Crispy ducks? No, bantams in a box

Deal or no deal: just open
the box, will you?

The young ones: plucky Mabel is cornered

The new arrivals: Mabel (centre) and the girls settle in to
their new home earlier in the week
Photo: Paul Fry

The wife's babies have arrived ... in an empty Walkers box. Crispy ducks? Nope, the Indian Runner ducks will be here in a few weeks' time. Chicken flavour? Well, this week four lovely little Pekin batams with feathered trousers made their entrance in Fenland.
The first night was a bit of a disaster because the light-coloured silver partridge, aka Mabel, decided she was able - the boy's a poet if he did know it - to wriggle her way through the netting enclosing the new chicken run.
I saw the wire as a way of keeping curious foxes out rather than keeping the youngsters in, but Mabel decided otherwise. With the help of a friend - cheers Paul - we were able to resolve the problem by putting up netting with smaller gaps, which makes the Great Escape [cue theme music] much more difficult. However, sparky Mabel is a rebel and I fully expect her to organise an escape committee in the near future.
The bantams have now been at their new home for just over three days and are beginning to settle in to their new environment.