Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Molpet]

Until recently I thought climate change was the biggest threat to the world we know. But nowadays I think its the combination of the vultures and sheep on this planet.
Vultures being the rich and greedy on one side. And sheep who go with the herd, on the other side. Sheep being the ignorant, making them vulnerable for misleading.

So true.... and climate change causes food shortages, which causes the prices to go up, which causes unrest and vultures make promises they can't keep or have consequences the sheep didn't think about

 

[ManueB]

It's that time of year when many chickens are molting and I can't help worrying. Some I almost don't see at all as they stay hidden all day and only come out an hour before roosting, like Annette and Merle. Tonight, Annette went to roost in the higher nest that is really hard to reach for me- I'm not sure how I'll manage to clean it tomorrow . She didn't eat before roosting and it's not because she refuses the food but because she doesn't want to go near the other chickens. Merle, on the other hand, who is also shedding feather every step she takes, ate like a pig, went last to roost not with Théo, and threw all the hens that were on the main roost on the floor .

Some have other issues like the bumblefoot starting again for Kara, Lilly who has the beginning of a rash where she has her belly access, Gaston with his ugly swollen toe, and I'm not sure if I should try to treat or wait.

There is now quite a difference in behaviour between the chickens, and only three of the hens are a lot more active : Lilly, Nieva and Lulu. They are also the ones who lay almost as usual, so I suppose it has to do with hormones.

Chipie takes advantage of Annette being unwell to play at being the queen.

If I had known putting a light in the coop would be so easy and such a hit I would have done it years ago !

@BDutch showing a size difference of 3.5 kg to 800 grams..she doesn't run away from him, quite the opposite.

The snow is all gone with the last sunny days.

 

[Perris]

If I had known putting a light in the coop would be so easy and such a hit I would have done it years ago !

hindsight is a wonderful thing

 

[MaryJanet]

It's that time of year when many chickens are molting and I can't help worrying. Some I almost don't see at all as they stay hidden all day and only come out an hour before roosting, like Annette and Merle.

After 6 years, moulting still makes me extra observant of the hens.

 

[BDutch]

@BDutch showing a size difference of 3.5 kg to 800 grams..she doesn't run away from him, quite the opposite.

Amazing.
My Pearl makes an alarming shrieking sound if Whisky grabs her. I cant imagine she is pleased if I hear the sound. On the other hand., she is often quite near to Whisky and doesn’t avoid him. Maybe she seeks his company too.

 

[Perris]

you posted this on Shad's thread, but it seemed appropriate to reply to it here

I am also puzzled about leg/ foot feather situations on my chickens.
I can't figure out why on earth chickens grow those, they are so troublesome !

I agree entirely; they seem to me to be something that natural selection would select against. But since it hasn't, I do, when I get hatching eggs to bring in new genes; that gene, which is dominant I think, I don't want here thanks!

Also found the magnetic cure story interesting, if bizarre. I hope your partner feels better, whatever he attributes it to.

 

[ManueB]

you posted this on Shad's thread, but it seemed appropriate to reply to it here

I agree entirely; they seem to me to be something that natural selection would select against. But since it hasn't, I do, when I get hatching eggs to bring in new genes; that gene, which is dominant I think, I don't want here thanks!

My partner really dislikes those genes also, but if we ever hatch chicks from some of our actual hens, I would still not exclude Léa's parentage. She is healthy, smart, very cautious, turns broody regularly and lays 130 nice small eggs a year, which is good for me.

Also found the magnetic cure story interesting, if bizarre. I hope your partner feels better, whatever he attributes it to.

That was years ago. When I hear how long Shad and others are affected by the shingles, I think my partner got over the zona rather quickly. He was younger, early fourties at the time.
**************

I'm having a tough time writing about the chickens these days, because to be frank there hasn't been much positive going on. Since saturday their days go like this. 7 am woken up by Nieva and Lulu. Rush to get some of the morning mash which always has bonus human food in it. Then, go back to sleep, preen, stay inside and make a lot of drama to lay just one or two poor quality eggs. Get out at 9 with the sun for 45 mn, then hide most of the day under the laurel tree. Get out again toward 2.45 and forage a bit. Between 3.20 and 3.30 Piou-piou wants to go to bed, so I take Gaston's team out of their yard on the terrace across. This allows Théo and Piou-piou to come in to roost without having a fight between the two roosters. Then the other hens gradually come in the coop to sleep. I stay with them until Gaston and the last hens, usually Lulu and Lilly, go to bed toward 4.

Roosting is horrible. The hens are really mean to each other. Every evening I think Laure and Mélisse will have to sleep on the floor but they manage to get a place once it's dark. Merle roosts in the back and not only does she maintains exclusivity on her roost, she also throws anyone that roosts in front of her on the floor.

Mélisse is now moulting a lot and it's really not fun for her as she is at the very bottom of the chicken's hierarchy. She doesn't come out of the chicken yard at all, not even to have a bit of our lunch .

While I am not really worried as no chickens look actually sick, I don't like to see them like this, with a low energy level and foraging so little. I think it's part due to colder weather, but the sun does keep it rather nice. And also I think they are stressed. It's possible that there has been some raptor coming close by that I did not see.
I'm also not sure that they are getting suitable nutrition now that they forage so little. Today Gaston mounted Lilly and this sent five or six feathers flying off her. As soon as he was down Lilly jumped on the feathers and gobbled them . Pretty disturbing - and probably means she is either not getting enough protein or the right amount of amino acids.

Today the temperatures are not as cold, it was just 0/32 early morning, and they are spending more time outside.

In the following weeks I may just post a few pictures on the days I don't feel like writing, to try to update more regularly.

 

[Molpet]

Yesterday I found a 2 and half year old rooster in the dust bath.... dead. Not a mark on him. I thought he was just sunning and bathing until I realized he didn't blink....Usually when they have a heart attack the comb is purple. He was very healthy and I thought he was going to last a long time.
He was mean to a hen that I moved instead of harvesting him. The hen has been harassed by every male and I moved her to the 4th coop. Which currently doesn't have a rooster. I harvested his son instead. I guess I didn't choose the right one.

 

[Perris]

The hens are really mean to each other.

While I am not really worried as no chickens look actually sick, I don't like to see them like this, with a low energy level and foraging so little.

This sort of behaviour seems to be very common when many of them are at various stages of moulting, and the weather takes a turn for the worse; some of my lot also become very tetchy and / or lose interest in some / all food for a while, and I don't like to see them like it either. Like you, being attentive and offering a diverse variety of things to eat is the best I think I can do to help them through it.

 

[BDutch]

I'm also not sure that they are getting suitable nutrition now that they forage so little.

My chickens are not as happy as in summer. But they thrive on the organic chick feed with layer pellets and oyster shells on the side. For evening treat they have mixed grains and a few mealworms. They do get a little human food ince in while, but not every day.

Maybe quality food made for chickens without much human food is not so bad.

…
My Pearl makes an alarming shrieking sound if Whisky grabs her. I cant imagine she is pleased if I hear the sound. On the other hand., she is often quite near to Whisky and doesn’t avoid him. Maybe she seeks his company too.

Tomorrow the lady of the hedge chickens comes to pick up my silly rooster.
Soo glad he is going to a good new home
Last week with the storms he often started to crow in the middle of the night.