Occasional Scribbles

In defence of the usually annoying cockrills, they have been delightful with the babes, they try very hard not to stand on them (unlike the mums) and I see them get bits of corn and place it in front of the babies and then peck gently showing them how to eat it. It’s really sweet but even they are no match it seems for the crows as the bottom line is, they are not mum (may not even be Dad) and don’t keep an eye out all the time. And that’s when the crows decend.

Yes I know I could take the chicks inside, God knows, I’ve done it dozens of times before, but they don’t like being away from the mum however badly she treats them. Also they are hard to feed when so small and water is a real hazard, either it gets spilled and they haven’t got any or its too much and they can drown in it. Then there is the temperature problem, either too hot or too cold. The best solution to this I have found over the years is to put them in the airing cupboard at night, but now the boiler is off for the summer, that won’t do. In the day I had a rather nice purple bendy lamp which was ideal as you could bend it nearer or further from them depending on the the room temperature. Sadly that has broken and I havn’t got another one. I wasn’t expecting to have to take them in. Usually I only have to rescue the odd chick as usually the mums do a fine job. I think it’s because these two are first time mums, being last year’s chicks and havn’t got the form of things yet.

Old Henny, who has had dozens of broods, has I think now given up the nursery antics. She had a few in February of all times and they died, it was just too cold. She has decided, rightly that her days of chicks are over and she will absolutely not baby sit for the new mums. Uh Uh!

O the joys of country living.
I shall have to investigate later on and see if the little black baby is still there but frankly its getting a bit depressing. I am tempted to empty them off their nests so instead of them gloomily sitting there waiting for however many other eggs may or may not hatch and neglecting the ones that do, they might be persuaded to end the competition and look after the one remaining if he actually is remaining that is.