Despite early signs that I would become the crazy farm lady of the family, Sarah has pipped me at the post.

This weekend, her dreams of farming free range chickens have come to fruition. While I was out on my yearly Guide Dog collection (failing dismally at generating the kind of funding I have come to expect), Sarah was in the country, selecting hens.

Some facts:

She had an 80% egg laying rate on their first morning in their new home.

All the chickens look the same but one. There is one ugly white hen in amongst a flock of brown. They peck her shamelessly. This has caused comments from those who have experienced forms of racism that it is nice to see the white chicken suffering.

It appears that several family members were never explained The Birds and the Bees, and the poor hens keep getting referred to as ‘he’.

My mother was the hen house artist.

There are now 10 chickens. They live in Ngaio and have a very subtle impact on Sarah’s property. They live in a large fenced area and I believe they have had their wings clipped to stop them flying out.

Sarah eats about 6 eggs a fortnight. Within one day, she had her full quota, so I am open to bribes for connecting people with eggs.