Rural France

[RescueMe]

Hi
We moved to France full time over two years ago and have kept rescue hens for 18 months.
We live in Lot et Garonne about a 90 minute drive from Bordeaux

 

[N F C]

Love your coop!

Have you found the European thread yet? You may enjoy chatting with others there: peeps-in-europe.1288348

 

[BDutch]

Hi,
A late reaction. I encountered this searching for another thread. I’m from the Netherlands.

There is also a group around Shadrach about a group of ex batts in England. One of the regulars in the thread /on BYC is ManueB who lives in France too. Not in the Lot/Garonne but on a beautiful spot in the Alps. If you visit BYC again let us know if you have any questions by tagging our names @.

 

[Amphitecna]

Even later reaction- I just joined yesterday, I'm in western Brittany! How is your flock doing in this crazy summer we're having?

 

[BDutch]

RescueMe​

In the Brooder
Joined Jan 24, 2022
Last seen Nov 4, 2022
Nov 4, 2022

Rescue me wasn't online since Nov 4, 2022.

In the Netherlands the weather is not crazy until now. But maybe my experience / info gathering over the years is helpful too?

Some people say that chickens do adapt after a few generations to the climate they live in. So if you have heritage breeds from the region or from were the temp is about 2C warmer, it should be fine.

My chickens endure temps around 35 C without a problem giving enough deep shade from a laurel bush in the run. And plenty of fresh water in a bowl . Sometimes the chickens take a foot bath in it.
Againts long periods with rain they have a few spots to shelter : in the coop (with small covered run), under a window that’s put in an angle.
When they are free ranging they have even more possibilities to shelter.

When we had a week with snow and cold a few years ago, the chickens stayed in the coop for a whole week. I added straw on the sand floor to give them a warmer floor to walk on. They apparently could live with the limited space of just a few square meters.

 

[EuroChook]

Hi
We moved to France full time over two years ago and have kept rescue hens for 18 months.
We live in Lot et Garonne about a 90 minute drive from BordeauxView attachment 3304269View attachment 3304270

Je vous envie. C'est trop beau. Reminds me of my own little Isa, too, liking her little bucket. Hm... A bucket of chicken :/

 

[Amphitecna]

RescueMe​

In the Brooder
Joined Jan 24, 2022
Last seen Nov 4, 2022
Nov 4, 2022

Rescue me wasn't online since Nov 4, 2022.

In the Netherlands the weather is not crazy until now. But maybe my experience / info gathering over the years is helpful too?

Some people say that chickens do adapt after a few generations to the climate they live in. So if you have heritage breeds from the region or from were the temp is about 2C warmer, it should be fine.

My chickens endure temps around 35 C without a problem giving enough deep shade from a laurel bush in the run. And plenty of fresh water in a bowl . Sometimes the chickens take a foot bath in it.
Againts long periods with rain they have a few spots to shelter : in the coop (with small covered run), under a window that’s put in an angle.
When they are free ranging they have even more possibilities to shelter.

When we had a week with snow and cold a few years ago, the chickens stayed in the coop for a whole week. I added straw on the sand floor to give them a warmer floor to walk on. They apparently could live with the limited space of just a few square meters.

Of course your experience is valuable to me!! I was just trying to reach out to others in France. I have a few friends/neighbors who have chickens too. But its nice to know people who are also reading the English-language forums when it comes to getting products....especially meds.

I've learned it can be more than useful to know the French sources/ French equivalents /or uniquely French solutions. They do their own thing here sometimes. To the point where I've had trouble getting things from Germany!

Here in Brittany we've had a cool wet non-summer. Its been very disappointing for my spirit and my garden. But thats also life and variety brings spice!

 

[BDutch]

The weather in Brittany is not very different from the weather we have /had here.

Maybe you find this thread interesting?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ns-des-sauches.1549149/page-139#post-27088868
@ManueB lives in the Alps in France.

 

[Amphitecna]

Ooh thanks!!! I'll have a look.

 

[ManueB]

Hi @Amphitecna ! Not sure if I should be talking in english or French? I’m 100% French, and I live on the border of the Alpes maritimes and Alpes de Haute-Provence, near the Mercantour.

Anyway, i’ve been around on BYC for a year and a half now and i’ve done all that research on translating products/ meds and finding equivalents when they exist. In my opinion there's a lot, lot more useful information here than on french sites and forums, especially in the articles. Reading well rated articles on health is a very good start.
If you need help on anything, don't hesitate to ask !
I’ve had chickens since January 2020 and have made a lot of mistakes, and am still making some, so happy to help others not so them as I did .