Several more rows to go ….. so it’ll be chips with everything, maybe.

And help us rearrange the barn furniture whilst the little one plays with the toys.

But it turns out to be an

EGG SKELTER – of course!

The quailettes have moved to the quail barn. They have taken their own cage in which they will be locked up (for safety) at night.

Click below

The “big quails” are barely larger than the youngsters and slightly bemused by the new residents. They also have a nighttime cage as the evenings draw in and the temperature drops. The birds can huddle together for warmth and away from the grasp of rats, foxes or stoats.

The sunflower below has self seeded at the back of the house. We give the wild birds sunflower seeds in bird feeders and this plant has grown from one of those seeds.

I just went out to see Lemon and the four remaining chicks. Jeremy had left one of the goose gates open this morning so that the birds could patrol the orchard and keep stoats and foxes away. Click below

Out in the field Lucy and Lily are enjoying some kitchen scraps – a few tough runner beans, a damaged apple and the core of a cabbage.

Good to see Lucy sharing and Lily coming so close to me.

In the big chicken run we had to take action to stop the Aracauna cockerel from flying into all the smaller pens and terrorising the hens and their chicks. We clipped his wings

One of the Orpington birds is “in love” with Mr A and when they are on opposite sides of the gate they pine for each other. So they are now sharing a shed at night alongside the other Orpington. It’s a ménage a trois which seems to work. The second Orpington has some of the outward signs of a cockerel – the tail feathers and crop – but his behaviour is passive and Jeremy is convinced that the bird is laying eggs. Maybe there is a trans poultry grouping. Nothing surprises me anymore!

The dead mammal is a stoat because it has a black tip on its tail

As I was looking at the creature Nigel sauntered past with a fresh kill in his mouth – a juicy post breakfast mouse!

Just outside the chicken run, in the orchard, was a pile of grey feathers – from our dear little Bantie.

Down by the goose feeder Jeremy found two of the three missing chicks. One of them is my favourite who eats corn from my hand. Four chicks and Lemon Bantie are now together.

But Lemon is pining for her sister and we are having to think how best to protect the poultry. Click below

A Bantie and three chicks are missing and outside the back door is a perfect, dead creature never seen before

Stoat, weasel or stone marten?

There has been fighting among the quaillettes. The buff coloured cockerel has been attacking the dark quail – and it’s not good to watch. So, to teach him a lesson, I took Master Buff to meet the large quails just now

The first excitement was going “outside” and then we went into the quail barn. Wow- so much to see and so much space.

Click below

One of the females (above) took fright and flew away from Master Buff. Then the adult cock quail realised that he had a rival and put him in his place. Click below.

After a few minutes I picked up Master Buff and told him I was taking him home.

Lesson learned, maybe, but soon all three males will have to learn to live together in the quail barn – or else feathers will fly.