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Sunday, 31st August 2014
We still have our broody Light Sussex (see 22nd August) and we now have another: our very own light golden bantam nestled here in a spare hay rack in the barn! She is the bantam who has already raised two broods this year (mother to the lovely Wobbly) and then went broody for a third time a few weeks ago. So this is now her FORTH time of being broody this year and yet it really is now too late to do any more hatching. If we gave her some eggs now they would not hatch untill the last week in September and the chicks would then not feather up enough by the winter!!! It would not be fair!!
We have now emptied the hay rack of hay to try to stop her broodiness. We felt incredibly mean doing it as she looks so comfortable doesn't she??? Fingers crossed she does not simply go and find somewhere else...
The Indian Game in the second photo has had quite a severe moult but is now growing back her feathers with fabulous speed. She is the same Indian Game who also lost some of her back feathers due to being a bit of a favourite with one of her cockerels (they stand on the hens to mate and can pull out the feathers with their feet!! Ouch!!) and so her feather loss has been worse than usual. (See 30th September for a full explanation about moulting.)
We are delighted with the amount of feathers growing back here. These are known as 'pin' feathers as they are small but it won't be long we don't think before this bird is fully covered with feathers again, all in time for the winter. Perfect!
And in other news we sold two more birds today: a male and female Buff Orpington. The couple who bought them are the couple we bought the fertile eggs from in the first place back in May. They lost some of their own birds in a fox attack and so are looking to restock a little. It was lovely to be able to sell them a couple of 'their' birds!!!
Our drainage system is getting VERY close to being finished, and we now need to order some turf so that we can have the whole area re-grassed before winter really sets in: photos tomorrow!!
