This morning, the Garden Girls were not happy bunnies.
We knew this from very early on, long before we got out of bed.
When I went out to let them out, and to let the Little Girls out, there was a lot of complaining. Whinge, whinge, whinge, whinge.
The Little Girls explored along the netting, doing that chickeny thing where the grass the other side must taste better. I've set the netting up so that one side of their "run", is actually a length of the iig Girls run. This is so that they get used to the sight and smell of each other for a while, before we statr trying to integrate them. Lily was most upset to see her grass being eaten by someone else. She set about trying to gobble it all up, pecking any head that popped through.
The netting for the Little Girls hasn't been put up properly. The ground is rock hard, and I'm waiting for DH to bring the proper length of netting back from the Allotment, so I didn't push the posts in too hard. There are gaps in some places as our lawn undulates somewhat.
Whilst having my breakfast I could hear a bit of a kerfuffle going on. Tilly (the short fat Sasso with the dodgy wing and the huge fat legs) had got out. and the others were telling tales. For a short fat chicken she can move surprisingly quickly. She's very much like her mum both in looks and in surprises. Eventually I managed to waslk her into a corner and I could catch her and put her back. Tilly actually doesn't mind being picked up, she's been the same since she was hatched, always watching me with her beady eye. I think I must have been imprinted on her when she hatched, and she probably thinks of me as her mum.
When DH and I were at the Allotment a week or so ago, we were discussing what to do about the 2 female Sassos, and we agreed that the Orange Ring (now Custard) would be better in the breeding flock because we could see that Green Ring (now Tilly) had dodgy wings. I remember looking at Green Ring and looking at her mother and thinking how different they looked. Tilly was lithe and slim, and her mum was short stumpy and brick shaped.
And now, just a week or so later, and Tilly is a MiniMe of her mum. Only less of the Mini. More of a Maxi. Definitely More anyway.
She's not a very well put together little chicken, but she doesn't seem to be suffering at all. Her best chance is here in the Garden, so we'll see how she goes.
In this picture she's actually stretching upwards so she looks rather more elegant than she does in real life. She's got such a pretty little face.
We knew this from very early on, long before we got out of bed.
When I went out to let them out, and to let the Little Girls out, there was a lot of complaining. Whinge, whinge, whinge, whinge.
The Little Girls explored along the netting, doing that chickeny thing where the grass the other side must taste better. I've set the netting up so that one side of their "run", is actually a length of the iig Girls run. This is so that they get used to the sight and smell of each other for a while, before we statr trying to integrate them. Lily was most upset to see her grass being eaten by someone else. She set about trying to gobble it all up, pecking any head that popped through.
The netting for the Little Girls hasn't been put up properly. The ground is rock hard, and I'm waiting for DH to bring the proper length of netting back from the Allotment, so I didn't push the posts in too hard. There are gaps in some places as our lawn undulates somewhat.
Whilst having my breakfast I could hear a bit of a kerfuffle going on. Tilly (the short fat Sasso with the dodgy wing and the huge fat legs) had got out. and the others were telling tales. For a short fat chicken she can move surprisingly quickly. She's very much like her mum both in looks and in surprises. Eventually I managed to waslk her into a corner and I could catch her and put her back. Tilly actually doesn't mind being picked up, she's been the same since she was hatched, always watching me with her beady eye. I think I must have been imprinted on her when she hatched, and she probably thinks of me as her mum.
When DH and I were at the Allotment a week or so ago, we were discussing what to do about the 2 female Sassos, and we agreed that the Orange Ring (now Custard) would be better in the breeding flock because we could see that Green Ring (now Tilly) had dodgy wings. I remember looking at Green Ring and looking at her mother and thinking how different they looked. Tilly was lithe and slim, and her mum was short stumpy and brick shaped.
And now, just a week or so later, and Tilly is a MiniMe of her mum. Only less of the Mini. More of a Maxi. Definitely More anyway.
She's not a very well put together little chicken, but she doesn't seem to be suffering at all. Her best chance is here in the Garden, so we'll see how she goes.
In this picture she's actually stretching upwards so she looks rather more elegant than she does in real life. She's got such a pretty little face.
