Sunday 30th April - Dilly's dunking!

It was a lovely sunny morning a bit chilly but nice and bright, so I decided that I would be better pottering about outside.

Firstly I went out to see Freckles, Pumpkin and Dilly. The first two came whizzing out of the run, happy to see me, and they delighted me by jumping in my toes, then a running off making brrk brrk brrk noises like cheeky little children - Pumpkin doing her usual circuit training and Freckles standing and shrieking her version of the dawn chorus.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to the nest box and Dilly went for me. She is even attacking Pumpkin and Freckles, so much so that they are scared to even lay and egg. So I decided there and then today would be the day she got her rear end dunked.

I couldn’t quite bring myself to use cold water, but I did dunk her bottom in cool – luke warm water. You should have heard her – you would have thought that she was being murdered. I quickly took the opportunity to rub her feet and legs under water too, and took her out quickly – I don’t think that she will ever come near me again!

I put her down gently and she shook herself and fluffed up her feathers and ran straight into the run and ate like she hadn’t eaten for days, and guzzled so much water that I had to refill the container. I hadn’t seen her come out at all yesterday. Her feathers dried very quickly and she has a lovely clean petticoat now and is none the worse for wear.

I made a new little hedge and nesting area for her – in the hope to tempt her out of the nesting box so the others can lay.


Dilly wasn’t too impressed but the others were interested.

I locked them out whilst I cleaned out their litter tray and ‘re-made’ their proper nest box, by which time Dilly was sunbathing and dozing off – all nice and clean and dry.

When I reopened the door, Pumpkin ran in full pelt and promptly laid an egg – I wonder if she had been holding on to it for 2 days poor thing.


I left them sunbathing and exploring, whilst I cleared up and got things ready for a trip up the allotment - the weather was too nice to sit indoors feeling sorry for myself.