Today was sunny, and I thought it was About Time that I did a full clean out of the hen pen. When the girls are out most of the time, and it's dry, I normally do this every 10-12 week (more often if they're confined or it's been very wet). I've been meaning to do it for a while, every time it's been good enough weather I've gone in and thought "THis isn't too bad, it'll easily last another week".
Enough procrastinating. I started work, cleaning out ALL the flooring, jet washing the perches (they look like new wood now), and so on. The Girls tend to dislike the disruption, and I'm sure they prefer their well used Aubiose/Hemcore to the fresh stuff, and they like to come and voice their opposition to being cleaned.
Today they were in a group on the narrow path which runs between the hen pen and the fruit cage. Something spooked them (me probably, shovelling poo laden Aubiose into a bag), and they all seemed to jump up at once. It's a very confined space out here, and Milly (she of the floppy comb) did this incredible sideways ninja kick, which just happened to hit the door to the fruit cage. Which just happened to swing open so she could get in. I rushed out of the hen pen to shut the fruit cage door to prevent anyone else getting in, and then I tried to get Milly out.
She wasn't having it. The bottom of the Fruit Cage is very interesting. Lots of bark and bugs. The fruit bushes are full of leaves, so it's lovely and cool. After 5 minutes of trying to tempt her out, I was on the verge of giving up and leaving her to it, when she did something unforgivable. She jumped up and helped herself to a ripening blackcurrant.
So, I came out of the fruit cage, collected some corn, and fed it to the others in a very nonchalant way. Milly took no notice. So I fed the others corn in a much more obvious, Milly-what-are-you-missing kind of way, and curiosity got the better of her. Hah.
But that's not all. Having got her out of the fruit cage, there were now 5 excited hens and me standing in a very narrow space. Daisy rushed passed me, and she jumped up and did a ninja kick and opened the swing gate which stops them getting right to the back of the garden. I was....I was...gobsmacked. So shocked that I just stared as she ran through the open gate followed by Lily and Jasmine.
Enough procrastinating. I started work, cleaning out ALL the flooring, jet washing the perches (they look like new wood now), and so on. The Girls tend to dislike the disruption, and I'm sure they prefer their well used Aubiose/Hemcore to the fresh stuff, and they like to come and voice their opposition to being cleaned.
Today they were in a group on the narrow path which runs between the hen pen and the fruit cage. Something spooked them (me probably, shovelling poo laden Aubiose into a bag), and they all seemed to jump up at once. It's a very confined space out here, and Milly (she of the floppy comb) did this incredible sideways ninja kick, which just happened to hit the door to the fruit cage. Which just happened to swing open so she could get in. I rushed out of the hen pen to shut the fruit cage door to prevent anyone else getting in, and then I tried to get Milly out.
She wasn't having it. The bottom of the Fruit Cage is very interesting. Lots of bark and bugs. The fruit bushes are full of leaves, so it's lovely and cool. After 5 minutes of trying to tempt her out, I was on the verge of giving up and leaving her to it, when she did something unforgivable. She jumped up and helped herself to a ripening blackcurrant.
So, I came out of the fruit cage, collected some corn, and fed it to the others in a very nonchalant way. Milly took no notice. So I fed the others corn in a much more obvious, Milly-what-are-you-missing kind of way, and curiosity got the better of her. Hah.
But that's not all. Having got her out of the fruit cage, there were now 5 excited hens and me standing in a very narrow space. Daisy rushed passed me, and she jumped up and did a ninja kick and opened the swing gate which stops them getting right to the back of the garden. I was....I was...gobsmacked. So shocked that I just stared as she ran through the open gate followed by Lily and Jasmine.
