By Halves' Chicken Diary!

[By Halves]

Just gave the girls a good bit of time in the garden while I gave their coop a much overdue proper everything out and scrubbed down clean. I think they had a nice time and they seemed quite relaxed outside today. Angel even followed after me running right across the garden when I went to the compost heap. It's a shame I can't let them play in it as I bet they would love it. Instead they spent ages pecking away at the crack between the path and the flowerbed edging. I don't know what they were finding in it but there was certainly something very tasty there!

While I was cleaning out I was most unhappy at how damp the straw I'd put under the bedding for extra insulation was. I've been poop picking and feeling the bedding to check it was dry and putting a bit more fresh on top every couple of days without realising that what it was layered on top of was so wet Feel really bad now as Angel is still sneezing a bit more than usual but I thought it was left over from her cold - which otherwise seems to have gone. Hopefully she can kick the cold properly now the house is dry. Wondering if the rest of the straw will be OK to use in the summer (if it's a dry one) or if I should just put it all straight on the compost. I'll need to order more easibed or similar very soon anyway.

Still no eggs from my little bright red combed young ladies - even their eyebrows are bright red which took me by surprise when I first noticed it. Angel went to explore the nest box once I'd reinstated it but I'm sure she was just checking that nothing tasty had happened to fall in there while she wasn't looking

[By Halves]

Gave the girls a quick run out while I cleaned out the ark and when I looked in their bedroom there was something odd-looking under the perch. I reached in and pulled out a soft shelled egg! They presumably hadn't realised what it was as it didn't seem to be pecked or anything. Sadly it split open when I picked it up so it got all full of poopy bedding or I'd have cooked it up for them tomorrow. It looked suprisingly large to have been laid by such a teeny chicken. I'm guessing Phoebe because Angel shows no sign of squatting yet.

If the guy I got them from is right I'll probably have one more egg and then the girl in question will go broody so it's a shame I won't be able to let them hatch anything for a couple of years.

[KarenE]

Oooh somebody's got their L-plates on!

Just getting into the swing of things by the sound of it, you'll be frying up those bantam eggs in no time (and making teeny pieces of toast for them to go on)

I hope they don't go broody on you! Turf them out at the first sign and keep them out of the coop. And stick a cold water bottle under them. Apparently it works quite well at breaking broody behaviour as it brings their body temp down.

I'm surprised they didn't scoff the broken egg - mine love it when they get a softy, I can usually only tell by the stains on the straw as they polish the lot off.

[sandy]

I too am surprised they didnt push you out the way to scoff that egg!

[By Halves]

Second soft shelled egg found today! In the nesting box too. There were a couple of beak holes in it but they hadn't scoffed it so I scrambled it for them and they had it for supper with sunflower seeds mixed in.

[KarenE]

What a lovely tea for them! All we need now is an egg for you

[By Halves]

Mmm yes I'd love one for me. I don't eat commercially produced eggs so it's been about 18 months since I've had one!

[By Halves]

A third egg was in their bedroom today. Again a softie and it had burst open so they may have eaten some but there was still quite a bit in the bedding so not totally scoffed!

I gave the girlies a good run out in the sunshine while I cleaned out the ark and then sat on the bench reading driving test tips on my phone so they didn't have to go back in when I'd finished. At some point I looked up to see Phoebe weeding the flowerbed and no sign of Angel... found her in the nest box testing how comfy it was. Perhaps she's going to come up with an egg for me soon!

[By Halves]

Egg number 4 was found in their bedroom yesterday morning. Another soft shell but this time intact and seemed a little stronger so hopefully we'll get ones with a proper shell soon. I think my little girls are likely to lay 3 or 4 eggs a week (unless broody...) so it's fun to see how the gaps between eggs are shrinking: 13 days; 9 days and 7 days!

Once again the egg was served back to them, scrambled, for their supper and they enjoyed it very much

[KarenE]

Come on Minichas! You can do it

[By Halves]

I got home (after passing my driving test - hooray!!!) to find an egg in the nestbox with a proper shell on it - more hoorays!!! I can't be certain but it may be Angel that laid it as she looked a bit fluffed up and uncomfortable this morning and she doesn't look in the slightest bit uncomfortable now while she's working away very hard at digging up the flowerbeds!

[KarenE]

Oh well done on passing your driving test Annie!

And well done the Minichas for their first proper egg!

Blow it (eat the contents!) and keep the shell as a souvenir. If you can!

[By Halves]

There was another proper egg in the nestbox on Sunday and a third today so one each for myself and my kids. I'm going to have a go at blowing them first. I weighed them and the first two are 26g and today's is 33g. Now I'm waiting to see if any more softies turn up so I know if all these are from the same girl. Sadly I've not got much time to sit out in the garden and wait for them to go into the nestbox to find out that way.

Thanks Karen, the learning to drive in four weeks thing was stressful but also fun. Now I need to acquire a car and do the Pass Plus course so I'm as safe as possible on motorways and then I can move down to St Leonards on Sea to look after my Mum. So still lots to do to keep me away from sitting in the garden with my chickies!

[By Halves]

Had a go at blowing the eggs and two worked well. The 33g egg was a double yolk! Unfortunately I'd forgotten l'm not very keen on fried eggs so they weren't as tasty as they could have been. I wonder how many I'll need for a quiche which is my favourite eggy thing and just not the same made with tofu!

Another nicely shelled little egg was in the nestbox yesterday so at least one of my girls has really got the knack. I wish I knew which it is or if it's both. Phoebe did the squat thing for me the other day but Angel hasn't yet.

I think the turning point was that I took the shuttering off the front of the ark so it's just on the back so they are getting much more daylight in the run now but it does mean that when it rains it's much wetter as well.

[By Halves]

My question as to who is laying appears to have been answered this afternoon by the two little eggs I found when I went to let my girls out for a run in the watery sunshine