Spring flowers

Despite today being rather gloomy and overcast the spring flowers are beginning to flower in abundance. It has been an exceptional year for snowdrops and they are still covering the banks and hedgerows but have now been joined by vinca, daffodils, violets, celandines and primroses. In the garden the crocuses are showing colour, forget me nots are just opening up, the Christmas roses are flowering and many of the shrubs are beginning to break bud.

Last night my husband came home with a bunch of daffodils for me....nothing romantic, it's just we tend to keep the daffodils that flower high up on the foot path hedge picked otherwise walkers tend to break down the bank climbing up to reach them.

There is an old wives tale / superstition that you should never have daffodils in the home when geese are sitting but as ours aren't even into the swing of laying yet I thought it could do no harm and they do brighten up the kitchen.

The two new hens seem happy enough. At present they are in the broody coop in the hen run. I don't like seeing them closed in but they do have room to scratch around, eat grass etc. I will keep them in for at least a week, as when I first get new stock I always treat with Flubenvet for worms and dust with Barrier red mite powder. It also gives everyone time to get used to each other. After the week's treatment is up I'll decide if to let them run together or if to keep the smaller ones seperate and feed them growers pellets rather than have access to the hens layers pellets.... we'll see how it goes.