Something sad was happening while we concreted . . . . .

Despite all I said before about Myfanwy and how horrid she was (not to mention ugly), she was actually turning out to be OK.  She and Elvis had made friends and now pottered around together - two against two with Sid and Molly, but she was actually getting a bit braver around the two older chickens.  Her feathers were growing nicely and she was turning into quite a pretty chicken - in fact I had just been telling her the day before that she was starting to look like a proper chicken with feathers and all.  So, it was quite a shock when we finished concreting the barn floor for Bob to find her, stiff as a board, under the hen house.  Aaah, poor thing - don't know why, she seemed OK when she got up, maybe her comb was a little pale, perhaps she had been a little subdued?  I don't know, but we weren't expecting it.  So, we now have another little chicken grave in the garden.  Good job I didn't call this blog 'Myfanwy the Chicken'!

'What about poor little Elvis?' I hear you asking.  Oh, she looked so forlorn to start with just wandering around the run, into the house and out again,  but no little friend to be found, just the two bully chickens!  So, we decided an intensive intergration training programme was called for.  Elvis doesn't manage the steps down to the caravan too well so Bob carried her down and we sat on the bench outside the caravan and fed her sweetcorn (a real favourite).  When the others came for their share we had to carefully throw theirs just far enough away that they couldn't nick Elvis's without the risk of losing their own share.  We then sat there with them for ages making sure that they didn't bully Elvis (after all the concrete shovelling in the morning, I was glad of an excuse to sit and do nothing much!).  We did the same thing the next day and it seems to be working.  Elvis is actually doing really well (maybe not having Myfanwy to hide behind is a good thing really).  We bring her down in front of the caravan each day and she potters around and has started dust bathing and scratching a round much more than she used to.  The other two seem to leave her alone unless there are tasty morsels to fight over and Molly and Elvis were even seen pecking around together today while Sid was off doing other things. 

So, Elvis is doing OK, thanks.  She even tried to lay an egg . . . . forgot it's supposed to have a shell, bless her, but it's the thought that counts I suppose.