Companihens chickens

[Companihen]

7 eggs today, Toenails, Minnie, Estella and Esmerelda this morning. And Grey, Pinch (pretty sure shes the polish laying atm) and Polka. Tgere eggs are in this order in the picture.

Thank you polka for laying in the eglu today. I will be grateful if you could continue this

 

[Callender Girl]

I guess we'll see if Polka appreciates your gratitude and again chooses the Eglu

 

[Companihen]

Polka has laid again, in the main eggbox in the coop this time. Perhaps she's just figuring out where she likes best

Out in the garden I'm wondering if I'm observing some passive aggressiveness between Armand and Percy... they seem to be pecking at the ground and advancing towards each other a bit more... then they stop and just seem to eye each other up. I've never really seen this in the run, in the run Percy is definitely boss and in charge of who eats when... but almost seems like Armand is willing to try and challenge out in the garden time will tell. I'll keep observing. The extra hens coming into lay is increasing the peckiness between the hens a lot too. Grey, head hen, in particularly is giving Pinch, Polka or Esmerelda a good peck whenever they come near her

 

[Callender Girl]

People who don't have chickens don't realize how much drama they bring to everyday life -- along with a lot of good stuff, too, thank goodness

Congrats on Polka using the main egg box!

 

[Companihen]

Cleopatra is checking out eggboxes and back ranging in the garden again. So looks like her molt is over and she's possibly thinking about laying again. Percy is mounting her frequently again too. Armand has tried it... cleopatra screamed and wouldn't keep still. Percy did nothing at the time but kept her in the run even though the rest went in the garden. She never showed she was molting with feather loss, always looked pretty, never bare and perhaps slightly scruffy but that was all. She just was hunched up, eating less and didn't leave the run much.

There was a lot of blood in one of the eggboxes when I checked it this morning, they don't lay in that one. Either black or Minnie/estella sleep in there. Black isn't laying and is still quite hunched up and has a very pale comb since she's melted. I should have aken a picture of it. It was all on the straw, wasn't exactly near or with any poop. Bizarre but not very nice.

All the chickens spent most of the day in the garden, and seemed perky amd well. Only black is still a bit slow but she's out ranging and eating and drinking

 

[Companihen]

I didn't update about the eggs yesterday... as far as I can tell cleopatra and prue are the last of the bantams yet to lay. Esmerelda, Grey, polka and Pinch definitely lay. And I think Pepin has laid too now. The polish lay the narrow pointy eggs, which are very white shelled. Out of 7 bantams I get between 2 to 4 eggs a day. The polish used to lay about 3 eggs a week. Grey, Esmerelda and Cleopatra used to lay 6 eggs a week and polka and prue used to lay 3 or 4 a week, every other day basically for them.

Greedy and Black the copper marans haven't started laying again yet. They used to be good consistent layers but last year the had quite a few issues with soft shell eggs, eggs with funny unformed bits of the shells which the hens used to peck at and therefore end up eating the eggs. They're getting older. Not sure if they'll be good layers again. And black doesn't seem great. No blood in the egg boxes or coop from last night.

Minnie, Estella and Autumn/toenails are young, pol last yr in Oct. They're laying every day. Only slowed down during the snowy week we had beginning of the year.

I wonder if we'll ever have a jackpot day where all 12 lay that would be cool, but unlikely

 

[Companihen]

Pretty Pinch, shes getting more friendly but I would still struggle to handle her.

Pepin, no chance of getting near her. Very flightly and doesn't even go near the other chickens.

Black has just closed her eyes here so she looks worse. But her comb is pale.

Armand

 

[Companihen]

And a few other recent pictures

 

[Callender Girl]

Great photos! Pretty Pepin, by the way, looks as if she's daring you to even try to touch her