Hello; my son I presume?

She's done it again.

When we did 'breakfast' for all the menagerie on Saturday last there was a satisfying "chrup, chrup, chrup' coming from the Broody coop. Sure enough, when I lifted the lid, there was Daffodil in maternal splendour fussing around her little brood of two. By Sunday the two were three and by Monday the little ones were allowed out of the nest - for a few short minutes. Word got round very quickly; all the hens rushed to see and admire. Hot on their heels came Rusty. In no time at all he was prancing about and crowing. "My son; welcome!" if cockerels say that sort of thing. He's probably right about two of the chicks but the third one is definitely not his!

The little black chick can only be Solo's, who was a great deal slower to come round and admire. Having said that, he then spent much of the day sitting on top of the broody coop!

The ducks, meanwhile, are having a much harder time building their nests. We've found clutches of eggs in 'unsafe' places outside where the ducks are likely to be had by Charlie Fox if they sit on them. We've also had a number of incidents of ducks trying to overnight in the horses' stables; Ritz was most indignant and shoved one out of his box and the other ducks soon realised when the dogs appeared that there was not much peace to be had there either.

And just tonight, after we'd shut up all the poultry (I thought) and were giving the horses their supper, up pops Lancer with a duck between his jaws, that "look what I found under the hedge" expression on his face and his apprentice (Gunner) hot on his heels!

So, we are currently investigating the possible purchase of a special duck coop which could, maybe, resolve the situation........