A self-evident truth I have discovered. The more there is to write about the less time there is to write. 

It has been a sad time in some ways since my last post. A number of the hens and George became infested with a feather mite. These horrible things eat the feathers, and the other chickens peck at the mites, and before you know it there is blood and ...... It is not a good thing. The only way to deal with it is to humanely and quickly cull the flock.
We now have 2 of the old black hens left. They are sleeping right outside my office door as I sit here and type!
The 5 'chicklets' are off running around somewhere else. The two groups of hens seem to be integrating well, but we can't put them all togather until the chicklets are old enough to eat layer pellets. They are still only 10 weeks old, so it will be another 8 weeks. As a result egg production is way down!! Only one or occasionally two a day.
Having 7 chickens roaming around the gardens can be a little much. But mainly for the nuisance they can be inside, rather than the damage they do outside!  They love sneaking in the house and exploring. The bathroom counter was a big hit!!

The 'upstairs roof greenhouse' is really churning out the produce now! We seem to have just about come to the end of the cucumber crop, just as the peppers and tomatoes are hitting stride. We have enjoyed our first egg plant too.
In the outside garden the garlic will be pulled later this week, onions will be ready in a couple of weeks and we have been eating potatoes for a month or more. Pole beans are flowering but not producing yet. Lots of carrots and beets too. They have been great grilled on the BBQ.