Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

Spent yet another day working to build the pillars for the gateway. It's turning into one of those projects of my partner that is supposed to take a couple of hours and ends up lasting for days. He was upset today and I can't really help him at this stage, hopefully tomorrow it will be over. We will go from having a jumble of old fence, mesh and the ancestor of a metal bedspring to block the way, to something that will look like the entrance of a fortress .

Kara laid a shell less yolk with lash material this morning. Guess that rules out the simple pause in laying. She did not look sick during the day but I notice she was the first to bed tonight, which is unusual.

There was an eagle swoop on the chickens this morning. I was just above and heard all three roosters shouting. When I looked down I saw the massive bird coming from below so I ran screaming at it. It left without having landed but I somehow managed to fall in the burdock and covered myself with the sticky prickly heads, which made me painfully itch all day.

Lilly is really turning broody it seems! She snubbed Pied Beau away all day long making broody screams at him. He was really sad and upset! Then at roost time he tread on Blanche and Cannelle . They didn't seem too terrified, but I will have to watch him. Blanche is too weak to have a rooster climb on her.

The infamous one feather tail.

Mélisse and Lulu look like true sisters.

Blanche and Cannelle at their favourite activities- pecking at my pants.

 

[BDutch]

I somehow managed to fall in the burdock and covered myself with the sticky prickly heads, which made me painfully itch all day.

I feel sorry for my chickens because I don’t dare to let them free range anymore without supervision. I work in an office 2-3 days a week and its too late if I come back home. And even If I work at home its getting too cold to work with the terrace door wide open. So the only quality time is restricted to the weekend if we work in the garden.
Edited typo’s

 

[ManueB]

I feel sorry for my chickens because I don’t dare to let them free range anymore without supervision. I work in an office 2-3 days a week and its too late if I come back home. And even If I work at home its getting too cold to work with the terrace door wide open. So the only quality time is restricted to the weekend if we work in the garden.
Edited typo’s

It is sad for the chickens, yes. I am sorry that I don't have any good ideas to help, unfortunately.
When you work at home, could you let them out and stay with them during your lunch break, or maybe 30 mn before they roost ?
And one thing that could maybe allow some free range : if it's rainy or very damp, the fearful cat will likely not be around as it would not go far from it's home to be able to shelter.

I was wondering if electrified poultry netting could be a solution in the long term. But it's quite an investment.

I hate it also when I have to keep my chickens confined. But now the risk for yours is very high.
*********

Another beautiful warm and sunny day. It's supposed to rain next week and finally drop the temps a bit. Now it feels like a lovely summer, but it's strange to think that some years we already have frost at this time of year. I will be glad if we have an autumn, it may be my favourite season.

Piou-piou didn't lay yesterday so I knew this morning she would want to get out of the coop very early as she is laying in the woodshed now. I didn't want her to be locked in the run with Gaston (I still leave the coop's door open and lock the run's entrance), who is always the first to be up, so I picked her from her roost while it was still night and took her to the woodshed and her nest. When I came back to the coop, half the chickens were down the roost even though it was night! We’ve put a sensor solar light near the coop so I feel safer letting them out even when I can't see a thing. It is strange that they get up while it's still night (now at 7 and you can begin to see at 7.15) and they go to bed while there is still about 40 mn of daylight. Théo joined Piou-piou and stood watch while she laid.

Pied beau is beginning to become a terror for some of the adult hens. Gaston is too patient with him. He only chases him away if he mates one of the hens right in front of his eyes, and it's half hearted. Théo is a lot more aggressive, and Pied Beau is more afraid of him then of Gaston, but Théo isn't inside at all now and he only protects Piou-piou and Merle. We haven't had news from the person who said they would take him but driving by my partner saw they have put a pre built run but the coop is not done yet, so maybe it is taking them longer than expected.

Kara went again in the nest but didn't lay. She looked great all day except at roost time she suddenly looked not very well and stuffed herself with eggshells.
Nougat has been laying again fragile eggs.

It's been a long time since I saw them while running because they have a huge pasture and don't stay near the track, my old friend's Highland cows.

Tree hugging this morning

Merle lays in the barn.

Nieva and Kara.

Chipie stayed a bit with Laure, who is still bullied by all, because she likes to play boss.

Lilly !

We're almost done !

 

[Perris]

Nice gates and gate-posts! They're going to make a very good first impression for anyone visiting you. Are the swirls symbolic of anything, or just a common decorative motif round those parts?

 

[lightm]

Very nice gate and pillars!

 

[MaryJanet]

Love the gate and stone pillars!

It looks like a very tricky job to me, no wonder it takes time.

 

[BDutch]

When you work at home, could you let them out and stay with them during your lunch break, or maybe 30 mn before they roost ?
And one thing that could maybe allow some free range : if it's rainy or very damp, the fearful cat will likely not be around as it would not go far from it's home to be able to shelter.

Thanks for thinking out loud!

The weather was awful today with lots of rain and I had the same thought. Cats don’t like the rain, so the chickens had some free range time today.

And I have been thinking.. This cat only shows up late in the in the afternoon, during the week and is more unpredictable in the weekend.. Hope he is kept inside until the owner comes home after work. That would mean its safe to let the chickens free range the days I work at home until 16h.

Another beautiful warm and sunny day. It's supposed to rain next week and finally drop the temps a bit.

Nice. Here: A few days with rain and a temperature drop after the weekend.

who said they would take him but driving by my partner saw they have put a pre built run but the coop is not done yet, so maybe it is taking them longer than expected.

fingers crossed

Nice gates and gate-posts!

Not nice… it’s beautiful.

 

[ManueB]

Nice gates and gate-posts! They're going to make a very good first impression for anyone visiting you. Are the swirls symbolic of anything, or just a common decorative motif round those parts?

We just bought the cheapest gate we could find on Craig's list not too far .
We weren't expecting it to come out so..flourished. Now we have to build the mansion to go with the gate !

And I have been thinking.. This cat only shows up late in the in the afternoon, during the week and is more unpredictable in the weekend.. Hope he is kept inside until the owner comes home after work. That would mean its safe to let the chickens free range the days I work at home until 16h.

It's possible ; maybe they don't have a cat door to let it back in. And even then,
the problem with cat's pop doors is that unless they are connected to the cat's ID microchip, any cat can use them to come in..so letting cats out when no one is home would mean not being able to check on other cats coming in !

It's good that you are finding ways to let the chickens breathe a bit without putting them too much at risk.

It is one of those evening where I can't wait to go to sleep, not get a headache thinking about how the world is going and the seemingly endless wheel of the persecuted becoming the persecutors. So I’ll just post some chickens pictures and call it a day .

 

[Perris]

Now we have to build the mansion to go with the gate !

the problem of upgrades! But seriously, that's a great Craigs list find.

 

[Molpet]

any cat can use them to come in

or varmint
I had the cat bring a baby rabbit in, woke up and it was running around on me in the bed. It was then in the bookcase headboard and turned on the strobe mode of the flashlight. It was like a demon bunny. I caught and put outside.

one evening I was on the computer and heard nails on the floor behind me, A racoon was helping herself to the cat food. that was the end of the cat door... I was wondering about the dumped garbage that morning