Assistance Required!

It’s a chook problem.

I have a rooster called Ron, and two hens. Eddie is the white leghorn and Thelma is a brown Hampshire. Thelma is the smallest of the trio.

Now Thelma hasn’t laid any legs eggs for over a month now and I haven’t been bothered as I thought she must be on a moult. She has been laying fairly consistently throughout the year. Eddie has kept going so I still haven’t had to buy any eggs.

But recently I’ve noticed that when I let them out of the chook shed during the day to free range, Thelma has held back and only followed the other two out if I’ve gone in to change water/food/clean etc.

Now we all know what roosters are like and Ron is no exception. He holds himself in check in the chook shed but once he’s outside any hen is fair game for his amorous advances. (I think it looks more like rape but we won’t go there!) Eddie accepts his advances, begrudgingly I think, but Thelma acts as if he’s Jack the ripper and runs around the garden with wings flapping and squawking all the way. She tries to hide in such a position that it would be impossible for Ron to have his wicked way with her. And she looks distressed, panting and beak open.

So, could she be hurt and Ron is exacerbating the problem; how can I tell if she is egg-bound; or is she just playing hard to get? I felt so sorry for her today. Ron chased her and chased her and then Eddie started picking on her too. Talk about hen pecked!

So I welcome any suggestions, please. For Thelma.             

Thanks

 

Jan

Showing Off!

Here it is on November 9th 2011 – my first tomato in the grow house this year.

This version is called Wild Currant and is smaller than cherry tomatoes (well mine are) but so incredibly sweet the kids eat them like lollies.

I left two of these plants in the grow house over winter, just chopped them right back and lo and behold they grew up again and flowered. It was all an experiment to see what I could do under cover in Tasmania.

Here is the first capsicum too. Very small but hopeful of bigger things to come.

And the Tahitian Limes are coming on strong too.

So I’m feeling quite hopeful for this year……

Jan

Multiplication

or hoophouse overload!

Nice one M – parked right in front of the verandah.

Oh look – there’s another two on the other side!

So altogether Now

Yep – that’s three hoophouses in the front garden, sigh…..

I suppose they counterbalance the boat on the other side of the house………

On a good note, two of the hoophouses have already been sold and will probably be going after our local agricultural show this coming Saturday.

Anyone for a boat – not quite finished??????

Jan