Highs and lows in the maternity ward

The good news tonight is that there are two Brown Sussex chicks hatched, and more in the process. The bad news is that the Silver Laced Wyandotte (SLW) we set on eggs last night has lost the plot. She doesn't seem to grasp that she has to sit ON the eggs in order to hatch them. When I checked on her this morning, the eggs were in one area of the cage and she was in a nest, further back, looking at them.....I removed them. The other broody, Leah, is an old hand, having done it all before, so she knows the score and is sitting well already, fiercely protective of her eggs.

I cheated this morning and called in at Delfland Nurseries, where they raise organic plug plants for the trade, but also have a small retail outlet for locals, and I bought 15 butterhead lettuce plugs at 10p each. I just never got round to sowing the next batch of seed in time, and we are eating the lettuces quite quickly so this is a way of keeping up with demand until I get in gear with the seeds. Gardening is definitely on the agenda for Sunday!