185. (Some of) the chicks clear their throats . . .


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228. One big happy family?

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The chicks were 11 weeks old at the weekend, and we decided that it was time they were moved, along with their surrogate mother, the white bantam, into the main chicken house . . . . . . and into hell - as the 2nd photo suggests. So, on Saturday afternoon we caged the three of them in the main house, alone, and let them explore, and hopefully roost. Then at dusk we let Flash and the 5 hens back into their house. Chaos ensued. Bloody chaos. And ever since; Flash has been patrolling up and down, the (larger) white sussex hens have been pecking and baying (almost wolf-like) and skirmishing has been breaking out all over the place. Two days later, it is still not much better. One hen has a facial injury, the two chicks roost as soon as there is any trouble and egg-laying is becoming a case of  'drop-it-anywhere, quickly and run'. The only bright note is that the black bantam has laid her first egg for 18 months. (I half-expected an ostrich-sized egg after a...
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28. The bees...and John Terry...

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The beekeeper has been to visit, and together we inspected the hive. Good, and surprising news - the bees have survived the Farlands Winter (the hive was probably warmer, and certainly had less condensation than our house). There are about 30 000 of them, they are 'Queen-right' ie she survived and looks healthy. No obvious disease. The concern, however, is that she is not laying (it takes about three weeks from egg to new worker bee, so if this situation persist then we will not have an increasing population which is essential at this time of year). So, we fed them a fondant (like a malleable slab of Kendal Mint Cake), and will re-inspect them in a week or so. Meanwhile I have built a two-hive bee platform (in a slightly sunnier place). And I am moving the hive in stages towards it. Paradoxically, despite their oft-reported intelligence, bees get lost if they are moved more than three feet or so. So, the rule is move them '3 feet or 3 miles'. Other distances have to b...
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6th October...Autumn is here...

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Autumn is here - very wet and windy this week! Our bench (at the front of the house) will not stay upright, and one day I found it halfway down the bank. The wind and rain mean inside jobs! I've been in the loft - insulating it. It's 140m2, and involves taking the boards up (some take 15mins or more because of so many nails), then laying 200mm of insulation, then a spaceboard (polystyrene worth 100mm), then re-boarding it. I reckon this job will take me 30 years. I found some money today for the 1st time - a coin much larger than a 2p piece; an old 1p. Turkeys doing ok. They went free-range after a week or so, and generally understand that they should stay in the orchard (top paddock). But, I do spend some days chasing them about and yesterday broke our broom doing it! Generally entertaining the walkers as they go by. The orchard is about to grow in meaning - Mum has just ordered our 40th birthday present: trees. Includes sweet chestnut, hazel (a cob...
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