Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Molpet]

Life is full of mistakes. It's also called experience.

 

[lightm]

@RoyalChick Great post on how you treat Babs. I wish both you and Manue succeed with the bumble feet treatment. It sounds terrifying to be honest since it can be a long lasting battle. But it also sounds like Babs is improving.

@ManueB I bought a book recently called Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning and started to read today. It is translated from French so should be really helpful to you if you don't know already. However, I sense that you must know the group of people (terre vivante) who wrote the book.

 

[ManueB]

We just had an hour of heavy rain, lightning and thunder with some hail too.
Temps dropped to need a wear a sweater socks and long trousers. No summer vibes anymore here. Feels like september came too soon.

It's never too soon for the end of summer. I can't wait for pumpkin season!

I discovered a few white lice on Katrientje too yesterday. Not on the other chickens. Realising all chickens dust bath daily, except Katrientje ,it seems she doesn’t like to bath. So I put a handful of DE in between her feathers last evening. Want to do this again next week and see if there are still feather lice (?) on her after that. I didn’t see any nest these feather lice normally seem to make. Do Im not sure what these are. Only know it are not red mite for sure.

I didn't see eggs either. My guess is that they would be hard to see if there are only a few. Poultry lice are very recognisable, if you search on the internet for images. Today I looked again at Alba when we bathed her feet, and I saw some, but way less than two days ago, so I treated her again. I didn't see any on the other chickens which have all been treated with various products ; neem oil, pyrethrin dusting powder, and a spray with no insecticide, just dimethicone (silicon) that is supposed to mechanically suffocate them. I will use all those alternately.
The vet actually said to use stronghold (selamectin) if we can't get rid of them but i’m pretty sure we won't need to. I think I saw more or less 10 the first time on Alba and all in one spot; it didn't seem like the chicken was actually covered in lice. I didn't see any on the other chickens, but honestly they are so tiny and almost transparent, I could have missed them again.

And yes. IMHO Manue only made a mistake taking over problematic chickens from her neighbour.
I made lots of mistakes too the first year I started with chickens and do from time to time ever since. It good to realise we ALL make mistakes with living creatures. I even made mistakes bringing up my children. Everyone does. Only most people don’t like to tell about the mistakes they have make. Better feel for most humans to put on pink glasses , share the successes, and avoid telling about the misery don’t you think?

My motto of today; “Some nasty things that happen just can’t be avoided unless a Angel would have come to warn us. “
Sometimes I even got into more trouble because I was listening to an Angel in disguise (the type that say she/he knows better).

Yes, I agree with you that making mistakes is ineluctable. Only those who do nothing never err. I also tend to see things with black glasses rather than pink. But still I find I should avoid making some mistakes, those that come from neglect, or carelessness.

Life is full of mistakes. It's also called experience.

Very true, and wise. But not everyone learn from their mistakes, and I seem to have an uncanny ability to make the same over and over !
It's also a different thing when your mistakes impact yourself only, and when you're in charge or responsible for other beings.

@RoyalChick Great post on how you treat Babs. I wish both you and Manue succeed with the bumble feet treatment. It sounds terrifying to be honest since it can be a long lasting battle. But it also sounds like Babs is improving.

@ManueB I bought a book recently called Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning and started to read today. It is translated from French so should be really helpful to you if you don't know already. However, I sense that you must know the group of people (terre vivante) who wrote the book.

Not sure I know this book specifically but the editor, yes, of course. They are the main publisher here for everything on permaculture and organic gardenic, vegan and alternative cooking, and all kind of things useful for homesteading. I have a bunch of their books both for gardening and cooking, and I also use their wall gardening calendar with the moon phases and the right days for when to plant what. I always want to buy everything when they send the lists of new books ! Should be an interesting read !
***********
Not much to say, it rained gently all day. The chickens stayed mostly in the run, the younger ones in the wood shelter with Piou-piou. But the light drizzle allowed them to spend a bit of time outside. We tended to Nougat and Alba inside and it went all right. Nougat is officially over bumblefoot ! It will probably be more difficult tomorrow with Nieva and Cannelle.
Petit Blanc was still very afraid of me today . At roost time he was so scared he wouldn't go in the coop until I went inside the house where he couldn't see me. It seems it will be hard to make him trust me again but hopefully in time he will see I won't try to catch him. He seems really traumatized.

I took very few pictures because we also spent most of the day inside making jam and transfering honey into small jars. It does feel like the end of summer but we're very happy for the rain and lower temperatures!

Yesterday afternoon, Chipie and Piou-piou bathing together. An uncommon sight as they are sworn ennemies!

Théo came by to see if there was some opportunities but Piou-piou really doesn't like him.

Nieva and her bandages turned to grey in half an hour.

Cannelle. It doesn't show when she's up but she’s really declining. Also, she's becoming aggressive with the other chickens whereas she has always been very laid back.

