The Spice Rack

What to choose? White Stars, Amber Stars, Sussex, Blue, Speckledy - or Black?

From front to back - here are Pepper, Nutmeg and Ginger.

We decided to take another trip into North Lincolnshire to visit Shaun King at http://www.outgatepoultry.com/ who provided us with our lovely Rangers. We were spoilt for choice but fell for the Outgate Blacks and brought 3 of them back home today. They are standing in the run looking stunned, without a gorm between them! The Rock Chicks are on Chicken Field at the moment but when they are ready to go back, we have thick netting in place to divide the run for the first several days.

This is the pen of Blacks that decided us. We chose suitable 'black' names on the way home, Jet, Ebony etc, but when we took them from their travelling boxes and they stood blinking in the weak East Yorkshire sun, they looked very varied and not entirely black so that the names didn't really suit. The one with the palest breast feathers begged to be called Ginger, the darkest became (Black) Pepper and the in betweeny became Nutmeg - so we ended up with Spice Girls rather than mysteriously Shakespearean Dark Ladies.

I think we have an interesting few days ahead (as in 'May you live in interesting times'!)

Here comes the sun!

Sunshine today so the ladies decided to dig holes and make 'nests'. They dust bath in these, so in this weather there's a fair amount of mucky, damp soil hurled around the place.

The aim seems to be to get as much in between the feathers as possible so they do look fairly dirty when they've done. It all seems to shake off though and is evidently a very pleasurable experience. Eyes closed and all!

More 'nest' making. This heap of stuff was pulled out of a nest box that has been used by coal tits for several years. It's being moved because it's on a pole supporting next door's power line, which is being led underground now. There's blue baler twine in here along with all the dried grass.

In the next few weeks we are hoping to add to our little flock. Don't know what, we'll see what's available.