chantelle and I went down to feed the chickens on Sunday morning and were gobsmacked to see one of bantams had hatched out 18 youngsters. She had been sat tight on a nest in the ditch and this time we had just left her to it. Feeling vindicated by our laissez-faire approach I poo-pooed Eric's suggestions that we move them all up to the garden where we could keep an eye on them.
On Monday Chantelle did the chucks in the morning (for the first time in ages, I had not gone down before work). Poor bantam had only one chick left and the others had either vanished or were lying around the ditch in various stages of dismemeberment.
The stoat trap has been cleaned and baited with chicken fat.As of Friday morning the sole chick still survives. The other 4 chicks are all doing well. We have brought a shaver hen up the top to sit on a clutch. She has been broody for nearly 2 months now and hasnt hatched anything, so the enforced captivity in the broody box will either get her hatching something or will get her back laying again. Patrick managed to get the other shaver laying again, by opening her lid before she had settled on the eggs. She was off and couldn't be coaxed back onto them.
Other livestock news: the sheep remain twitchy but slightly less so than they were when they arrived. We are still trying to get a shearer for Mosetse (the ram). He is the opposite of the ewes, being bottle-raised he is too fearless. It makes him difficult to move around as he will not be driven. He has to be led, preferably by someone carrying something in a bucket! He has taken to harrassing us for his daily traet of sheep nuts and we are a bit worried that he will end up obese. The grass is romping away.
Ducks and ducklings are doing well. The ducks are well grown now and fly up to us for their daily grain. They have been showing signs of mating with each other, so we are looking forward to trying out lots of duckling recipes - I am - the others still find it a bit distasteful.
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