Muddy hens

Going down to collect the eggs today wearing a pair of mules was not a good idea. The grass was wet and my feet were soaking by the time I reached the mudbath that is the hens' home for those months of the year when rainfall exceeds sunshine. A trip back to the house and shaking out the summer detritus from the wellies. The wonderful pair of Wellington boots - the mainstay of the garden and  the field for most of the year. Easy to slip on; not great for walking great distances but perfect for collecting eggs and generally seeing to the hens. Three eggs today - all covered in mud - a blue one from a Columbine, a speckled brown from either the Speckled Star or the Brown Star and a pale brown from one of the Bluebells. A couple of handfuls of corn as an afternoon treat and some fresh water and hens fed and watered and as comfortable as they can be for the rest of the day. As the days have grown shorter and they have been spending more hours inside it is evident that the pecking order has resumed and a couple of the hens have noticeably lost feathers around their necks. Their insistence on all going into one henhouse at nighfall does not help the crowding issue. Yanking out a few to equally share accommodation is a dirty option at this time of year. Always a case of getting a balance right.