"You look like Eric Morecambe!"

Me........auditioning for the Dr Chris look-a-like competition

I have been breaking in my new glasses today..and asked Helen up at the feed shop how I looked!!! After a moment she laughed and said with a smile "You are a ringer for Eric Morecambe!" Hey ho
The snow has  gone and finally I can now take stock of the damage and chaos caused by the freezing weather. We have had three casualties, so far this winter. The Ghost hen with cardiac failure, the errant cockerel who didn't come home and after a full "counting of heads", I am now short a feathered footed Cochin......with the dark nights and blizzards we have experienced, I have no idea when and how she disappeared....suffice to say that there has been plenty of badger prints in the icy snow over the last few weeks but strangely not one fox print....
This morning I joyfully filled the water butts with neighbour Mandy's now defrosted outdoor water tap, and have started to clear mounds of starling shit from around the feeders.....with the thaw arriving the starlings have strangely all but disappeared from the field borders, which is a wonderful piece of news.


I ate my weight watchers breakfast in front of the newly decorated mantle piece and felt rather smug and festive until Constance thoughtfully opened her bowels on the hearth rug!

I had just administered her eye drops ( she has an infected right eye) and the "accident" I am sure was a sort of sulky retribution for the much hated procedure.



Remember little "Red" The miracle quail

So this morning, I could spend some quality time on the field. I cleaned out the quail and moved them all to fresh ground. Little Red is now a cracking little fella, as are all of the other five birds. I have had no experience of quail, so if anyone can give me some pointers of how to sex them I would be grateful for the help!

After sorting the quail, I took the opportunity to check out the deformed hybrid "Bunny" who I set up in her own private run in the autumn. Bunny had been over "covered" by the cockerels and literally had been stripped totally bald. Her  dog-damaged hip ( for long term readers you may well remember her being one of the few chick survivors from the Alsatian attack of a few years

ago) Dog attack Blog 2008

prevented this sweet natured hen from escaping any passing amorous attention, so I have had to separate her for her own good.

Today , after I had given her a brief dusting for lice, I took the opportunity to check her out and she looked brilliant...another little victory for farmer John!

Bunny Now back to full feathered health

Right I had better get going again! I need to go to the feed shop, walk the dogs on the beach and deliver some eggs. I am working all day tomorrow and all day Sunday on ITU (covering the Christmas night out weekend requests) so there is plenty to do before hand



Winnie and Jo ( and the ever present Harry Secombe) challenge the Postman