Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[MaryJanet]

Does the afternoon coolness extend through the night? It's the hot nights I can't cope with. The lack of sleep makes heat all the worse.

 

[BDutch]

I think my chickens prefer food to dedication.

Mine too.

We probably get some thunderstorms here too tomorrow late afternoon. But I don’t need a 10 degree C temp drop.
Forecast is nice and sunny, around 28 in the early afternoon.

I had problems with the old chicken guard for a few days. I checked some instructions and removed a piece of the cord. Hopefully I did fix it properly today because my girls got locked up again this morning and were really nervous by the time I paid them a morning visit.

 

[ManueB]

Does the afternoon coolness extend through the night? It's the hot nights I can't cope with. The lack of sleep makes heat all the worse.

Totally agree with you. Yes it gets much cooler at night, at 4 it's around 22/72. Next week we’re expecting a huge drop in temperature and rain. Like, 9/48 in the morning .

Mine too.

We probably get some thunderstorms here too tomorrow late afternoon. But I don’t need a 10 degree C temp drop.
Forecast is nice and sunny, around 28 in the early afternoon.

I had problems with the old chicken guard for a few days. I checked some instructions and removed a piece of the cord. Hopefully I did fix it properly today because my girls got locked up again this morning and were really nervous by the time I paid them a morning visit.

Did it work then ?
You bet the hens must have been worried! I know it's very reliable, but still if you count on it while you're away on a week end and it doesn't open that could be a problem!
*******
Again not a great day ! My partner is taking Nieva to the vet tomorrow for the feet, with his brother in law's car that has AC. I’ve taken off her scabs several times and emptied the holes under ; they are still swollen, very hot, and refilling with a white liquid. I would have said pus for a human but I thought it was solid in chickens. Anyway I think she needs at least a local antibiotic cream.
Blanche and Cannelle are now really looking not good, especially with the heat. It could also be the molt. Blanche isn't even asking for her evening scrambled egg anymore which means she’s really feeling low.

And Gaston surprised me by attacking while I had Théo in my arms, or rather he was trying to jump on Théo ; he wouldn't stop, and didn't let me go, but I didn't want to put Théo down so close to him. I yelled at him and moved him away with my foot - a polite way to say I gave him a sort of light sidekick. Then he moved off and after that he didn't want to come near me all afternoon and he was still very defiant at roost time. I’ll try to explain to him that i’m not his enemy tomorrow when he’s slept over it.

One good thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that we have found a regular customer for our eggs, a lady in the village who wants 16 eggs a week, which is perfect to help us pass our spare eggs.
And another good new is that Léa has come out of broodiness- Merle is still trying to sit though!

Mélisse disturbed Chipie trying to lay- drama!

Hot. Blanche spent most of the day lying down.

Good thing we are allowed to water during the day this summer.

Grochatila likes the heat.

Sheltering from the heat.

Léa also remembers that this vine had grapes. A lot less this year than the last unfortunately!

Evening after another dry thunderstorm.

 

[Perris]

congrats on the regular customer! It makes life so easy

 

[BDutch]

Did it work then ?
You bet the hens must have been worried! I know it's very reliable, but still if you count on it while you're away on a week end and it doesn't open that could be a problem!

Yes. It was a combination of a weary thread and the batteries got low. I shortened the thread to delete the worn part of the thread. So now it uses a better part of the thread to wind. With the new batteries its works nicely again.

I wouldn’t trust to leave my chickens on their own too. When we are away for a weekend or longer, we always ask our neighbours to check/feed twice a day.
They live close by. I presume, once a day is possible too .

 

[ManueB]

If there was a contest for most stupid chicken keeper of the year, I would have a good chance to win. I discovered this morning a lice infestation on Alba while tending her feet. I’m so dumb sometimes ! I’ve always read to check vent, under feathers and the neck, and that's what I do religiously. I think I check most of the chickens at least twice a week, except the roosters a bit less. But I thought the neck meant the part above the body, from under the crest to the beginning of the wings. And the lice are all on the opposite side !!! As in ...under the head ! I was kind of wondering why every time I spotted a louse on one of my chickens, I only ever saw one at a time. Sure, I wasn't looking in the right place . I saw the lone wanderer away from the hoard.
I sprayed half the chickens tonight and i’ll do the rest tomorrow, and again in four days.

And Nieva went to the vet with my partner. She prescribed an antibiotic , a bacteriostat cream and an anti-inflammatory. She said it didn't look too good.

Chipie, after five hours screaming and dragging Théo all around the place, chose her new nest.Guess I won't be using the umbrella for a while.

Looking fierce...

That's more like him. Looking goofy.

Gaston tried to convince Piou-piou to lay in the cage rather than in the vine.

Piou-piou terrorises Chipie.

 

[Perris]

you are too hard on yourself. To err is human. Your chickens receive much better care than most do.

 

[RoyalChick]

If there was a contest for most stupid chicken keeper of the year, I would have a good chance to win. I discovered this morning a lice infestation on Alba while tending her feet. I’m so dumb sometimes ! I’ve always read to check vent, under feathers and the neck, and that's what I do religiously. I think I check most of the chickens at least twice a week, except the roosters a bit less. But I thought the neck meant the part above the body, from under the crest to the beginning of the wings. And the lice are all on the opposite side !!! As in ...under the head

Well you and I would be equal winners - that never crossed my mind either. I look at back of neck and around vent and if I am lucky I get to look under a wing.

And Nieva went to the vet with my partner. She prescribed an antibiotic , a bacteriostat cream and an anti-inflammatory. She said it didn't look too good.

