Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[BDutch]

For those of you who share your house with others, do they help you with the chickens, and how do you share chores, or is it your sole responsibility?

Most of the chicken keeping is done by me. But mdh helps quite often. When he is up before me, and he doesn’t need to go to the office, he sets them free or feeds them. Depending on the plans for that day.
Sometimes he gives scratch and locks them up if we are going somewhere or when I’m preparing diner at closing in time.
When some work needs to done in the run, like pruning the berry bushes or cutting the ivy, he does this or he helps me. With other work like repairing the fence he helps too if I need a extra hand.
Cleaning and buying feed or supplies is almost 100% up to me.

Janice in and out Chefs and Abbys mini coop :

 

[lightm]

@lightm I forgot to tell you that I told my father about your crown of jewels comment. He was very flattered, but most of all found it incredible that I was chatting about chickens with an american / chinese mathematician !
He then proceeded to tell me stories about crazy colleagues and their animals.

I find it incredible too! I have a colleague who is crazy about bunnies. His house has two bedrooms that are full of bunnies.

For chicken chores, I think my husband and I pretty much split half, but he does more on cuddling them and loving them...

 

[ManueB]

I am always amazed at how beautiful it is there. Your pictures make me miss being home in autumn. The Appalachian mountains are very beautiful in October.

I love it here but it would not compare to the Appalachian! Geographically we’re not even in the mountains yet, it's the pre-alps. I haven't been in "real" mountains this year and I really miss it.
When I lived for two small years in the US as a kid then as a teen my parents took us to visit and trek in many special places. Yosemite, Yellow stone, Lassen, Redwood national Park, grand canyon, canyon de chelly, a bit of route 101, salt lake... The one place I really regret not having seen is the Appalachian. But I guess you would need several weeks to hike there. America is just on another scale compared to Europe and while I don't enjoy bigger cities, bigger cars and bigger houses, the wide spaces in nature are astounding. Do you still have family there and do you still visit ?

Beautiful
How much snow do you get?

Not a lot actually because we’ve got both the Mediterranean and alpine influence, and the house is only 1060m / 3500 feet high even if we have much higher summits very close. I think we would have snow falls maybe around 10 times in a year from November to beginning of May, and the maximum we have would be 80 cm / 2ft 6. Last two winters of drought we had snow only three or four times and only once enough to last a few days. The winter before that, however, it snowed continuously for about five weeks.

Cleaning and buying feed or supplies is almost 100% up to me.

Oh I forgot about buying the food! And it's almost always my partner who does that , so I guess things are more balanced than I thought.

I find it incredible too! I have a colleague who is crazy about bunnies. His house has two bedrooms that are full of bunnies.

For chicken chores, I think my husband and I pretty much split half, but he does more on cuddling them and loving them...
View attachment 3615339View attachment 3615340

He certainly has grown very fond of them . Here too my partner does a lot of loving, though it's more about treat and jokes than cuddles.

I used to think it was better not to touch the chickens too much as I didn't want to treat them as pets. With all the health issues we have I’ve changed my mind about this because it makes things so much easier if the chickens are used to be handled.

 

[Perris]

He then proceeded to tell me stories about crazy colleagues and their animals.

I had one who kept sheep too, though I don't think he ever brought one to work. My old prof used to take his dog, and I followed suit. He would lay quietly under the desk during tutorials and periodically let out a little sigh; always made me smile when novice students would look round the room quizzically wondering what that was and where it came from

 

[MaryJanet]

He then proceeded to tell me stories about crazy colleagues and their animals.

Miniature cows is as wild as it gets among my colleagues. Not that I've ever seen one on campus!

Makes my fascination with chickens look mild

 

[Molpet]

I think we would have snow falls maybe around 10 times in a year from November to beginning of May, and the maximum we have would be 80 cm / 2ft 6. Last two winters of drought we had snow only three or four times and only once enough to last a few days. The winter before that, however, it snowed continuously for about five weeks.

your max is my normal. usually last snow is maybe in April though.
2011 was a snowy year. Ground hog day blizzard , the snowfall over several days was over 2 ft. Last couple years only a couple inches a snow.

 

[GregnLety]

The one place I really regret not having seen is the Appalachian. But I guess you would need several weeks to hike there. America is just on another scale compared to Europe and while I don't enjoy bigger cities, bigger cars and bigger houses, the wide spaces in nature are astounding. Do you still have family there and do you still visit ?

Lety and I want to take a trip there in mid October if we can find someone to care for our animals.

 

[ManueB]

I’m exhausted from the heat, and not feeling very positive.

• Worried that while the other three hens are better, Nieva’s feet have taken a turn for the worse.
• A boar broke into our garden last night and completely destroyed the leaks and carrots rows- 200 baby leaks gone ! We don't know if it's still inside. My partner's father was here this morning and he helped him set cable lace traps.
• We’re staying around 38/100 until Friday. If Blanche makes it through there i’ll be surprised.

My partner got poopped on holding Nieva after I finished her bandages. He was gloating so much when I told him it happened to him, saying how the hens would never do that with him, that I just had to laugh !

In the morning until ten the chickens were out and about - then they stayed under cover until six.

Alba

Nieva

Blanche. Even though I give her a scrambled egg with oats before bed her crop remains empty. But she still pays attention when we talk to her. Good eye side.

Bad eye, rarely open now.

Théo and Chipie are a couple again! Except when Chipie decides she prefers Gaston!

 

[Perris]

A boar broke into our garden last night and completely destroyed the leaks and carrots rows- 200 baby leaks gone ! We don't know if it's still inside.

I had no idea they lived in the mountains; do they visit you often? I hope not given how destructive that was on a single night. I imagine they can be dangerous; dealing with a wild boar was one of the labours of Heracles wasn't it? Are you aiming to kill it or just try to deter it?

 

[RoyalChick]

I had no idea they lived in the mountains; do they visit you often? I hope not given how destructive that was on a single night. I imagine they can be dangerous; dealing with a wild boar was one of the labours of Heracles wasn't it? Are you aiming to kill it or just try to deter it?

Wild boar with leeks would make a really good sausage recipe.
Just saying.
@ManueB - sorry for all the drama - chicken and wildlife - it is a lot to handle in that heat. I think I would just be slumped under the hose trying to cool off.