First frog

[Primrose]

I know it's silly to be so excited, but the first frog of Spring has just appeared in my mini pond today. I was worried that our neighbour installing new ground-tight fencing would stop them migrating from other gardens into ours as we don't have many suitable over-wintering hibernating places so in the past week I've been digging little "tunnels" at the base of the fence to ease their access. How daft is that ?? Unfortunately this action also seems to have allowed the first of another generation of "Roland Rats" into our garden. Can't win them all!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, i don't think you are silly at all, it is exciting when nature starts stiring again.

As regards the rats, they seem to be everwhere this year, and probably haven't stopped breeding all year.

[Sue]

OK, so we had the first frog thread, so spring must be springing, but my bone idle lazy chicks have not laid since before Xmas

They are pure breeds so usually have a couple of months off over December and January, but a big fat nothing so far this year. Some are getting a bit long in the beak, but we have some young girls in there as well.

Anyone else finding their chooks slow to get going this year?

Sue

[Gilly C]

I have Silkies with a mix of spring and late summer hatched I find a get eggs all through the winter not many days without and only 9 girls ! I also keep Guineas and got my first egg from them on Thursday never had one befoe mid march before, I am getting an average of 6-7 a day (from 14) at the moment but I have some Pullets 5 minatures and I think a couple of them are laying and the eggs are nearly as big as the large fowl !!

[PLUMPUDDING]

Isn't the first frog exciting, I dashed into the house to tell everyone yesterday when I saw one in the sunshine at the edge of my pond.

Re the lazy hens, I have a mix of hybrids and pure breeds and find that the Black Rocks and the Warrens keep laying most of the year with just a rest when they moult. I try to get a couple of point of lay in October every two years and they keep on when the others slow down over winter. I've been really pleased with the Black Rocks they lay nice brown eggs and are very sturdy little birds, whereas the Warrens lay quite large lighter brown eggs but the hens feel quite bony and not very substantial when you pick them up.

My Cream Legbars have just started laying their lovely blue eggs and are laying most days.

[Geoff]

Pond rapidly filling up with spawn after the amorous invasion over the weekend.

[Monika]

Hello Geoff, we have a lot of frog spawn, too, which is the earliest in my records of over 20 years! Last year was the first time that we had frog spawn in February (on 27th) and this year it was on 22nd. Today's cooler weather has dampened the frogs' ardour a little and they won't keep us awake with their croaking, but I hope the spawn won't be damaged by any frost we might still get.

[Sue]

Our tiny wildlife pond is heaving with frogs and got 2 eggs from the chickens yesterday!

Must be spring

Sue

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Sue, if it's Spring that has made you smile as much as that, i'm glad it's sprung.

[PLUMPUDDING]

Our small pond had heaps of frog spawn when I looked yesterday, which is unusual as the larger pond is usually first. That is full of noisy frogs, but no spawn yet.

[Primrose]

Can all you tadpole watchers please tell me if you supplement the natural algae food in your ponds to feed your surplus tadpoles. I always end up with far too many tadpoles for my tiny pond to support and have to keep them alive with goldfish flakes and boiled lettuce. Is there anything else I can feed them with?

[PLUMPUDDING]

I never get surplus tadpoles as the goldfish eat any that stray away from the shallow edges. I still get loads of frogs though. I couldn't tidy up my strawberry patch last year as it was full of 1 inch baby frogs.

[Primrose]

Plumpudding - they obviously know where to find the best slugs !

[Monika]

Primrose, I look after two ponds: a small one in our garden and a very much larger one on the local nature reserve which adjoins our garden and I have never fed the tadpoles. We find that many tadpoles are eaten by the newts in the ponds, particularly in the large one, and I am sure you will have newts in the pond, too. So, if I were you, I would let nature take its course.

Alternatively, could you not give some spawn away to somebody with a new pond? We tend to run a sort of spawn exchange in the village every year. Surplus spawn is given to us for the nature reserve pond and we also supply people if they want some.

[GIULIA]

I spent half an hour today spooning frogspawn out of my watercress tank before the little bleeders hatch out and scoff it all. I did remove it to a more suitable watery location! This despite the fact that I had caged the tank to keep frogs out.. determined aren't they?