Théo attempting to flirt with Léa. No place better than a big wet sheep poop pile covered in hay to dig some juicy stuff!

Wet Pied Beau.

 

[ManueB]

It rained a lot during the night, so much that the noise of the rain woke us up. But today although it was very wet it didn't rain at all, so the chickens could enjoy a damp soil to dig in.
Cannelle spent some time in the nest box again without laying early this morning. She rests a lot with Blanche. Her foot is definitely getting better, but strangely it's still very swollen above. I’m beginning to wonder if she didn't strain it on top of the bumblefoot!

Nieva’s feet are also very slightly better or at least they are not as alarming as they were. I opened only one side, the more swollen one, but only blood came out. And the foot isn't turning blue like it was, it's still very hot but also not as much.
I went to catch her this time to give my partner a break from always doing it and because I acted quickly and by surprise, Gaston attacked me or more exactly pecked my hand when I reached out to catch Nieva. I’m not angry at him, quite the opposite, because he had all good reason to try to protect her. He was very fast to react ! But she’s so hard to catch that there is just no other way during the day than to jump on her by surprise.

Gaston is in a phase where he doesn't want to stay in the chicken yard anymore. He leaves the ex-batts, Kara, Nieva, Alba with Théo, and he goes out in the garden to join Léa, or Piou-piou, or try to herd Chipie and Lily back with him. Lily has of course again found a way to get out. So with the six younger pooshoons we have again far more chickens in the garden, where they are not meant to be, than in the chicken yard . They have eaten all the black radishes and most of the broccolis. My partner is going crazy.
On a nicer note, though the boar wasn't caught in the trap, it seems blocking it's access in has stopped him from coming back. I hope so because my partner has planted again a hundred tiny leeks and he will be very upset if those are destroyed!

 

[BDutch]

Good to hear the bumble foot treatments seem to work. Hang on!

And glad you got some normal heavy rain. It seems that there were really heavy thunderstorms in other Alp regions , not very far from were you live.

The weather here calmed down. ️

 

[MaryJanet]

They have eaten all the black radishes and most of the broccolis.

Not the broccoli!!! That's my favourite

 

[lightm]

Not sure I know this book specifically but the editor, yes, of course. They are the main publisher here for everything on permaculture and organic gardenic, vegan and alternative cooking, and all kind of things useful for homesteading. I have a bunch of their books both for gardening and cooking, and I also use their wall gardening calendar with the moon phases and the right days for when to plant what. I always want to buy everything when they send the lists of new books ! Should be an interesting read !

Good to know!

 

[ManueB]

10 /50 this morning! So nice to be cool! It didn't rain but it stayed a bit cloudy. The chickens live the cooler temps as well.

Théo spent half of his day escorting Chipie looking for a place to lay- after a few hours, she ended up in the same barrel as last time. Then he stayed in front of our house trying like mad to tidbit for any willing girl, pullet or adult, and he didn't have a lot of success.

Petit Blanc succeeded in mating poor Chipie and also Lily, both by surprise! Lily is too gentle and she didn't say anything but Piou-piou was near by and she attacked him when he got off her! Funny as she isn't friend at all with Lily and she is tiny compared to both of them, but maybe it's because she knows he needs to be taught manners ?

It's really interesting and fun observing all the interactions now. The pullets are getting closer to the adult roosters and the cockerels are also watching the adults closely. Petit Blanc imitates the roosters and goes after the adult hens who are away from them, in the garden. Pied beau is beginning to attempts mating the pullets who make screaming trumpet noises. But he also follows Piou-piou and Léa, if they don't chase him away.
These two surprised me by spending a big part of the day together, whereas Piou-piou is usually really terrified of Léa. My guess is that they want to take time away from the roosters, having both recently stopped being broody ? I will see if their new alliance lasts or not.
Léa also gave me a good scare this evening as she threw herself in the chicken netting to escape from Théo trying to mate her, and she got stuck half strangled. Luckily she quickly stopped completely moving and I had once again to cut the netting to free her.

Léa and Chipie early morning

Petit Blanc seemed a bit less afraid of me today.

Gaston flirting with Annette.

Piou-piou

Pied Beau is suddenly looking like game-he has grown too fast !

Grape stampede.

Mélisse and Merle.

Blanche is slowly leaving us and she seems happy to stay lying down with the other chickens. I do have to check on her because she doesn't always get up when there is a threat.

Grochatila was really annoyed. First he was sleeping in the small coop where the hens lay and he got woken up. Then Théo kept being rude and loud next to him.

Flirting with Mélisse.

 

[Shadrach]

There are lots here and we kept saying how fortunate we were that none ever came to visit u, because only a very strong electrical fence will keep them out !
It ate the leaks and then made a bath in the damp soil, basically.

