BDutch's bantam flock & natural breeding projects #5 🪺 🪺 and #6

[BDutch]

Yesterday evening I treated my chickens on a little salmon leftover I didn’t trust very much (1 week in the fridge).

They loved it of course. Even better than the dried mealworms.

Today I let them out to free range for 1+ hour. Calling them to come home went surprisingly easy. They were extremely pleased I had a little more salmon to feed them.

 

[BDutch]

Black is recovering for sure now. Yesterday and this night she roosts with her family again.

Stil not very active and her posture is still a bit strange as if her breast is swollen, but not as bad as before.

The chicken all free ranged for 3 hours and returned without any problems. They love it to search for fallen grapes

 

[BDutch]

This weekend my husband opened the run again to let the chickens free range whole day. Happy chickens No problems so far.

The playhouse turns out to be a real playhouse for the juveniles. They where in it to explore. In the evening they always jump on the chicken swing for about 15 minutes before they go to roost.

Status quo: Ini mini, Black, Whisky, Gin and Tonic roost in the small coop.
The 4 layers Pearl, Kraai, Katrientje and Janice roost in the coop-extension.

 

[BDutch]

Yesterday my husband and me seriously considered what we want with Whisky on the longer term. In fact he is redundant and I decided to advertise him on ‘Marketplace/ Marktplaats’.

With 2 more hens my flock is big enough and hopefully they will provide enough eggs in the next 2 years. If a few hens die or disappear I can simply buy fertile eggs if I have a broody.

If I can't find a good spot for Whisky, he can stay until he becomes a nuisance. But I attempt to keep him in a dark cage rather than give him away to someone for meat.

 

[BDutch]

Black is back in charge again. Boss of the yoghurt leftover.

Katrientje was broody for a few days. But locking her up in the playhouse worked nicely. One day was not enough, An hour after I released she went back to her favourite nest box. The second 2 day she gave up.

 

[BDutch]

[(Posted in Shadreachs thread too)
Happy chickens free ranging, until ..

This bastard came along.
Its the tomcat that chased my chickens in previous years but I hadn’t seen him for a very long time.

[

The chickens sounded the cat alarm to each other, a little louder and a little more distressed as when they see a neighbour cat/female cat.

This very well might the beast that hunted my chickens a couple of times and injured Black 2 weeks ago.

 

[BDutch]

Kraai is broody again for a few days now. The playhouse is occupied again. I told her we have enough youngsters and there is no space for more chicks. But she won’t listen.

She’s not happy in the playhouse. Yesterday I let her out to free range.
Checked a couple of times and it seemed she had finished her broodiness. At roost time she went to roost with her sisters. But when I checked at night she had moved in the nestbox.

Family outing to the ‘swimming pool’. The juveniles are moulting, they loose a few feathers every day.

The juveniles are 3 months old now. I thought the small coop was too small for 5 bantams. But they still prefer their separate coop over the extension.

They slept in the extension on Tuesday because I blocked the entrance to the small coop for broody Kraai. But obviously it didn’t feel as an improvement because they went back to sleep in the small coop last night.

 

[fuzzi]

M

Kraai is broody again for a few days now. The playhouse is occupied again. I told her we have enough youngsters and there is no space for more chicks. But she won’t listen.
View attachment 3947043
She’s not happy in the playhouse. Yesterday I let her out to free range.
Checked a couple of times and it seemed she had finished her broodiness. At roost time she went to roost with her sisters. But when I checked at night she had moved in the nestbox.

Family outing to the ‘swimming pool’. The juveniles are moulting, they loose a few feathers every day.
View attachment 3947042
The juveniles are 3 months old now. I thought the small coop was too small for 5 bantams. But they still prefer their separate coop over the extension.

They slept in the extension on Tuesday because I blocked the entrance to the small coop for broody Kraai. But obviously it didn’t feel as an improvement because they went back to sleep in the small coop last night.

Martha has tried to sleep in the nesting box several times this week. I remove her and up on the roost she goes!

 

[BDutch]

Lovely weather today.

Kraai

Kraai and Janice my 2 lesbienne hens are often together and are more than normal flock mates for each other. Today and yesterday I saw them making advances. Seen it more often in the past 2 years.
Kraai behaves like a rooster and climbs on top of Janice. Janice seems to be okay with it.

I wonder what will happen if Whisky gets older and becomes a real rooster.

Janice

 

[ManueB]

Lovely weather today. View attachment 3949002

KraaiView attachment 3949001Kraai and Janice my 2 lesbienne hens are often together and are more than normal flock mates for each other. Today and yesterday I saw them making advances. Seen it more often in the past 2 years.
Kraai behaves like a rooster and climbs on top of Janice. Janice seems to be okay with it.

I wonder what will happen if Whisky gets older and becomes a real rooster.

Janice
View attachment 3949000

They are both pretty hens.
Does Kraai have more red/gold now or is the light ? I thought she looked more black but on this picture the second colour really shows out.