Finally – the chickens are brooding! Due date Saturday 9th May – Taurus chickens! I’d started to give up. I’d been saving the biggest eggs just as the chickenkeepingsecrets newsletter advises, but no sign of chickens starting to brood… Then, last Saturday I noticed two chickens – the two black ones left (yes, we lost another one!) – seemed to be staying in the nesting boxes…

Well, because I’d started to give up – we started to eat the eggs I’d saved. Less viable eggs to put under the brooders. One chick had six eggs, the other had two. The next day the six eggs became eight. We shared them out – now each chick has five eggs.

Here’s the proud rooster