Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[MaryJanet]

The one lesson I will try to keep from the marten's attack is to do regular safety inspections. Our coop was 100% secure in the beginning. If we had checked regularly, we would certainly have seen it wasn't anymore.

This is a very tinely reminder for me. I'll inspect the run today.

 

[lightm]

I see you have changed your profile picture.

 

[ManueB]

Did you sell some of the surplus? My sales cover all my chicken outgoings, though I don't price in my time of course; I love spending time with the flock!

Yes ! We eat a lot of them, but 2621 eggs is too much for 2 humans to eat in a year, even regularly scrambling some for the chickens.
We sold 1 to 3 cartons of 12 eggs a week. It did not cover our chicken expenses but it did make a nice difference.
I won't do it again next year though for several reasons. We have lost a few of our layers, Nougat, Kara, Laure, and Piou-piou, so we won't have that many eggs. Also, I didn't really enjoy it, because I was always trying to give "perfect" eggs to the customers - big ones with nice shells and shapes ; but many of our hens lay slightly odd looking eggs, or small ones.
Another reason is that my neighbour Amelia has finally began selling her cheese on the market and she also sells eggs, and I think the eggs are an important complementary income for her when her goats and cows don't produce milk. She sells them for more than we do, so I don't want to induce unfair competition. We don't need the money, I just didn't want to throw eggs away.

I see you have changed your profile picture.

Yes ! I believe I had Caramel on my profile picture since I joined BYC, before Caramel died. Her death was one of the most important moment of my chicken keeping story, and I suppose it's the same with Piou-piou.
It's hard to believe that was less than two and a half years ago, just six weeks after Piou-piou hatched.
Isn't it strange how time can both feel like it flies by, and like it extends itself forever ? Now I feel that it was ages ago, but it also went very fast...
We left Nice to come live here in summer 2019 and got the six ex-batt's in January 2020. The years went by so quickly and yet looking back, it seems like it was a different world and a different time. So much has changed. I feel like I'm barely connected to the person I was when I arrived here.
I suppose that's a usual process when you get older .

We're back to winter today, it was -6c/21f this morning, grey all day, and though it rose to 7/45 it was quite unpleasant.

The camera seems to have been functional during the night, but all I saw was me going to open the coop - the timer wasn't set right, it was supposed to stop before.
Mélisse laid an egg today ! It's strange that she should go back to laying while she is in the middle of her molt. But she should be over it very soon.
I also found not one, but two soft shell eggs under the roosts when I opened the coop. It's been a while since it last happened.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the chickens who I let range out beyond the chicken yard 45 mn before roost time. They have now all decided they want to climb up the adjacent terrace wall. This brings them on the same level as the coop and run, but from the other side, separated by the run's mesh. And they don't understand that they have to come all the way down and around to go back in the coop. I've shown them several times but only a few of the chickens that have free ranged at some point get it ; the hens that have been all their lives in the chicken yard, and some of the others like Léa, don't want to come down and panic, and they tend to go higher up and then they don't know where they are anymore. Hopefully they will understand after a while, because having them stay over there and come back to roost on their own once Théo is already on his roost makes it a lot easier for me than having to separate the two roosters from picking a fight when they go to roost.

I almost didn't take pictures today because the weather was too horrible.
Chipie is so small.

Someone says (growls) she will soon think about making babies again.

Mélisse feels well enough to hang out in the garden near Théo again.

It's taking me forever to sort Piou-piou's pictures because I've stupidly saved my chicken pictures on two different computers and three different google photo accounts. Tonight I found this cute pic, they were four months old.

 

[Molpet]

They have now all decided they want to climb up the adjacent terrace wall. This brings them on the same level as the coop and run, but from the other side, separated by the run's mesh. And they don't understand that they have to come all the way down and around to go back in the coop.

I ended up making a small door in the wire when the goofy poults were doing this every year.

Maybe you could trade extra perfect eggs for cheese that didn't sell. Or sell her eggs cheap that she could sell

 

[ManueB]

I ended up making a small door in the wire when the goofy poults were doing this every year.

I thought about it but the run already has two doors, I'm not too keen on making a third one.
I think I'm going to send them in the garden next week instead. I just have to take off the netting that's blocking the access, it's been there for so longs the weeds are completely tangled in it.

Maybe you could trade extra perfect eggs for cheese that didn't sell. Or sell her eggs cheap that she could sell

Wouldn't that be cool ! But my guess is that we should be having the right number of eggs for us, the chickens, and giving a carton every other week or so to family.

Speaking of eggs, Alba laid another soft shell egg during the night and it had a glob of blood inside. I'm thinking she might be developing reproductive issue - she's a leghorn laying machine and we all know what that means. Since she has been moulting, she has a day off laying after two eggs, and then on the day after she lays an enormous egg - much too big for her thin body. However, she was very active during the day and she didn't show any signs of being not well. I gave her some extra calcium.

Today marks two weeks that Piou-piou was killed. I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that I will never see her again for real but only in photos, stories, and memories. I think the hardest part is realising the flock goes on without her. Tonight, for the first time two hens roosted on the roost where she was attacked, that had been hers, Théo's and Merle's for more than a year. Laure roosted at one end under Chipie's nest, which is a spot where she had already slept a few times when I used to put the separator, so she couldn't be pecked by Merle. And Kara slept by the window, right where Piou-piou was. Since Gaston began moulting two months ago he doesn't want Kara next to him anymore. This was her favourite place, she used to sort of nest on the platform next to him or even in the nest, and then she would sleep huddled between him and the wall. But he has been pecking her away, and even attacking her these last days. So tonight she took Piou-piou's spot, on her own, at the very opposite from Laure on the roost.