I am sorry to hear that. I have been treating Babs for Bumblefoot and started to second guess myself on getting the pus out so she went to the vet yesterday. I am to keep soaking and 'strongly massaging'. but I should stop digging the pus out. I also got a bacteriostat/anti-inflammatory cream - silver sulfur something. I am cautiously optimistic.

Looking fierce...

That's more like him. Looking goofy.

I have got confused? Who is this stunner? You know I am a pushover for a black chicken. But a long-legged black chicken with wattles is really swoon-worthy! He is gorgeous.

 

[BDutch]

If there was a contest for most stupid chicken keeper of the year, I would have a good chance to win. I discovered this morning a lice infestation on Alba while tending her feet. I’m so dumb sometimes ! I’ve always read to check vent, under feathers and the neck, and that's what I do religiously. I think I check most of the chickens at least twice a week, except the roosters a bit less. But I thought the neck meant the part above the body, from under the crest to the beginning of the wings. And the lice are all on the opposite side !!! As in ...under the head ! I was kind of wondering why every time I spotted a louse on one of my chickens, I only ever saw one at a time. Sure, I wasn't looking in the right place . I saw the lone wanderer away from the hoard.
I sprayed half the chickens tonight and i’ll do the rest tomorrow, and again in four days.

Don’t blame yourself for everything you didn’t do 100% perfect. You have seen the problem and acted immediately. There’s no more you could have done.

And Nieva went to the vet with my partner. She prescribed an antibiotic , a bacteriostat cream and an anti-inflammatory. She said it didn't look too good.

View attachment 3619226

Hope it will work! get well soon Nieva.
See how you two care for your chickens. Most people wont make all these efforts and spend so much money on vets.

Chipie, after five hours screaming and dragging Théo all around the place, chose her new nest.Guess I won't be using the umbrella for a while.
View attachment 3619227
Looking fierce...

Do you want another hatch? From Chipie on this spot under the umbrella?

@RoyalChick , hope the bumble foot will heal nicely for Babs.

 

[ManueB]

Well you and I would be equal winners - that never crossed my mind either. I look at back of neck and around vent and if I am lucky I get to look under a wing.

Glad to know i’m not the only one ! But, I feel like I made again the same mistake as I did with Piou-piou - ignoring evidence, checking her wounded side all the time and never thinking to check the other side as well when it was common sense that both sides could be hurt from mating. In this case I saw individual louse at different times on three of my chickens, and when I realised in what state the four pullets I bought were, I did have the idea they were likely to bring lice with them. But I never thought to look further than what I had read, so that's where I lacked common sense. And the lice were all grouped together in one area, not scattered all around : easy to see...if you looked where they were. i’m not the worse chicken keeper in the world or on BYC, at least I hope so, but it makes me angry to keep making stupid mistakes that could be avoided.

I am sorry to hear that. I have been treating Babs for Bumblefoot and started to second guess myself on getting the pus out so she went to the vet yesterday. I am to keep soaking and 'strongly massaging'. but I should stop digging the pus out. I also got a bacteriostat/anti-inflammatory cream - silver sulfur something. I am cautiously optimistic.

Oh, i’m sorry to hear about Babs. And please tell me more about how you manage to do that on your own. It's a nightmare for me when I’m alone to cut away the old vet wraps, and also to go for the scab with tweezers while holding a struggling chicken. I’m really scared to hurt them. And I can't let go any of the leghorns when they struggle because they are so hard to catch! First time I tried wrapping them up in a towel and tying the legs, but it was worse. Do you bring them inside, or do this out ? And do you make Bab lie down or on the side on your knees, or do you lift her foot back ?

I have got confused? Who is this stunner? You know I am a pushover for a black chicken. But a long-legged black chicken with wattles is really swoon-worthy! He is gorgeous.

That's Pied Beau, our disco cockerel who totally acts like a cute goof ! He’s still a bit funny looking but he will definitely have an interesting colour - black with purple highlights and yellow. Still not crowing and just beginning to realize girls are a thing, when the other cockerel is already herding the pullets in and out of the coop, crowing like crazy, tibitting and trying to mate the smaller adult hens.

Do you want another hatch? From Chipie on this spot under the umbrella?

No! That was just a fantasy. I don't need more chickens, in fact I need less. If I was the only one to decide, I might have given a try at having a completely free range bantam flock somewhere else on the property with Chipie as Queen . But as things are we won't be getting chicks from Chipie.

@RoyalChick , hope the bumble foot will heal nicely for Babs.

Yes, I hope so too! Keep us updated!
*******
I’m waiting hopefully for the forecasted afternoon storm, temperatures are back to normal, we have four kilos of plums to make jams since it's supposed to rain until tomorrow night, and we need to transfer the honey in jars as well. I’m really glad my partner drove Nieva to the vet yesterday because this morning one her foot looks awful and definitely like she needs antibiotics - good thing we didn't wait until next week.

This morning I caught Petit blanc because I saw he wounded his crest and it looked swollen, and he got completely terrified. I didn't think he would since I often pick him up, but usually I let him go as soon as he shows he wants to leave. He was so afraid he went all around the garden sounding the alarm ; once he called down, for an hour he began again running away shouting as soon as he saw me. Now he’s hiding in a bush, i’ll leave him quiet today and try again to make friend tomorrow.
I’m still wondering when will be the right time to re-home him, and if we should send a pullet with him and which.

Merle has stopped trying to sit, and Piou-piou who only made broody noises but never actually really stayed on the nest is back to normal, so it seems we’re done with the broody craze.

We had sunshine this morning but now it's very cloudy and should rain any moment.

Sun gone, a bit of dust and we fade to grey..

Gaston and Cannelle

Gaston and his Piou-piou

Old ladies preening and resting