Vive la differance!

This weekend was hectic! Our village belongs to a twinning association with Cregy in France, and this weekend was our annual get together. Our French friends came over to see us, Chantal and Thierry are into healthy home grown produce too. Last year when we visited them we made time in the busy schedule to visit Thierry's
"pottager" (allotment), which was crammed with tomatoes, beans and courgettes! However, Chantal doesn't like raw tomatoes, preferring them bien cuit!
Back to Jem, my broody hen, I manage to get her out to eat once a day now and I suppose it won't last forever! I read that it takes 21 days to sit on eggs so I suppose Jem might give up once her 'stone baby egg' doesn't hatch! Hopefully she will start laying again pretty soon too!

I've got a broody hen

Jem. my Rhode Rock has always been the most shy of my three chickens. Always the last to eat, she hangs behind the other two. Yesterday, however, her personality changed! Instead of coming out to see what was for breakfast with Lily and Mariella she stayed inside the coop. I opened up the laying box to investigate and found her refusing to move from Lily's egg! It wasn't even her own. She then refused to move from Mariella's egg and finally her own. She was the happy mother of three little eggs! I decided to don a leather glove and pull my sleeve down and take the eggs. She wasn't a happy chicken and kicked up a fuss, pecking me and clucking noisily. Then she came out to have a peck around and a bit of lettuce. Again this morning she refused to move from Mariella's egg. I'm not sure what to do, I might slip a nice round suitable stone under her to sit on, that might keep her happy until she realises she isn't going to get any babies!

My first free range quiche made with my eggs

I decided to bake today. The girls have been performing well, with Lily producing double yolkers and Mariella producing her second egg today, I had quite a few to get through! I always bake my pastry cases blind - this helps the bottom of the quiche to stop from getting soggy. I don't bother with expensive ceramic 'baking beans', just a few hard un-cooked beans from the store cupboard will do, I keep them in a jar and re-use them. I used the extra pastry and cooked it on the side of the tray (more on this later!). I usually pop a small egg in my pastry instead of water to mix, it just makes it richer. I often scatter a little semolina onto the bottom of the pastry case to help with moisture too.
It was a very simple recipe, just mushrooms, onions and herbs from the garden and of course eggs from the chickens mixed with a little left over cream from the fridge. I topped it with cheddar cheese and that was it, simple. When the quiche was ready I used the left over pastry and mixed it with a little of the cheese to make into crumb for the chickens as a treat, they loved it and we loved the quiche, great exchange!

Look what I found ...

So I got the girls on Monday and on Wednesday Josh went to see them at about 5 o'clock with Charlotte. He came out with an egg! I thought it was a joke, but as I was frying the last of Wendy's eggs in a pan at that very moment for his tea, I suspected his friend Jordan of placing it in the hutch! It seemed far too soon! I remembered that Lily was older than Jem and Mariella so maybe she was ready to lay. I texted Jordan, accusing him of 'planting the egg' to tease me.
Well, on Thursday another egg arrived in the laying box this time. Hmm! Of course, it was the Royal Wedding on Friday and I came over from a small party a few doors away at sevenish to get changed and checked the chickens, and there in the laying box, still warm, was a beautiful egg for all to see. I took it round to give to Emily, the little girl at the party, so she could have it for her breakfast on Saturday. I suppose that's what chickens are supposed to do, lay eggs, but it seems a miracle to me!

Here come the girls ....

Meet Lily, Jem and Mariella! Josh and I went to buy them on Easter Sunday not realising everywhere was shut! How very disappointing. We went back on Bank Holiday Monday and bought Lily a Sussex, Jem a Rhode Rock (she's the darker hen) and Mariella who is disappearing into the house, she's a 'white hen'. They all have different personalities. Lily is the boss; she's a little older than the other two, the pecking order was established immediately! Mariella is next and poor old Jem get pecked by the other two. The wonderful thing was that as soon as Lily got into the pen and had a look around she started scratching and bathing in the dust, the behaviour was instinctive! I spent the first night very worried about a visit from Mr. Fox and stupidly didn't sleep very well, but the girls were fine and chirpy the next morning. We have settled into a routine of feeding, cleaning etc. One day I came home from work and all the girls rushed to tell me that the door to the hut had blown shut and the water had been knocked over (no one owned up) it was hilarious! Luckily I keep a shallow basin of fresh water in the pen for them too so they have plenty of water to drink. I'm still a novice and finding my way; luckily I have Wendy up the road to guide me!

I think tomorrow might just be the day ....

Not sure whether to get battery hens or hybrids. Hybrids are supposed to be disease free and lay more eggs but my conscience tells me to get battery hens! We want to go and get them tomorrow though and you have to wait and ring up for the battery girls so it looks like we might
decide to go for pretty ladies with fancy titles instead. I suppose it's our choice at the end of the day, it's a free country after all. It's such a beautiful day down here in Flore the chicken area is ready, all Josh needs to do is put a door on the hutch ....