Hungry boys and chicken etiquette .

A couple of shots taken earlier in the week when we had a bit of snow - no great depth of the stuff but sufficient to cover the grass and make the boys eat more hay and haylage.  This is Rufus eating his sugar beet with Gaucho to his right.

Looking for all the world like a couple of podgy Polar bears, Fergus (front) with Fidget behind him and Gully at the back also eat beet.  The two white boys need  a nail trim but we'll wait until next week (and milder weather) before doing that.  Time to move paddocks again too so they'll enjoy that.

Later in the week the snow disappeared but the heavy overnight frosts continued.  Gully is chewing on a lump of turnip which he enjoys.

There is always time for an argument when there is food about!  Fidget (front left) was chewing on the turnip when Gully (front middle) tried to pinch it but Fidge gives him the 'head in the air' and the audible warning which Gully understands.  Rufus (right) has his own bit of turnip to chew on.  In the background Faro (left) has two bits of turnip which he loves but Gaucho wants to share - another argument brewing!

Wee Eck gets to grip with his ration!  He sometimes takes a while to settle down to his food and has to be coaxed to make a start - we think he just likes to be hand fed and pampered a bit.

In the chicken compound the three new hens are growing fast and laying eggs now.  From the front in this shot are the Bluebell (new),  Duncan (Hunkey Dunkey!) the cockerel, the White Sussex (new), the Black Rock(new), Delilah (ancient - 8 years old but looking good!) and at the very back the Maran who is still trying to recover her plumage after the moult.  When the new hens arrived at night they huddled together at one end of the hen house whilst the two old birds were on the perch with Hunkey.  Now the two old birds are at one side of the henhouse in the nesting boxes and looking rejected whilst the 3 young birds share the perch with him!  What does this tell you...........? (Robbie says the old girls should change their toothpaste!)

And finally............at Tigh Mhor it's Christmas jigsaw time again!  This is the first one, 1000 pieces of a lovely cottage scene - wish our garden was like this just now!  Another puzzle is being constructed already.