Ahhhh Haarrrr!

Bit of a Pirate theme today!

Also discovered  a bizarre website today that provides nappies for 'house chickens'!!(http://www.chickendiapers.com/) I mean, I am all for chicken keeping...but nappies??

Now then, cockrdoodle Mark has had a good look at the photos of our birds. Although he is not guaranteeing anything... he suspects that Dolly and Nancy are cockerels! We will see!!

Lilac time!

Missed a day yesterday! It was a bit of a funny day in our house!!

There is a beautiful lilac bush growing in the wilderness at the workshop. I wouldn't normally cut it down, but no one can see it and the smell is divine!!

Here are our girls 'in lilac'!
It is getting harder and harder to take their picture. Dolly and Pearl are always very well behaved, but Mertyl is a nightmare!! She is lucky she is not stew!!

I blame the incubator....

Cracked open the eggs to have a look and see what happened. Both chicks were well formed an black and white. They looked like their insides were in a bag on the outside. It wasn't like a yolk sack - it definitely looked like innards! Was glad they hadn't hatched as would not have been a pretty sight for the kids!

From what I can find out it is often a result of inconsistent temperature in the incubator - which might explain why the others didn't develop. The problem with a little amateur dome incubator like ours is that the temperature cannot self adjust - so if there s a window open or the sun shinning, the chicks just have to put up with it!

Sticking with the four we have until we can properly determine their sex and then...who knows!

Craaaaaayzzzzeeeeeee!

So, turns out I have ANOTHER dead chick and a crazy husband who hears noises! Ok, I may have said I heard tapping, but I never heard cheeping!

Just hoping all our lovely girls are indeed girls. I have asked if there is no way of taking the cockerdoodledoo out of a cockeral but apparantly not. Was worth asking!
Fee x

(Mark, if Crazy asks you for some more eggs, please say no!)

I hear tapping!

Oh yes, just when I thought that I was as mad as I am feeling at the moment, Fee confirmed that she too hears it...tap....tap,tap.....tap.

Maybe it is 'chicken morse' for 'will somebody get me out of this flaming egg!!'

Coco started tapping around 9am and there is still no sign of the shell breaking - was sure I heard her cheap at one point (but as you know I have a 'history' for that sort of thing)

Thought I heard Geordie Boy's tapping when I held it to my ear, but now think it might have been the egg squashing my ear hairs!

OMG I just wrote ear hairs...in relation to me! Being 40 has a lot to answer for! Will get the strimmer out tonight!

Of course, as always, will let you know! About the chicks, not my ear hair!!

No Way!

Now then....Just candled those flaming eggs with my dickie candling torch. I took my time because I figured there was nothing in them anyway!

But I am SURE that I saw something moving slightly in both of them. Both air sacks are big so it is not easy to see. I wondered if it was just the contents of the egg 'slopping' about but as I held them still, I could see something that looked like it was wriggling!

(and no I have not had a drink!)

This comes from the man who was convinced he saw his 'dead' egg wobble - so I am not getting too excited...but you never know!

Last chance saloon!

I will give them ONE MORE day and then I think that might be it! Have told Geordie that if nothing hatches we will sort something out when we get back from our holidays. Told Fee it serves her right for her derogatory comments!!

Have had loads of enquiries about our blog header, who made it and where can people get one? Well it was made by my VERY clever wife who not only makes signs, but also beautiful vintage boxes, labels, pegs, printed blocks...ooooooooooh all sorts of GORGEOUS things.

She has her own shop called Chipper Nelly on Not On The Highstreet. If you fancy a closer look you will find her at :

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/chippernelly

...a little sneak preview........ of some of her stuff...

Speaking of GORGEOUS...

And not so gorgeous!! (Only joking boys!) Joe came round to give the chicks a squeeze!

Best friends, same girl - hope it is not a sign of things to come!!