Sooo much pooping

[Kathy C]

We collected our POL bluebelle Merlot at the beginning of May and she was very shy and timid. It took her until 7th January to lay her first egg, however she has laid most days since.

 

We assumed she was probably younger than POL when she failed to lay after a month. The only change in her physically was her iris in her eye had darkened.

 

By Late summer we had decided that maybe she was a slow developer. She was still very shy and had not developed her comb. However she had learnt to mix a little but was definatrely bottom of the pecking order.

 

Come the middle of Autumn she was still shy, had no comb but had finally found a place alongside the others on their favorite perch the table outside our back door. We assumed our beautiful Bluebelle was barren, and was lucky to have found a home where she was loved anyway.

 

Just before Christmas she moulted. Early in the new year she crouched for the first time and we had a good chance at last to give her the fuss we had long wanted to. After this she followed me around like a puppy whenever I went into the garden. She even managed to 'break into' the kitchen like the other naughty girls, when the door was open. She had never crossed the threshhold before, even if beckoned in out of the cold.

 

Then when the new year snow fell in January she shocked us all! On the day after the snow fell Merlot ventured onto the snow as soon as the run gate was opened and proceeded to explore the white world on the sucessive days. The other hens only venturing where snow had cleared. We could not believe this brave hen was our shy Merlot. She was chatty and friendly and even accepted the odd fuss.

 

We soon realised why, eggs we has assumed were Perignon's were Merlot's. I noticed Merlot was missing for a while shortly after I had checked the eggport. I watched and waited and checked again soon as she had left the run. There in the straw was an egg! Peri had started to moult and usually goes off-lay, so we checked back through our eggs and realised that Merlot had started laying on 7th January, the day she explored the snow.

 

Now at last we have a brave, affectionate laying hen, Yipee!

[dippy bird]

aww what a lovely story! Go Merlot!

 

P.S love your names!!

[Kathy C]

We thought them appropriate considering our other interests include imbibing.

 

Merlot's success has been celebrated with a couple of bottles of her namesake.

 

Unfortunately we have not been able to celebrate Peri's achievements in quite the same way, as Dom Perignon too expensive for our budget.

[beulah59]

[Plum]

Lovely story of your girl. It amazed me the difference in Eider when she came into lay.

[dancing cloud]

Well done that Merlot!

[Chicken Shirl]

What a great story. Clever little hen.