Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Perris]

the buses they had brought up in case they were needed for evacuation in one of those mountain towns, were carried away by the flooding river.

 

[Perris]

those photos from your area after storm Alex are really shocking. I had no idea it had been that bad.
(the precise link is https://www.theguardian.com/weather...vastation-to-south-eastern-france-in-pictures )

 

[RoyalChick]

those photos from your area after storm Alex are really shocking. I had no idea it had been that bad.
(the precise link is https://www.theguardian.com/weather...vastation-to-south-eastern-france-in-pictures )

I had no idea either. Horrific!

 

[BDutch]

Happy you got just a heavy / normal amount of rain this time!
Its raining a lot here too for a few days. But not extreme.

We have 2 alarm systems in NL. One that sends messages to your smartphone (if activated) and we have an alarming sound in town (they test every month at a set time).

They say to go in the house and shut the windows and doors if the alarm sounds. Listen to the radio /tv of your province for info.

The app will give a warning sound and information what to do as well. And can be more specific. But standard they give the same instructions.

Most times its something like poison escape from factories that is responsible for an alarm. In such a case I rather get in the car and drive to family elsewhere than to ‘suffocate’ in my own house.

 

[ManueB]

those photos from your area after storm Alex are really shocking. I had no idea it had been that bad.
(the precise link is https://www.theguardian.com/weather...vastation-to-south-eastern-france-in-pictures )

Flood in a mountain area, in a narrow valley, means a lot of damage because the water has nowhere to go.
We went back there only a year after and it was terrifying. I used to despise disaster tourism but it changed my mind. Now I think it could be educative, seeing that amount of destruction, one has to realise how vain it is to think we control nature.

Happy you got just a heavy / normal amount of rain this time!
Its raining a lot here too for a few days. But not extreme.

We have 2 alarm systems in NL. One that sends messages to your smartphone (if activated) and we have an alarming sound in town (they test every month at a set time).

They say to go in the house and shut the windows and doors if the alarm sounds. Listen to the radio /tv of your province for info.

The app will give a warning sound and information what to do as well. And can be more specific. But standard they give the same instructions.

Most times its something like poison escape from factories that is responsible for an alarm. In such a case I rather get in the car and drive to family elsewhere than to ‘suffocate’ in my own house.

It sounds very similar to us, except for us the warning by phone is new, and it was automatically activated unless you refused- the first message sent a few months ago was a test and asked people who did not want to receive these warnings to reply.
I don't know yet what the warnings will be used for.
When we had the terrorist attack in Nice on the 14th July 2016, I was home asleep but my partner was working driving the tram, and it was so much better that I only found out about it the next morning.
***************
The rain stopped toward noon and the afternoon was actually quite nice. It took the chickens sometime to come out but once they realised the storm was over, they were glad to move around a bit.

Lilly is slowly getting more broody. Today she managed to throw Piou-piou out of the nest. It would do her good to take a break from laying !

Blanche and Cannelle are now completely terrorised by Pied Beau. I could keep him outside the chicken yard all the time, but Piou-piou is also very frightened of him, and Théo protects her but he sometimes leaves her to stay with Merle.
Also I noticed tonight that Nougat is close to getting wounded by overmating from Gaston. The feathers under her wings are broken and the skin is beginning to be irritated. I will have to separate them for a while and maybe I could try an apron for her. She isn't misproportioned like Piou-piou so maybe it could help when it was impossible to use for Piou-piou.

And I forgot completely, but today Annette, Lulu, Laure , Mélisse and Pied-Beau are five months old ! Maybe I will give them a treat tomorrow, they won't mind that I am a day late.

Blanche’s favourite past time.

Léa- not broody anymore but still clucks around when she sees me.

Léa

Annette’s comb is turning floppy like Melisse and Lulu.

Cannelld.

Lilly and Prince Pied Beau

Lulu has those green high lights, but they almost never show on photos.

Annette and Lulu

Kara

Théo and Piou-piou waiting to go in the chicken yard to roost. Théo is afraid of having to pass Gaston, and Piou-piou is afraid having to pass Pied Beau.

 

[ManueB]

Today was partly sunny, partly cloudy. The chickens seemed to really enjoy getting some rays of sunshine and did as best as they could to find dry spots to bathe in. Merle is showing signs that she will turn broody soon. Kara passed an egg that was slightly browner and better looking. Everyone had a great day but...Pied Beau is getting to be a real problem. At one point he chased Merle and she was decided she would not submit so when she was stuck against a wall, she began jumping / flying as high as she could several times. I caught Pied Beau on time. However he also got to Blanche and Nougat and now they are insanely frightened, to the point that they run and hide in the coop behind the big door just when they hear his voice. I can watch them most of the time, but not all day. I will try not letting him back inside the chicken yard until it's past roost time. He will likely be frightened but if it works then all the hens can go to roost in peace. Now they are so scared they don't eat before roosting. It should be just for another week, maybe two .

Both Théo and Gaston are sorry sights. They are loosing their last tail feathers and have shafts feathers sticking out on the neck, butt, and chest.

My parents are coming over tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday so probably I won't have the time to post. (Yes, it was more than two weeks ago, but we do birthdays and Christmas whenever it's convenient).

Good morning! Cocorico!

Da boyz.

Before.

After.

In between.

Merle giving a hint (to the expert eye) that she could be thinking about getting broody .

Dry dust let's bathe.

Lilly switched laying location and went in the small coop's nest. Pied Beau went with her and stayed all along, making those cooing sounds that roosters make in those circumstances.

This was the result- I think the hay imprinted on the bloom ?

Lilly, goth sun bather

Merle and Théo found a dry spot in the tunnel. We need to take it out before frost.

Kara and Laure.

Nougat and Chipie

Cannelle and Mélisse.

Another clue : when Merle dustbathes 20 times a day in the weirdest spots, she doesn't have parasites. She wants to have babies.

Half an hour before chaotic roosting.

 

[MaryJanet]

Wow, that's a very unusual egg!

 

[ManueB]

We had cold weather yesterday, but some sun. However today is warmer, but just grey and damp, and not even rain. The chickens seem to like that weather but I don't.

Just a short update. We will be moving Pied Beau to his new home tomorrow night. I am stupidly feeling really bad about it to the point of having stupid nightmares . But it's best for the older hens. Nougat was so afraid of Pied beau she didn't want to go to roost in the coop last night. My partner had to catch her hiding in the laurel tree and put her on the roost.

Blanche has again taken a turn for the worse. My partner tells me to shut up now everytime I start making a pessimist prognosis about her so I will for once try to heed him.

Merle has not tried to sit today but she is very grumpy.

Pied Beau and Lilly.

Laure. Still no sign of an egg, and Gaston doesn't mate with her at all.

Lulu , speaks/honks like a duck.

Annette

Mélisse. Gaston's favorite.

While Gaston rarely chases Pied Beau off, he did when he noticed him dust bathing in one of the only dry enough spot.

Chipie dustbathing in the run serie.

Blanche, sometimes looking good, sometimes not.

 

[Perris]

I'm sure you're doing the right thing with Pied Beau, much as it pains you.

 

[RoyalChick]

Every time you post I want to reply with comments on a pretty chicken - but then each picture has chickens more pretty than the previous one.
But, because we won't see him so much (maybe you will visit) I will say that I think Pied Beau is a really stunning looking bird.
The person taking him is very lucky to get him.