We're supposed to have horrible weather this week with rain first (much needed) and then five days of strong winds. I hope it's not so bad that we can't work on the run.

Early morning, Laure

What do you mean, I'm not allowed to make babies in January?

 

[lightm]

Laure really does have quite red comb.

Light's comb is fairly red too. I imagine her implant has long worn off. She has no sign of laying maybe because of winter, or being old, or a combination of both. She will be 4 in March.

 

[MaryJanet]

Today marks two weeks that Piou-piou was killed. I'm slowly adjusting to the fact that I will never see her again for real but only in photos, stories, and memories. I think the hardest part is realising the flock goes on without her.

she was a special little one.

 

[ManueB]

Laure really does have quite red comb.

Light's comb is fairly red too. I imagine her implant has long worn off. She has no sign of laying maybe because of winter, or being old, or a combination of both. She will be 4 in March.
View attachment 4021177

She's indeed very chubby now, but so endearing ! I remember one of the first picture you posted of her cuddling inside when she was hurt by the rooster.
Of my three ex-batts that lived older than four, only Nougat was still laying. I suppose you'll know at the end of January how it will turn out for Light !

she was a special little one.

I realise now how much. I used to think I liked all my chickens the same, especially when we had only the ex-batt's, but it's not true at all anymore now. I will try to give all of them the same degree of care, but I definitely don't have the same feelings for all of them, much like with people.

It has rained a lot on and off all day and the temperature did not rise above 1/34, we haven't been able to work on the run, and we discovered the abscess on Lilly's belly for which she had a surgery a year ago is coming back, so not the best day... I'm sure tomorrow will be better. I was surprised that all the chickens came out in the rain. My guess is that it has been so dry they were happy to see some rain, and maybe it got the few remaining bugs to come up to the surface.

 

[lightm]

She's indeed very chubby now, but so endearing ! I remember one of the first picture you posted of her cuddling inside when she was hurt by the rooster.
Of my three ex-batts that lived older than four, only Nougat was still laying. I suppose you'll know at the end of January how it will turn out for Light !

Yes. She is very cute and good looking now. She has also become extra sweet somehow. Today she was on my lap/tummy for almost two hours while I was reading a book!

Proof

(I should probably clarify at this point that Light still lives outside like other chickens . She transitions from human to chicken seamlessly.)

You remember well. It was three years ago when I joined BYC. Light getting injured contributed to me joining BYC. Light getting injured is also how my husband really bonded with Light.

 

[ManueB]

I lost it this morning . Made a fool of myself, and scared my partner ! After breakfast I stayed a bit inside the house. My partner had just left for a run when I came out. I saw Théo next to the chicken yard's door, where he had been fence fighting Gaston for the last half hour. I came closer. And then I saw Gaston's still body on the ground, hanging by his foot stuck in the mesh.
I started crying and screaming, calling to my partner that Gaston was dead. It's strange that when I saw Piou-piou's headless body I went cold numb, but this morning I freaked out hysterically. My partner came back running as fast as he could and went inside the yard to see Gaston. Gaston was totally alive ! He had managed to unstuck himself, because he got scared when he heard me screaming. He did have a light leg strain, but nothing to worry about. I sobbed with relief and I could have hugged him but he wouldn't let me come near- he is terrified when he sees me crying. How stupid can I get ? Sigh.

In better news, my partner was supposed to work today but there was a change of plan so we had two full days to get on with securing the run. All the lower part is done, and on two sides we've also done the top. Now remains the most complicated bit, the further end which isn't covered by a roof. We didn't agree on what to do and I'm not really happy with my partner's solution, but as long as it keeps the marten out I won't argue. Then we'll have some finishing to do using mesh and mortar to make sure there are no holes left between the roof's rafter and the house's wall.
I feel better that we're working and seeing progress but at the same time it's a constant reminder that if we had done this from the start Piou-piou would still be here.

Merle seemed to want to sit on her nest yesterday, today she acted more normal. Théo finds himself alone for quite a long time when she sits or goes in the chicken yard to dust bath. And when Merle acts broody, he ignores her completely, like she was another hen. He tries to attract hens out of the chicken's yard, but when that doesn't work after a while, he wanders off. I wonder if he could actually really leave looking for hens if Merle went fully broody.

Both Lulu and Lilly have been laying several soft eggs in the last days. Yesterday morning Lulu was not feeling well after having laid a soft shell egg during the night with some blood, but after two hours she was her usual hyperactive self. Either it's the food (I've began the organic starter and have completely stopped giving them layer feed), or maybe a virus or bacteria. A few of the hens have tiny dots of blood in their poops, and I've also found blood in eggs a few times the last month in Lilly, Lulu and Alba's eggs, which has never happened before.
But at the same time Lulu and Lilly are the most active hens. So maybe it's nothing to worry about.

Lilly will likely be going to the vet soon for her abscess. I'm trying a drawing salve but I don't want to take any chance opening it myself, it's located in an awkward place and last time there was so much pus the vet had to make a huge opening to get it all out.

Pictures from yesterday and today.

The chickens helped us dig before pouring concrete.

But they tended to cover everything up as soon as we dug a trench so we ended locking them out.

Chipie is really happy when Merle comes in because she is one of the only hens still afraid of her, so she sticks to her like glue playing at being queen.

A furtive visit... Piou-piou was the only hen to willingly come visit inside when we left the door open. Merle didn't dare come in.

Gaston standing guard for the bums .