The photo above has nothing to do with my post today, it's just that poor Dukkah the Maine Coon is feeling the effects of our current heat and humidity. The picture is the right way up, she's simply cooling down elegantly with her back legs part way up a chair back, and her front paws hanging out over the edge. On days like this I don't envy her fur coat one little bit.
Slight diversion there, but now back to what I really intended to write about.
When the kune kune piggles first joined the family, it didn't take us long to realise they loved attention. A good scratch on the head, a pat on the tummy and they were happy little pigs. The Winemaker then discovered that when you smack a piggle on the arse they squeal and leap in the air. Don't worry, I'm not talking animal cruelty here - no need to phone the SPCA. It's just such a funny reaction.
Last Friday when The Boss arrived home from working in The Vineyard, I dragged him out to the chook house and said "Do you want to see something really funny??!"
Figgy was sitting in the centre nesting box, so I lifted the lid and gently gave her a poke in one side. She reacted like one of those self inflating matteresses - puffing up to twice her normal size and making a deep throaty "Grrawwwppp" sort of noise. She's gone broody in a big way.
Figgy is now in the delux broody box The Boss built for Apple's false alarm at Christmas time. She's sitting tight on nine eggs and I think tonight we're going to exchange those eggs for the batch in the incubator, which are due to hatch this weekend. I did some googling, and she should be fine (if not slightly dazed and confused) when her eggs hatch after just a week of sitting on them.
The excitement on the chook front doesn't end there! Banana has just laid her second egg - this time in the nesting box not in the garden under our lounge window like yesterday's effort. Nashi Pear (one of the turkey trip additions) appears to have scaly leg mites so will have to sneak up when she's asleep tonight and smear her legs with vaseline. And finally, poor Honeydew (one of Figgy's original chicks) has been head pecked so badly she has a bald spot like Pinecone suffered a while back. I've been keeping a close eye on the troops and haven't yet seen anyone attacking her. My guess is that Prince Charming might have lined her up for a leg over as she's closer in size to him than the other Light Sussex ladies.
My life is full of dramas!
What I've learnt today:
1. Opinions are divided over the use of CRC to treat scaly leg mites. Some people, horror of horrors, swear by this treatment.
2. Abu the Roo will never win a Mastermind competition. I watched him run full speed into the chicken mesh fence as he tried to pursue Prince Charming. Abu came to an abrupt, feather splatting stop - just like you'd see in a cartoon.
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