Why did the Chicken Cross the Road? To See The Polkadot Dinosaur

I have my last market for the year this Sunday morning and it looks like it's going to be wet.... yet again, so the market will be held indoors.

I wonder if it's worth even going as it's alot quieter when the weather's miserable and being this close to Christmas people maybe finishing off their shopping in town.

Oh well, it's worth a try......

Last market I was asked if I had T shirts with designs for little boys. I only had T's for girls so I said I would have some this month.

I thought about designs - cars, trucks, robots, rockets, all the sorts of things little boys would like but nothing was really inspiring me, till I looked in my fabric stash and that's when I decided it had to be polka dot dinosaurs......... Of course, it was obvious!

I think they look rather cute, that is, if you can call dinosaurs cute...

I hope someone else like them too.....

Dorothy has finished hatching her eggs, from the five she was sitting on we have 3 chickens but that was very nearly 2.

I cam home from work on Monday to find she her out of the cage and out in the chook run with her two little chicks. I was a bit concerned that the other chooks and the rooster might be a bit too curious and accidentally hurt them, but she was being a very protective mother. It was amazing to watch her with them. When a crow flew over head she hid them in some long grass and they were very well camouflaged.

They're not the fluffy, yellow type, more brown and grey, much like their mums. Dorothy was sitting on a variety of eggs. But they are still cute as and it's amazing watching these little creatures, scratching, eating and drinking.

One morning, one of the chicks found a little beetle and ran around the pen with it in her beak, trying to find a spot where she could eat it in peace and quiet. Mum was following her to see what she was up too.

I refer to them all as she, hoping that we have females and not roosters in the making......

This is the one that nearly didn't make it.

When mum got off the nest and took the older 2 out into the run, she left this poor, newly hatched little chick on the bottom of the cage.

It wasn't moving when I saw it and I was worried that it hadn't survived, but when I picked it up it gave a little cheep and was moving.

I raced inside with it, straight to the bathroom and got the hairdryer out. Well, it needed to be warmed and I thought that would be the quickest way. Gently blowing some heat onto it. Bit of a rub with a towel, place it in a box on a hot water bottle and a couple of hours later it was moving and opening it's eyes.

24hours later and it was up and chirping and moving around in it's new home.

I kept it in the box with a lamp for 2 days till it was strong enough to go out to mum. As it was smaller than the other two, I was concerned that it would be picked on, but it seems to have settled in nicely and happy to be out of the box and with other chicks.

Here she is with her brood the one to the left is Noddy (named because she kept nodding off under the heat of the lamp) she is quite a bit smaller than the other two which are already developing feathers. They have beautiful fine markings on them.

The chick in the middle of the photo is Dorothy's bub, you can see she is the same colouring. I think the other two are Barnevelders, but not 100% sure.

It's been a very interesting week, with all the goings on. Certainly a lot of time is spent in the chook run, watching these cute little bundles of fluff.

This is the first time I have had chickens hatch and I am sure it won't be the last, it's been a lot of fun.

Talking about nests and feathery things. No 1 pointed out this little nest that has 'appeared' in a Silver Birch tree in the 'Wild Wood'.

Amazing structure, very soft, made from spiders webs and other bits and pieces.

I had to google Birds Nests to find out what bird it belonged to but had an idea as I saw a little red breasted fellow nearby.

It actually belongs to a Mistletoe bird and whilst I love birds and Mistletoe birds are rather similar to Robins which I love. I am not so keen on the ways of Mistletoe birds.

They eat the berries from mistletoe and spread the parasitic growth via their sticky droppings. We have lots of mistletoe growing in gum trees and they can kill trees.

We have a beautiful, big old gum growing on our verge and it gives lots of shade to the paddock in summertime,

It's old and gnarled and has been there many, many years, but the amount of mistletoe growing in it, is not good. We would have to hire a cherry picker to reach it and cut it out.

Earlier in the year I discovered mistletoe growing on one of the Silver Birches. It was like someone had grafted a branch from a gum tree on to it, bizarre.

So these sweet looking birds with their amazing nest building skills, have some rather unpleasant ways.

Well, another weekend is upon us and it's going to be quite a cold, wet one here. There's even talk of snow in the Alps.......in December.

I hope wherever you are you've had a good week and enjoy the weekend.

I shall let you know how the market goes on Sunday morning.

Thanks, for stopping and taking the time to read my rambling, even more thanks if you read the rambles AND commented.

Take care and please visit again,

Until next time,

Claire X