A boar . No here !! There are in France but only in the Pyrenees, which is right on the other side of the country.

The neighbours with the goats, Amelia, her partner leads of one of the two hunting team so he would do it for us (my partner's father is too tired). The season only begins in September though, until then it's not allowed, but no one will say anything if we kill a boar two weeks early.
My partner utterly hates boar meat, it makes him sick ! I don't mind but I don't know how to prepare it especially in the heat.
His father took him the licence when he was eighteen. On his first outing, he sort of accidentally had a lucky shot killing a mountain wild goat and he never went back hunting again .

We had them in Catalonia and tried a high voltage electric fence. The just broke through it. We had families come for the walnuts in the Autumn. The male used to stand in the middle of the field and mum and the kids used to run accross the field, grab and break open a few walnuts and run back to the drainage ditch that ran beside the field. Two of the farm dogs got tusked, one was lucky to live and a few people who cycled on the track up the mountain were knocked off their bikes by groups of wild boar crossing the track. There were also quite a few accidents on a main road the boar used to cross when coming down the mountain.
I'm very partial to wild boar meat.

 

[ManueB]

We had them in Catalonia and tried a high voltage electric fence. The just broke through it. We had families come for the walnuts in the Autumn. The male used to stand in the middle of the field and mum and the kids used to run accross the field, grab and break open a few walnuts and run back to the drainage ditch that ran beside the field. Two of the farm dogs got tusked, one was lucky to live and a few people who cycled on the track up the mountain were knocked off their bikes by groups of wild boar crossing the track. There were also quite a few accidents on a main road the boar used to cross when coming down the mountain.
I'm very partial to wild boar meat.

We're lucky that this one seems to be small, probably young. Our neighbour has a mountain house above where he keeps cows and he’s dealing with a 100 kilos old male that has destroyed his metal gate and dug his whole huge field. I had a few scare myself, once a sow and her babies jumped to cross the road right in front of me when I was on my road bike-luckily I was going up, so rather slowly and I could brake. And another time same kind of story, I crashed in a baby when I was running alone in the mountains, I went off the trail as fast as I could before I met the momma.
*******
It rained again quite a bit during the night and we woke up to a nice autumn fog. The younger chickens went on an exploration - my partner had mowed the two fields under the tunnel and with the rain it brought up plenty of worms, so they ventured into the unknown.

Then Laure had a tree adventure. She wanted to imitate Merle that flew into the cherry tree. But once up she did like cats who don't know how to come down - she kept climbing up and further toward the laurel tree until she was really stuck. Merle had followed her and because Laure is scared of her she wouldn't turn back and try to hop down from where she came. I got Merle to come down giving out grapes, but even she wasn't completely sure how. Then Laure was on her own and after whining a bit, she decided she had no choice and sort of fell down from one branch to another and then she ran screaming out of the chicken yard calling for her hatch siblings .

What was bound to happen, did : we couldn't catch Nieva this time in spite of trying with our best treats. So we waited until she had gone to roost to tend to her feet. The chickens are going to bed much earlier now as the days are shortening so quickly and the weather had changed so much, by 7pm she was on the roost and we took her off. It went fine except the roosters weren't asleep yet and they came out to see what was going on. Her feet are a bit better, they are not warm anymore, and it doesn't look like there is anything left to empty, but they are still quite swollen.
My partner is working every day exceptionally next week so i’ll have to do it on my own from this friday to next saturday. I just need a solution for when the chickens poops in the bath, which seems to happen almost everytime after five minutes. Maybe I should have two basins ready in case the worse happens .

Roost time was hectic. The young chickens are pretty mean between them at roost time. They have their own roost on which the six can perch if they let the last ones come up, but systematically they don't. Laure is usually last, often with Lulu or Mélisse, and they have to climb all around the place to try to make their way on the other secondary small roost behind or on the main roost. I thought it was because they had some set friendships, but it's not really, whoever gets on the roost first tries to block the following from getting there.
I modified their ladder adding twice the number of bars today. Maybe that way the bigger chickens will be able to use it instead of the ramp on the other side of the coop.

Run, Forest Théo , run !

No broody noise or attitude, but she discreetly went to sit on her eggs for half an hour. Is she thinking of babies ? Hope she doesn't go broody because she was impossible to pull out of it last time.

Blanche needs just one more day to make it to september but I think it is now a matter of days. My partner is more optimistic as always. She still runs for grapes.

Love this picture of Merle. She isn't in great shape these days, I think because she is coming out of broody attempt and she is molting a bit.

Pied Beau fell asleep in the cucumbers .

Laure

Léa giving hell to Lilly. They have in common the only really feathered legs here.

Grape is better but pear is nice. Gaston likes pear so much he eats it all and doesn't call a hen if there is none around but since he is polite he lets Merle have a bite.