Northumbrian Notes

S I write, it’s still June and I could say my breeding season is half finished. That’s not because I intend continuing for another two months, but because, out of the 11 Norwich hens I ended up with, I have already split up six into their flight cages. “Ended up with” is an odd phrase, as you might recall I thought I’d started with 10 hens. However, one of the introduced cocks has turned out to be a hen. Not that unusual, you might think but it was brought in as a flighted cock, not an untested bird! I’m not complaining, mind, as it’s an even better hen than a cock