run. We watched for ten minutes as Alison assaulted any of the grey hens who dared approach the food. She made allowances for Rita as they pretty much seem to be best friends. Even after Alison had had her fill the second the others went near she'd run over and give them a good nip (when I say nip its slightly more aggressive than that) on the neck. We couldnt stop laughing at them. Im quite sure the other girls are terrified of Alison when there's good food on the menu.

Having just discovered that four of the chickens are now laying it was a surprise yesterday to find 5 eggs in the coop. My first thought was I must have missed one the day before and it had been rolled into sight by one of the girls during the night. But this morning there were four eggs in the coop, none of which were Alisons (her eggs are very different from the other girls eggs.) This leads me to believe that Betty is also laying now, though I will give it a few more days before I say it for certain.

Having recently taken more of an interest in the other wildlife around lotty, iv been trying to find ways to attract more birds. Having built a bird feeding table and put the bird house back up, yesterday I bought a wooden feeder and some peanuts to hang on one of the plum trees. Im hoping if they realise there's a constant food supply in our plot they'll want to raise their chicks in our bird houses.

Its been cold and a bit wet lately but its still been a pleasure to spend time at lotty with our girls.

An Afternoon With The Girls

Some Survivors

Now despite the frosts two weeks ago Johns broad beans are still hanging on and growing, though the last beans taken from it were not of a standard to be eaten. Also the carrots I planted havnt all died yet so I am holding out some hope that they're going to grow into yummy carrots which also depends on them not being trampled by clawed feet. There is still no sign of the potatoes or onions yet and we may be disappointed but I havnt lost faith in them, even if it means they dont start growing until the spring. The peas and beans we planted in the greenhouse havnt put in an appearance yet either, but it does look like we have some mushrooms growing there (pity they're not in the boxes I tried growing them in.)

And Back To The Girls

I decided yesterday that come rain or shine I would be spending an afternoon with the chickens. Theres always that lovely moment when the chickens see me walking up the lane to our gate and run over to greet me. Five little beaked faces all looking at me expectantly. Not wanting to disappoint I popped into the hut to find the left over french stick id brought up in the morning. I thought we had lost two of the girls but quickly found them behind an apple tree where they'd made a new dust bath spot. Crouching down as much as I could so as not to get too muddly I filled my hands with bread and held it out. Seemingly my teeth looked like a better meal to Marge who had a good try at pecking them. It only confirms my fear that to them anything white must be bread which is why I always close my eyes when they're close to my face.

Now after my surprise at finding henry mouse last week im a bit more cautious when im moving things around in the hut. I did see him again running behind some shelves on Monday when I also saw a squirrel in lotty for the first time. Although I dont mind the mouse being around, or even eating the chicken food, I just wish he wouldnt make holes in the bag so when I pick the bag up layers pellets spill out onto the floor. My bird table seems to have been used by smaller birds which is a good sign, and I also put the bird house back up in the hope that the robin (who iv now named Beano Bobbin the Robin) will move in.

Having pretty much given the girls bread everyday I have been trying to find other little treats for them like peas left over from our dinner, which Alison doesnt seem too keen on. Today I bought some raisins and Im hoping these will go down well as they're relatively cheap and iv been trying to find something to satisfy Alisons sweet tooth. I'll also put a few down on the bird table as a treat for the robin.

The Wildlife Of Lotty

A Surprise For Picola

Not knowing what time John was going to arrive at lotty with the pork cobs I packed a few home comforts (tea, book, and mp3 player with an episode of Family Guy on) and headed over after dropping the blur off at school. Having also brought along the remains of our french stick the girls were even happier than usual to see me.

As John and his friend Richard were coming to pick up the generator I thought it might be helpful if I made space to move it and clear the clutter from on top of it. I picked up a deckchair cushion, screamed (or as much of a scream as im capable of) and ran out of the hut. Im really not scared of little creatures, it was just the surprise at finding a mouse in there. Whilst out of the hut during my scare I looked for the girls who were all at the bottom along the fence. I had to do a double take before I realised we hadnt acquired another black hen and it was a cat sitting quite happily amongst our girls. I ventured back inside talking to the mouse, who I have decided to call Henry, telling him that I didnt mind his presence, just try not to hide under things that im moving.

Having had a few more eggs than usual over the last few days im hopeful that we now have four layers, but I have to work out whether its Betty or Penny.

As with most of my blogs there is always so much I forget to write, so today I found myself some paper and a pen and decided to do a quick draft in the hut. Once again to my surprise, but without the screaming Henry ran across the floor trying to find his way out. I know I shouldnt really but I couldnt resist offering him a few small pieces of bread as he really is very sweet. What I cant quite work out is how he managed to drag an apple four or five times his size over to the generator, which is now covered in mouse droppings.

There are a few robins around lotty which John has fed biscuits to over previous winters. This year however may be slightly different as our girls have chased it off whenever its attempted to share their bread. Not wanting it to miss out on a bit of extra food over the winter im going to try and find him a little spot to feed from thats out of reach of bigger beaks. Iv taken a look at our wood pile and the possibility of building a bird table seems very likely.

Empty Greenhouses

The Last Of The Tomatoes
After the few mornings of frost we have had the tomato and chili plants finally gave up and it was time to pull them up and leave the fruits to ripen. Greenhouse one is now empty, which I suppose is better than it being full of wilting plants. We covered the potatoes we planted a few days ago with hay taken from the chicken coop, so Im hoping the chicken waste will help in the same way that manure does. Having planted out potatoes this week we also decided to plant some onion sets to see if there is any chance of them growing over the winter. John had a quick look in the bottom greenhouse to see if any of the peas or runner beans had started to appear, but came back telling me the only things growing in there were weeds.

There And Back With A Beak
When we arrived at lotty yesterday we could see Marge outside of the gate. With a bit of encouragement in the form of bread we managed to lure her back inside the confines of the fence and thought no more of it. Ten minutes later we found Marge hanging round the gate and watched for a while to see if we could figure out her escape route. It didnt take long before we were out of the gate to round her back up, though this time it was slightly harder as she hurried herself under a bush and headed off towards chicken Johns allotment. Finally back in I picked her up and took her down to the coop to be shut in the run for a while hoping this would stem her adventurousness for long enough for me to block any more escape routes. Id hardly turned my back on her when I realised that Marge was once more missing. This time she'd squeezed herself through the hedge into next doors plot which meant we'd pretty much just have to wait for her to come home by herself.

By the time we got to lotty in the evening to put the girls away she was in the coop, probably very ready to go to sleep after her busy day. I had worried her escapes were going to become a bit of a habit, but as we were there for a couple of hours this morning and she didnt get out once im hoping she's seen and done all the things she dreamt of and is now happy being a stay at home chicken like the others. When we were talking about Marge later in the day I hoped that she was going to write a travel guide for all the other allotment chickens, and John suggested that it would be call 'There and Back With A Beak.'

Quite a few people stopped and chatted with us today and the girls really do seem to be the biggest talking point. David came by and was telling us about when he lived on a farm as a boy, and how they used to supply eggs and milk for the whole village. My award for best chicken impersonation is going to David as he sounded even more chicken like than our girls.