Sunday, May 18, 2014

news from the henhouse

Betty and Vera are fast movers - it's not always easy to catch them in focus...
Vera has been laying for over a month. Not quite an egg a day but almost - usually 4 or 5 a week, which I think is pretty good going for a novice.

Betty, on the other hand seems to have stalled in maidenhood - her comb and wattles haven't developed very much and egg-laying seems far off.
They are both healthy and eating well, with glossy feathers so perhaps she is just reluctant to leave girlhood until spring.
While I was sitting by the hen-house, idly winding passionfruit vine and some New Zealand flax leaves into a small basket, I heard some scrabbling, shuffling around and then a thoughtful pause. This was followed by what I can only describe as a sort of fowl purring. SO I looked inside the girls' bedroom and found this surprisingly hot freshly laid egg.

I also picked up one of their shed feathers and had a play in the studio with it. Dipped into gold ink it made an excellent brush.

 And then, dipped further into the ink pot, a lovely sculptural object in itself.


3 comments:

Annabel said...

What gorgeously pretty hens. The feather looks cool too!

librarygirl said...

Lovely, F x

Unknown said...

Betty and Vera are quite beautiful ladies, I love the metallic blue hems on each feather! Although I'm vegan I do eat the occasional egg if I can be 100% sure they came from happy hens, so send me some over to France would you? Ta.