Allotment Diary March 2008
Saturday 29th March
Me, mum and dad took compost down, starting weeding between spring
cabbage, harvested purple sprouting broccoli and rhubarb. Hoed a little
around strawberries and currant bushes.
Tuesday 25th March
Small chickens bottom looks much better again today. Their droppings
are ok and they have been off the medicine for 7 days. At last we can
start using their eggs again safely.
Monday 24th March
Me and dad set about modifying the perch again in the chicken house as
they have grown so much we figured that they were not fitting in any
more. It is now a T shape made from much stronger timbers.
The small chickens bottom looks much improved for its clean, just a
shame some was stuck too hard to get off without hurting her!
Sunday 23rd March
Today is Easter Sunday, and because the birds have only been off coxoid
for a few days we haven't eaten the eggs again. The one with the messy
bottom was given a bath. Its the first time we have picked one of them
up since we got them. We got her upstairs on her own and coaxed her
over and I picked her up. She was a bit wriggly to start with, but
settled into it eventually. We got most of the mess off her, but some
was very firmly stuck. Most of it we had to break up with our fingers
to get it off the feathers. It was heavy and bigger than a golf ball
all together.
We forgot to dry her bottom so the other birds were having a bit of a
peck when we put her back in. Hopefully just trying to get off the rest
of the bits that we couldn't.
Sunday 16th March
We have had strong winds again but everything was ok at the allotment.
Dad put in the cherry tree (sweetheart) while me and mum harvested the
remaining beetroot and some parsnips.
Monday 10th March
Looks like the chicken with the poo covered bum is still doing the
runny ones so we decided to try coxoid. Hopefully this time things will
improve more noticeably!
Sunday 9th March
Today the chickens were back on their normal diet without the verm-x.
One laid an egg outside straight onto the patio! Another laid in the
next box an odd looking egg with a wobbly shell. Might be an affect of
the treatment for worms etc.
Me and dad did some re-seeding of grass in the back garden as well as
mucking out and covering most of the grass in their run.
Looks like we got 4 eggs total! From 3 chickens! One must have sneaked
out in the night to do the one on the patio hehe.
Saturday 8th March
Moved the chickens again onto the patio. There are some gale force
winds and heavy rain forecast and it will just become more of a mud
bath.
They have continued their verm-x treatment today with no ill effects.
Friday 7th March
Continued with the verm-x today. We are giving them it by doing the 1
spray to 50ml water per bird, but then mix it with mash to encourage
them to take it all.
Noticed the potatoes that had been planted in the greenhouse in a big
planter have shoots through the soil. We may well get some very early
potatoes from them!
Thursday 6th March
Today we decided to give our birds their first worming. This means
giving them verm-x for 3 days. Luckily it is herbal so we wont have to
throw away any of the eggs!
Sunday 2nd March
Me and mum put the potatoes in the porch to chit. I planted some radish
in the greenhouse and put some rhubarb into pots (5 pots with 2 in each
inside and 3 pots in greenhouse) to see what happens.
We put the new run in place and moved the chicken house, the birds
really do seem to like their new home! We have seeded some of the lawn
that they ate and scratched up. The area seeded has been covered with
perspex and weighted down.
We went to the allotment to check it was all ok after the high winds.
Dad cut the grass, mum harvested some leeks and I pulled up some of
last years salad for the chickens.
Saturday 1st March
Me and dad continued with the run extension and attached the last piece
of wire and assembled it.