I’m trying to remember more about Sprig’s childhood, but I’m seeing Weeza on Monday so I’ll see if she can jog my memory. At present, of course, we’re getting ready for Christmas. I’ve been somewhat handicapped by a chest infection which kept me in bed for several days and still leaves me breathless, after a fortnight, if I do anything much. Tim has it too now, though not as badly.
I’m not sure if I said that the young pullets, hatched on 14th June, have started laying. The four lay two eggs most days, and the two big black hens lay on alternate days. The youngsters were almost exactly 6 months old – first eggs laid on 12th December. Their mum Canasta has died since – she just faded away over a month or so, wanting to be alone and not eating much – but one of the girls has her mother’s floppy comb, which is rather nice. They’re paler than Canasta and Scrabble, being a rather nice buff colour with amusing darker topknots. I can hear them scratching around outside the window here, hoping I’ll go out with some treats for them.
Hope you have a lovely visit with Weeza. The hens here stopped laying last month. Two are moulting. All three are peeved at the rainy weather because they refuse to leave the coop if it is raining.
Those chest infections are ghastly, also they seem to last forever so I hope you and LT recover soon to enjoy Christmas however you spend it.
Hope there is an opportunity to meet if you come to London next year, so far haven’t made any travel plans for the New Year.
Thanks for the interesting stories of yours and Russell’s early lives, so different from childhood today.
I keep the chooks indoors if the forecast is rain all day. Chickens don’t mind dry cold or warm rain, but they can’t put up with being chilled and wet. By next year, they’ll have the same laying patterns as the older ones, but I’m rather pleased that I have fresh eggs now, with a couple of younger girls that are six weeks younger.
I think we’ll be well just in time, I’m finally starting to feel better. Tim is a bit behind me, but not as ill as I was.
It would be lovely to meet up – with my broken foot and poorly cat, I’ve hardly been to London this year and it’s been for appointments. I”ll let you know when I’m likely to be up, love to see you.
We had 6 weeks with no hens laying, which has never happened before in 23 years. Can’t bear shop bought eggs, and no-one else around here who usually sells from the gate had any either, so we did without. Like yours, our new ones have just started to lay, and this has persuaded the older ones back into production. Nowt so odd as hens.
Like PixieMum, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the childhood stories; thank you for tking the time to write them down.
Enjoy your festivities.