By popular demand...

More chick news. We have eleven chicks growing apace right now - five under their broodymum and six making their own way in the world, having finally left the womb-like environment of the heatlamped cage. All but two of them are girls! Including the three millefleurs (from my wishlist, so I'm very happy indeed).

Here they are, looking particularly sweet:

We'll keep all three of these, and now we know they're girls I guess we'll name them too. Probably after flowers, since their breed is called after a thousand flowers (referring to the pattern on their feathering).

Sadly, little Pugh died after a week - he was just too little to cope without his mum, especially after she'd damaged him so badly in her brood rationalising attack. The ones underneath her now are all dutch bantams. Yesterday morning I found one away from her, shivering and cold - the only solution being to take her into work with me. I was about to tuck her down my bra to keep her warm when she reminded me of her ability to produce large quantities of chick poo without warning. Suddenly I felt less breastfully nurturing. After a day in a shoebox getting lots of TLC, she was better enough to go back in with psychomum. Looking good again.

It's rather difficult to get pictures of Buffy with her brood yet - I'll try this weekend.

(How's that, Mercy?)