Nancy sits on her eggs, looking more self-important and confident. We assume she gets up to eat and drink and so on, but every time we visit the Marmalade Cottage CWA Hall, she's firmly ensconced.
The other chooks are laying fewer eggs, but we still get one or two a day.
Interestingly, there's been a reshuffle.
In case you ever doubted it, a chook pecking order is a literal thing.
There is a clear boss chook - that's Alice. She's the biggest, glossiest and bossiest.
Her deputy is Marion - a bit smaller, a bit less glossy, but only marginally less bossy.
Nancy was at the bottom of the order. The most obvious demonstration of this was the perch on which the girls roosted to sleep at night. Alice and Marion took the higher perch, Nancy roosted by herself on the lower one. It's not very subtle
Then we introduced the two rescued battery hens, Joan and Joyce. For a week or so there was confusion, then Joan emerged as a real contender for deputy boss chook, and we wondered whether Nancy would assert herself a bit more, leaving Joyce at the bottom of the order.
Not to be. The two new girls roosted on the higher perch and Nancy stayed on her lower one.
But now Nancy sits day and night on her eggs, there's been another reorganisation. Joyce has been relegated to the lower perch.
It's not like there's any great disadvantage to the lower perch, it's just very symbolic.
It's a bit sad.
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