Cheep cheep

As I type, a fourth little chick is trying hard to break out of one of the eggs kindly donated by friend-down-the-road Pauline. It's amazing how loudly the chicks can cheep while they are still inside the egg, with only the beak protruding. The three pictured above have been moved from the incubator to a plastic box where they are now huddled under the heat lamp. Down in the garden, the last batch of ten chicks, now more than eight weeks old (current guess: four hens, six roosters) are living happily in the chook tractor. And the four grown hens are free-ranging while they moult and drop feathers everywhere. There are chickens everywhere and the feeding routine is getting more complex. Meanwhile, I've had to buy eggs from the supermarket!