The Callin' Birds are in good voice........

Despite the Twelve Days of Christmas now being over, with no evidence in these parts of Partridges in Pear Trees, Leaping Lords, and neither Swimmin’ nor skatin’ Swans............... but the Callin’ Birds are a different matter – a very different matter altogether.


Listen in to our Eena, Meena, Mina and Moe this mornin’ – wot a bloomin’ racket...............


(Meena - fairly quietly) “Awwk........mornin’.......anyone else awake yet ?........I SAID – ANYONE ELSE AWAKE YET ? – oh – you are, eh Meena ? Well, why didn’t you say? What about the others – are they still asleep ? Well, I don’t know. They say young things sleep more than their elders – BUT ! ..........this is RIDICULOUS! – oh – you guys awake too, eh ?.............

(Eena ) ........................do you think there’s anyone out there ? ............. do you think they know we’re here?

(Meena – a bit louder) “Hello.............helloooooooooo!”..............

(Eena – rather insistently) “Hey you guys – we’re awake – let us out”..........
(aside) “Do you think they’re awake yet ?”

(Myna – LOUDLY) ”HEEEELP!”.... “Save us!”........”Let us OUT!”......”We’re STAAAAAARVING TO DEATH in here!”.......HEEEEEEEELP...........we’re LOCKED IN ! .......... “NOBODY loves us!”...........NOBODY feeds us!........... IS THERE ANYBODY THEEEEEEEEEEEEERE?................

(Meena – aside) “They’ve forgotten all about us!”.............maybe they’re dead............ do you think they’re dead?

(Moe – in anguish) ”HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!”.........


If you know hens, especially spoiled hens that get shut up late at night to keep them warm, you’ll maybe be familiar with this tirade that drags you out of bed hoping desperately that the neighbours are still asleep and out of earshot................


But, to be fair, it HAS been a bit chilly these past few nights. It was -10 degrees C when TH left for work this morning at about 8am. And when we got home tonight we found the chooks’ initially warm porridge had frozen solid before they got to eat it (and they do so love their porridge! Usually gone in seconds)


We got home from work at about 5pm tonight. The temperature was already down to -5 degrees C.


This morning we had to find a new water bucket for the hens – their usual plastic bucket had frozen solid and the bottom had fallen out of it, so we’ve brought the galvanized replacement bucket indoors tonight. TH has heard that this will be the coldest night yet.


The chooks were well away to their bed when we got home – they now have their door shut already to keep some cold out – and tonight they have a well wrapped hot water bottle in with them for a bit of cosiness...........I can see them being into the conservatory (with underfloor heating) before the weekend is over !