Out in the garden

Well the children are here this weekend and keen to see the chicks in the garden! We have had had much egg checking today! But they were rewarded with 5!!! All good weights too, so they are obviously getting the hang of things.... We are just waiting for little Babette who's yet to grow her comb or wattles, and still has a little pink face!

Fellow Omleteers have reassured me though that they are not essential to laying and maybe she will just go without! she is soooooooo much bigger than when she first arrived though, and is still scoffing for England, so am not too worried....

The kids were thrilled to have them out. We moved the net fencing over to the other side of the garden to try and protect a few small plants that they had previously tried to ravish, and we are pleased to report that it worked. There was a small drama as Coops pushed Penny under it but she was soon rescued.

Emily and Henry were keen to see what the chicks were up too, but alice on the other hand really wanted to pick one up but just couldn't bring herself to do itj!!!!

I brought out the mealworms to encourage the girls to feed from their hands, then they did their really confident thing and started to climb all over them - there was much squeaking from poor old Em. Hen was desperate to get his hands on Hazel, his very own chook, and Alice was determined and got there in the end!!!

Margo

Coops blending in!

harriet

Sweetie

Penny

Babbette

Out into the garden we go...........

Well they slowly made their way out into the garden and began to explore the jungle around them. It appears that they REALLY love begonnias!! They scratched about them for hours gradually taking each one apart with their feet and what they missed they pecked at incessantly. They lurve the earth, and didn't take much notice of the grass much to Nicks relief!

They seemed happy to just peck about. Coops was following them about like a love sick puppy drooling with his tongue hanging out! All he wanted was to get behind them and put his nose under their tummies and lick their legs! How strange.....................

Gradually they made they way down the garden, but not past the halfway mark! I was really surprised how they stuck together most of the time. They made little bokking noises the whole time so I'm assuming that's a good sign!

We did put food and water out for them, but they appeared too busy to drink it.

While they we out we decided to give the cube a blast! Half way through we noticed Harriet making a rackett!!! We went to investigate only to find her perched on the ladder trying to get in, but alas no roosting bars or made up nestbox - a disaster in her world.

We put one set in and so paper in the box and she indignantly went and sat in it. about an hour later she was sqwarking at the top of her voice and there was a lovely egg waiting for us!

When we decided they needed to go back in we shook the corn box and they ran to find us like 5 year olds to sweeties!!!!! They then promptly scoffed all the pellets they could stuff in!

Hazel picks her own

1st big Freerange!

Sooooooooooooooooooo, after the wing clipping came the big outside world!!!

First of all we let them out just into the fenced area, strangely enough they were slow to investigate their new surroundings, but they did eventually find their way around with the help of coops who was closely behind at all times.

They found Nicks runner beans very interesting along with my honeysuckle, where I was hoping they would be more taken with the stinging nettles!! Still they were quite happy grazing for a while.... interestingly they kept going back in the run.... maybe they didn't want to be out after all........

Wing clipping!

Today we took the bull by the horns and armed with a brand new pair of scissors we marched into the cube comando style though the very small flap and got ready for the big clip!!!

We decided to 'do' them in there and then let them all out together. It went pretty well and with a bit of sneaky wiggling and an Omlet diagram I held on to them and Nick did the snipping with Cooper Yelling by the door! Penny of course was always going to be the tricky one as she aviods contact at every opportunity!

So we lured her with corn and then nick went in for the big grab and while she wiggled I snipped off the feathers in question! She was most indignant......

However, they then went out into the big wide world..........................

Found this today! It was laid this afternoon! I had already collected 3 when I got in from work, so I've not idea who is responsible!

Hazel did lay her first one yesterday but it was a lovely deep brown colour and henry scoffed it before the camera could get to it!!!