Bluddy Chickens!

For some time now we have noticed that we were getting very few eggs, and on rather more days than we would have expected (even in late winter) we were getting none at all.

Then we noticed that when we did get eggs, they were often very soft shelled.

Then we found that Parsley had discovered that fresh eggs are Very Tasty Indeed and was pecking into and eating the new laid eggs, even when they weren't soft shelled!!!

This was all rather undesirable.  We are very fond of the chickens but are not keeping them as pets. And we do want the eggs for us, not for them. So I made up a mix of hot English mustard, tabasco sauce and super hot chilli sauce and put that inside and empty (not soft!) eggshell, put it all back together as well as I could and put it in the nest box. She certainly had a go at it.  As well, we went to a Farm and Smallholding supply shop near Rowsley and bought some mineral supplement for them. It contains a number of things which are meant to encourage egg production, including oyster shell and other calcium bearing things.  I have to say it smells wonderful - and the chickens love it. We've mixed it with their treats which they have gobbled down at super fast speed.

I've bought some more (and cheaper!) mustard and will make up some more egg bombs to deter sneaky egg eating on Parsley's part. And we're hopeful that we might now get a few more usable eggs!  I'll let you know.

We've had a bit of rain recently, but we've also had some quite spectacular frosts to say that it's half way through April. The weather people were forecasting a "potato frizzling frost" last night. Fortunately we have only got our First Earlies (Arran Pilot, that The Under Gardener planted during the week) in and they aren't up yet. But when I went out this morning all sorts of things that are usually frost hardy were looking rather sorry for themselves.  The poor kiwi vine, even though it's in the greenhouse and even though we've had the door closed, has lost nearly all of its new season leaves. I hope it manages to grow some new ones