Blue beginnings

Title of this post shamelessly stolen from my friend Dave Delarre, you can buy his EP of the same name here. So yesterday it has to be said I was feeling pretty low, we have lost two chickens this past week, one died of old age (the lovely Hattie) and Trelawney had to be put to sleep. We also had the problem of one chicken now being alone in her coop. We had tried all week to get her integrated with the other ex-batts with limited success but this weekend it finally happened (a few pecks are still being thrown but in general she seems to have settled in really well). So we were left with a 'spare' run and a bit of a chicken shaped hole in our lives. Two years ago my friend Trish bought me two Arucanas Alice & Bella (below)

Unfortunately they were purchased quite a while before my birthday and when the time came to hand them over Trish was too attached, so they stayed with her. Confronted with the spare run I thought I might give Arucana ownership another try and contacted local garden centre/chicken breeders Acorn Nursery. It turns out they had three twelve week old arucana babies in stock (fate). Jam at this point confessed he had no idea what to buy me for my birthday and would buy me three chickens if I was sure that's what I wanted (I was). So we went yesterday to have a look at them, and looking soon turned to longing and the beginnings of love and so Jam found something to buy me for my birthday and and three arucana babies (Carmen, Esme and Irina) are now installed in our back garden getting used to their new home. Best birthday present ever? They could well be...