Day 154.

Bush eggs: two. Nest box eggs: none. Feed hopper: half full. Staggeringly unhappy hens: one.

Steve had just finished laying in Brian’s nest (bringing the total up to nine with Brian’s help) and we were all under the pines close by when the orange monster returned and headed straight for us! I was petrified and fled behind the garage with the rest of them, Brian included. But not much later she plucked up the courage to return to her nest (I followed) just in time to see it STOMPED on by the orange monster! Well, she went right up to it and gave it an immense peck and then started to swear at it in the most frightful bad chicken language – I didn’t even know she knew any words like that. She was so brave telling off the orange monster while it continued to rip up the earth. But all is lost on the nest front, I’m afraid.