Turkeys, nesting boxes and possible patter of little hooves

Happy hens are the key to happy eggs... or any eggs! And as the weather has been unseasonably cold and wet- took this picture Tuesday morning, we don't usually get mist yet.                                 

Ours are definitely on stike. We have a few older (2-5years) and a few which should be POL (point of lay), but they are yet to lay. So greens, protien and plenty of scratching room have been on offer, as always... but nothing. So we are looking at upgrading their housing.

We managed to bag a bargain at the weekend- 3 bookshelves. Now you maybe wonder what that has to do with roosting, but they have everything to do with roosting. As these bookshelves, make ideal roosting boxes for our chicken coup renovations. Our birds, whilst also needing their fencing realigned, also need their coups upgrading. Especially as I intend to remove the small dog house conversion to the front garden. We need to make the large shed as cosy and appealing as possible. So will post something about their construction soon.



Saturday we finally said goodbye to some young turkeys we had been looking after for a friend. Generally I wouldn't have minded, and until recently the more the merrier. However as they are a breeding trio, this caused some issues as our younger tom (the surviving poult we hatched earlier this year) really need to be moved outside. As he was far too big to still be in the brooder box and as he had been on his own for quite some time, I was concerned about him being lonely.

However with the others settling into their new home, I was able to move him into the small run, with the young pullets and roosters... he's not loving the company! So far he spends most of the day hiding in the roosting box. And at night, in under the housing, as the chickens kick him out. I did see him eat this morning, so that was a relief. I have to wonder how long it is before he realises how much bigger his is, and will be than they are.



In pig news, Christmas Ham has definitely not come into season over the last 6 weeks... so we think (and hope) she is back in pig! So as pigs gestation is approx 114 days (3 months,





Hoping for another healthy litter of piglets


3 weeks, 3 days- if a month was 30 days) and we estimate that she would be 6-7 weeks in, we only have 10 weeks or so to find out.