The Joy of Dirt

How to keep your feathers in good fettle! It's surprising how quickly they fluff up again - and how clean they look afterwards!

I've finished my grass. Can I have yours?

Grubby chickens!

How they love a good flap in the dirt! You can see the remains of another wallow hole by the damson tree, and there's yet another closer to the camera. Their lovely under-feathers are coated in soil and look grey and gritty instead of white and fluffy. Still, they did exactly the same yesterday, accompanied by that noise half way between a cat's purr and a frog's croak, that seems to indicate chicken bliss! They shake their feathers until the grit shakes out and they become lovely and pristine again. I'd rather have a bath!

A chicken's life!

Grass? What grass? Last year this area was the rank and overgrow part of the mini-meadow. It didn't take the chickens long to trash it! Considering that it has been 'resting' for a couple or three months, it still looks devastated. They don't seem to mind though. It's another scratching experience.

After a good rummage through the dirt and gravel, the chickens went back to their run for a good stoke up with pellets. Then it seemed like a good idea to have a lie down and digest them! Three managed to get into the fish box which is sunk down so the rim is just above chippings-level. The other is snuggled up close by. I've got to get the tea ready now. They have staff!

Out on Chicken Field

After the horrible winter when snow filled their little patch or rain sluiced off the garden room to make a drip trench like a small river, the ground was in good fettle for a rummage yesterday. The chickens spent a couple of hours fossicking amongst the pebbles and beaking up the bits of grass (not many!) while I gave the house a really good do out.

Ruby, having a good fluff up after a big scratching session. The fact that the chickens hadn't been on there for a while meant that there were plenty of wiggly things to eat.

New perch. Can you smell fish?

Rooftops and caulis

Upwardly mobile chicken!

Amber and Garnet are the intrepid mountaineers of the bunch, Amber being the keenest to get a good view! Just before I took this picture I was walking back from the greenhouse and she was desperate to see what I was doing. She flew up and scrambled to the pointy top of Beak House to eyeball me.

She likes to keep track of me in case I have a handful of weeds she can help me with. I hadn't, on this occasion, as I was coming back from noting the Max/Min temperatures.

In the chickens' opinion, people leave the best bit of a cauliflower. Our elderly neighbours are cauli addicts and bring the outer shell for the girls' delight and delectation.

Another snow fall

After a night when the temperature went down to -4.4 degrees, I decided another hot mash was in order. We had a snow fall overnight and there was a thick ice-sheet over the chickens' water. Hot Mash time is the nearest I've seen to squabbling with this little flock. They all jump on the dish at once and although there's room for them all around the dish, there's usually one who lands on another and they settle themselves with a little squawk of protest!

Notice that the greens, usually fallen on with relish, now hold no interest at all!

We're ok!

At 3.15 the light is fading and the snow is falling fast but our chicken-run roof is keeping the worst at bay. We still like eating snow though - when it comes in on someone's shoes!