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[Meggie]

Hi Girls

This morning I took a peep into the chicken house to see where all but one of the chickens had gone - they were lining up to lay !!  As I was leaning over, the remaining bird saw an opportunity and flew up onto my back to peck my hair ..... the little madam.  OH has called one of the grey birds "Rasher" as her comb looks very much like a slice of best back bacon !!

Meggie

[CLKD]

Ours mutter when on the nest box a sort of soft noise with the odd purr as she begins to settle ...... we have 4 hens, got 5 eggs on Thursday 

[Meggie]

Ours mutter when on the nest box a sort of soft noise with the odd purr as she begins to settle ...... we have 4 hens, got 5 eggs on Thursday 

Ours make soft noises too, as if they are talking to the eggs - does this sound odd or is it me that's odd?  4 hens and 5 eggs - brilliant - a BOGOF.

When we let our hens out they follow us around the garden - it's like having a dog by your side except you fall over the chickens sometimes

Meggie

[Taz2]

Sad news..... I ran over a badger last night. I feel so sad and upset. I had no chance of avoiding her - she just emerged straight out of a ditch on the side of a single track country road. The only comforting thing was that it was a direct hit to the side of the head and she would have died immediately. I stopped, of course, but she was already gone. The thing that is really on my mind though is that I am sure she was in milk as her nipples were really distended and all night I have had the thought of the cubs(?) without their mum. 

Taz x

[Eddie]

That's awful Taz, you do see quite a few run over, bet you got a fright?

[Taz2]

It was a bit quick to get a fright to be honest. Mind you it was one of those nights. On the way out I almost ran over a jack russell which is from one of the farms and wanders far and wide. I just missed him. Then, after the badger incident, a ginger cat raced out from behind a car, I missed it, and then it raced back again and I missed it a second time. Just as I got home the neighbours cat tore across the road because he had seen an arch enemy on the other side and I missed him by a whisker!

A lot of the badgers which you see by the side of the road are not actually roadkill but have been shot and dumped on the road to make it look like roadkill.

Mind you it was only last year that a passing badger fancied a tasty snack and disembowelled one of my visiting hedgehogs and I remember feeling quite annoyed at it!

Taz x

[Eddie]

Any idea where it's litter could be, would it be worthwhile contacting local rspca?

[Taz2]

We have many setts round here Eddie - and they are known to roam a fair way each night so that wouldn't be an option. Plus badgers are not the most loved of animals nowadays. The advice from badger forums  is that if you hit a badger and kill it then you should dispose of or hide the body off the road as a dead one leads people who want them got rid of possibly to their sett. I will go back tonight and have a look. There are houses and farms down the road so people may know where it is. I just dont want to lead the wrong people there.

Taz x

[Eddie]

It is sad, although part of life. It's not your fault.

[CLKD]

Broody hens talk to the eggs when the sit on them before hatching 

I've bought lots of new pond plants today so have been tidying pots, clipping back, getting wet, moving tubs etc..    lots of tiny froglets all over the patio and still tadpoles in the water .......... there's lots of beetle-type things in the water looking like they are swimming upside down 

Tired now <yawn>

[Bckquine]

Was attacked by a bloody seagull on way to work tonight.  Its baby was on the other side of the road as well, so was nowhere near the damn thing!  Dived at me at least three times, so made sure I had my brolly up on the way home as I saw it attacking a man walking his dog.  They are so viscious at this time of the year.  Love seeing wild birds flying about and coming into my garden, but they are just vermin, there is nothing at all that you can like about them.  They are noisy, gready, viscious buggers and we all have to suffer for the next few weeks until all the babies have learnt to fly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cazikins]

Oh Taz, I feel for you - running over a badger must have been heartbreaking for you. 
I am hoping I have made up for a bit of your sorrow/sadness...

We went down our local pub this evening at about 9.pm. I went outside for a ciggie & while I was there a tiny little hedgehog made an appearance, he crept up on me & slowly started his journey across the road (it is a country lane),,, nothing coming I thought, then out of nowhere I saw the headlights of a car... BUGGER, he aint gonna squahed the little fella.

I shouted into the pub to hubby "quick, get out here, there is a baby hedgehog just about to get squashed, there is a car coming do something NOW". Hubby came out to help, I waved down the car & beckoned the driver to stop, hubby picked up the baby hedgehog & put him on the other side of the road  .

Hedgehog surviveds to live another day,  driver gave us the thumbs up & smiled .
Hubby is my Hero.

[Taz2]

Thanks Cazi - I feel better about it today - well I don't mean about it but am more philosophical. I have also heard back from a badger expert who says that by this stage all cubs are independent, just suckling from mum now and again for a bit of comfort, so they wont starve.

Well done for rescuing the hedgie. I do some volunteer work for an animal hospital and we are carrying out some "soft releases" of young hedgies in the next few weeks. These are babies of hedgies who have been brought in because either the mother has been killed and the nest left abandoned or the mother has been brought in ill and pregnant. The hospital advertises for people who would be willing to have a hedgie released into their garden and I go round to check it all out. Some people seem to think that the hedgie will actually stay in their garden and not roam so they are sometimes a bit disappointed when it is pointed out that the hedgie can have a territory of around 3 miles which it checks out each night!

Hope you are well - thanks for your pm by the way will answer today!

Taz x

[CLKD]

We haven't seen or heard our hedgehogs this year but there are signs 

Pond fish are feeding like fury since the heat wave.  Building up fat stores ready for Winter ...........

[Taz2]

We've got loads of teeny fishes in the pond - created last August bank holiday - so I can only think they have got there on birds legs or something. That sounds a bit daft - I don't mean the fishes grew birds legs and walked!!

Taz x