Nearly Easter!

There was quite a surprise waiting for me when I got back from helping H with the ponies this afternoon.  Mike had been left in charge of Lottie and giving the hens their afternoon feed, and he found that Bonny the little white bantam, had laid an egg!  

She has had a very traumatic life, she's been attacked by various hens and a neighbour's dog twice, once when her companions were killed, and has only laid one egg in the last two years!  While we were away in Madeira Jimmy, a very quiet, kindly neighbour in his 80s, had been looking after the hens for us.  He knew Bonny was partial to a bit of cheese so brought her a bag of grated Cheddar down and gave her some every day!  He also cleaned the hens out, fed them twice a day, and we came back to a mountain of eggs - so very different from when we have asked some other folk to look after them in the past, even for a short time.  His tlc has been rewarded!