This morning I was awake ridiculously early for a Sunday. 6am! Daisy the Chicken decided she wanted to play at being a cockerel! She was doing a great job. I ran up the garden to let her out early thinking that the blue sky and sunshine was making her honk for freedom. Nope! She still kept on 'honking' really loudly. You know I love my 'Backyard Chickens'. I think Chickens make great urban 'Pets with benefits' but 6am! I scanned the garden for issues...cats lurking...to see if anything was upsetting her...nope. I scattered food to take her mind off her honking ...nope! I chatted to her...nope. I picked her up for a cuddle...nope. As soon as I put her down again more honking. Some freshly picked raspberries and blackberries temporarily shut her up. She looks well with no obvious injuries...she just wanted to make some noise. When her 'sister' Poppy (Top of the pecking order), had finished laying, Daisy shut up! I live in the middle of an old 1950s Council Estate in a fairly busy street. I have some inconsiderate neighbours that are pretty noisy and we regularly/daily have dogs barking and howling...may as well add my chickens to the mix. It is just unusual for them to be so loud, for so long and so early. The Poultry books definitely did not mention chickens being a noise issue! If they did I must have skipped that page! I can be pretty blinkered and only take in the good bits! Chickens are perfectly quiet pets for 99% of the time but for that 1% boy oh boy do they make some noise! I have shown you this photograph before, here is a cross chicken!
That is Poppy, with Daisy in the background, those two stick together like...'birds of a feather'. Rose is the 'Winnie the Pooh' of chickens and likes to do her own thing and generally 'thinks outside of the box'. She seems to prefer human company.
Rose likes to jump on my back and stand on my head or shoulders so she can get a 'birds eye view' of the gardening.
Having been unceremoniously raised from my slumber, early on a Sunday morning, I decided as the sun was shining and the sky was blue I may as well do an early morning bike ride. Another benefit of riding a bicycle is it can be used to redress over indulgences like 'Chinese Buffets'. I am still repenting for that 'Chinese Buffet'. The day before we 'celebrated' Henry's exam results with a 'Mixed Grill' and wine (not conducive to being a good 'Weight Watcher'). He passed, with good grades and will be heading to 'sixth form' to study for 'A' levels. That should keep him out of mischief. We shall see.
I can't believe how early it still is! I have legs of lead and the chickens are now snoozing in the garden. They sprawl out like dogs and sleep in the sunshine. I might go and honk at them...
Hope you are all having a good weekend. :) xxx
That is such a lovely bicycle diagram, it made me smile. I remember that my mother's chickens (Delia and Nigella) could be very noisy at times when the mood took them, they were real personalities though, as yours seem to be.
ReplyDeleteHey, what did the hens say when you waked them up :-)
ReplyDeleteI was up at six, too, this morning, cleaning up dog vomit on other dogs bed... when I had finished, the old boy had been awake and he needs to go out immediately, so I let him in the garden and then thought it might not be a good idea to go back to bed but curled up on the couch with book and three dogs for another half hour´. Then it was out in the fields with them and it was gorgeous. The air is so nicely crisp now in the morning, can't believe a week ago we had 40°C in the day and still 25 at night with that air from Africa coming straight up here...
Oh - I forgot - Congrats to Henry!!!
DeleteDon't you feel great? Getting exercise over with first thing in the morning makes the rest of the day go well. It is 4:30 here and I am thinking of making a cake. The whisk will count as exercise. That is what I am telling myself. Talk to you soon. XOXO
ReplyDeleteHaha you honk at those chickens! I've been riding my bike for the last year or so now & I love it! Your little diagram sums it up perfectly :)
ReplyDeleteLove your chicken stories!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your hens. My neighbour Dil keeps chickens and we've been thinking about getting some, only R is a terrible "chaser".
ReplyDeleteI just had a walk up to the PO with the dogs to post a letter. Lovely festive atmosphere in the town, with many visitors and street musicians.
Lots of people climbing the Tor. I am happy to drink my tea and watch them LOL
Oh I meant to say, we had a 2 day "wool fair" here in Glastonbury last weekend, you would have loved it!
DeleteCongrats on exam results-- I so hope a rainbow parcel has arrived !!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha Lucy those chickens just wanted to get you up I think! And good job too one of the best times of day to whizz around on your bike. When my son Adam was little he used to get up early, like the chickens without the honking and so as we didn't wake his big sister (terrible sleeper and grumpy grots first thing) we used to go out on my bike. Him sat in his little seat along the seafront we'd go fast as we could and back home for breakfast. I still love going out at that time! Maybe I'll get up early tomorrow and head out........but only if the sun is shining. Best I get me to bed then, night. x
ReplyDeleteThis was a loovely blog post
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