Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Perris]

I think it's normal for chickens to transition between different feeds gradually, and I found them none too keen on whole oats either; rolled oats served as porridge is popular though here.
Does that hail damage your young plants?

 

[ManueB]

I think it's normal for chickens to transition between different feeds gradually, and I found them none too keen on whole oats either; rolled oats served as porridge is popular though here.
Does that hail damage your young plants?

It did...every year we have the same discussion with my partner: I want to protect everything and he always think it won't hail (it tends to happen on Friday and Saturday when he's away). We only covered the tomatoes and salads, so the other stuff that came out is shredded. I'm especially upset for the favas and the strawberries (they usually grow back but later) and the small red pepper starters . The cherries will also be very damaged as they were all out.

It happens every year, so it's not like we are surprised!

 

[ManueB]

Today's forecasted storm did not happen but for once I wasn't entirely unhappy about it .
I took the easy way out with the chickens and alternated locking Gaston and locking the ex-batts. I also let Piou-piou out while Gaston was locked up, she didn't wander very far though.
Brune is definitely back from the dead, until next time. She almost looks healthy now and acts normal if a bit slow. Blanche, on the other hand, is having a hard time.

When everyone was roosted I let Théo out to let him stretch a bit and see how he was doing. I can't see a real limp but he's unstable on his legs. Maybe tomorrow I will let him out for a little longer with his hens once Gaston is roosted. What he doesn't need is another fight.

Brune and Nougat

After lunch the ex-batts and Chipie were locked in the run. Chipie wanted to show Cannelle she was the boss .

They had a nap half in the sun.

I saw Léa turn her eggs when she went back on her nest.
She does things differently than Chipie did. She doesn't dustbathe at all and she doesn't poop every day. Maybe because she's so young and inexperienced?

Merle wandered quite far on her own. I'm not really worried as she is a very good flyer but she isn't always careful.

Girls squad.

Brune.

Blanche is in trouble.

 

[BDutch]

Good to hear things seem to improve.

Lea is probably doing fine. I think my broodies didn’t poop every day either.

 

[ManueB]

Another quiet day, still alternating time outside for the hens and for Gaston.
Although Gaston is upset, he's being pretty good about it- he follows us even though he knows now we are going to lock him up for two hours.

At one point my partner let Piou-piou escape and Gaston jumped on her. We quickly caught her and there was no damage. Luckily as her wound is fully healed now and it's just tender new skin, the feathers haven't grown back yet.
Once Gaston was roosted, I let Théo out. He was overexcited but the ex-batts were obviously unhappy to see him. He tidbitted so hard he was completely out of breath. Then he chased them to mate pretty roughly. His leg is better, I saw him during the day standing on his wounded leg only. But not yet back to normal I think.

Blanche may.be tired and in pain but she is always happy to be outside.

Piou-piou

Merle tries to hang out a bit with the ex-batts but she often gets told away.

They don't usually enjoy salads, but they really like these.

 

[ManueB]

I'm really worried. Piou-piou was foraging when suddenly she began thrashing around for a minute then looking really unwell. I took her back to the cage and she did it again. We can't feel anything stuck in her trachea and it's impossible to get her to open her beak, she struggles like crazy. Now she is standing on the roost shaking with her wings wide open. She doesn't make any noise breathing. I'm scared she swallowed some kind of poison.

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm really worried. Piou-piou was foraging when suddenly she began thrashing around for a minute then looking really unwell. I took her back to the cage and she did it again. We can't feel anything stuck in her trachea and it's impossible to get her to open her beak, she struggles like crazy. Now she is standing on the roost shaking with her wings wide open. She doesn't make any noise breathing. I'm scared she swallowed some kind of poison.View attachment 3506213

Oh no!
Ate a bee maybe?

 

[ManueB]

Oh no!
Ate a bee maybe?

No clue. We're taking her inside the house, she can't keep up on her feet and she's trembling all over. I don't know how to help her.

 

[ManueB]

I got her back in the crate in the coop as she was totally stressed out in our house. She didn't look too good in the crate either. She threw herself on (literally in) the feed bowl of layer feed and mixed grains, so maybe that's a good sign ? But she couldn't manage to put herself on the roost even though I had lowered it. She crashed on the ground and ended up sleeping there.
I can see three possibilities:
-she ate some poisonous stuff
- she ate a piece of metal or something that got stuck but that I couldn't feel
- or the problem with Cannelle's eye the other day was actually a bacteria and it's catching her very hard. This would be disastrous with the chickens arriving tomorrow. I'm surprised it would be so sudden.
I really hope she will pull over this, after all she's gone through with her wound. I never expected her to survive her first months but she has been such a fighter ... and we have grown very close to her.

And tomorrow we have to leave all morning to go buy food and get the new chickens.

I do have one funny anecdote from today. Théo's cage is in our entrance. I was underneath the house with the hens when I heard a very loud cocorico just above us. I looked up and saw... Théo standing on the bathroom's open window. I wish I had time to take a photo, but I just had the time to realize he was there when he flew down to us . His cage has a an opening on the top which I leave slightly open : he managed to fly out of it, to get himself to the bathroom, and fly out of the window to freedom !

Pictures of the day.

Piou-piou managed to steal some of Blanche's scrambled egg. This shows Blanche is not well, she would never share her food otherwise.

This is the opening through which the prisoner escaped.

 

[RoyalChick]

I got her back in the crate in the coop as she was totally stressed out in our house. She didn't look too good in the crate either. She threw herself on (literally in) the feed bowl of layer feed and mixed grains, so maybe that's a good sign ? But she couldn't manage to put herself on the roost even though I had lowered it. She crashed on the ground and ended up sleeping there.
I can see three possibilities:
-she ate some poisonous stuff
- she ate a piece of metal or something that got stuck but that I couldn't feel
- or the problem with Cannelle's eye the other day was actually a bacteria and it's catching her very hard. This would be disastrous with the chickens arriving tomorrow. I'm surprised it would be so sudden.
I really hope she will pull over this, after all she's gone through with her wound. I never expected her to survive her first months but she has been such a fighter ... and we have grown very close to her.

And tomorrow we have to leave all morning to go buy food and get the new chickens.

I do have one funny anecdote from today. Théo's cage is in our entrance. I was underneath the house with the hens when I heard a very loud cocorico just above us. I looked up and saw... Théo standing on the bathroom's open window. I wish I had time to take a photo, but I just had the time to realize he was there when he flew down to us . His cage has a an opening on the top which I leave slightly open : he managed to fly out of it, to get himself to the bathroom, and fly out of the window to freedom !

Pictures of the day.
View attachment 3506342View attachment 3506343View attachment 3506345View attachment 3506346
Piou-piou managed to steal some of Blanche's scrambled egg. This shows Blanche is not well, she would never share her food otherwise.
View attachment 3506347View attachment 3506348View attachment 3506349View attachment 3506350View attachment 3506351View attachment 3506352View attachment 3506353
This is the opening through which the prisoner escaped.
View attachment 3506354View attachment 3506355

I do hope she pulls through.