Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Perris]

Meanwhile, in Adelaide... Lovely long days and the heaviest rain in 75 years.

not bringing risk of floods I hope...

 

[MaryJanet]

not bringing risk of floods I hope...

There's been minor flooding but nowhere near my place.

Up in Queensland, topical cyclone Jasper caused some damage.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-14/extensive-damage-and-ongoing-wet-conditions/103227212

 

[RoyalChick]

There's been minor flooding but nowhere near my place.

Up in Queensland, topical cyclone Jasper caused some damage.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-14/extensive-damage-and-ongoing-wet-conditions/103227212

We had a big storm come through at the weekend. I emerged for an appointment on Monday to find that my road was closed with a tree down and lots of electric wires.
Strangely, apart from some big branches down, I was fine. Normally I am the one who loses power first because I am furthest from the road.

 

[ManueB]

I used to like storms, thunder and wind... but I don't know if it's getting older or living in a very isolated place but now I don't enjoy them much .

Today was beautiful, with a warm sunshine and no wind. It was just 0/32 this morning. Up to now temperatures have been very warm, but it's still not winter yet.
I expected the chickens to spend the whole day enjoying themselves out and about but in fact they were very cautious and stayed hidden under the laurel tree for a good part of the day. I think they saw something I didn't.
Even the two black pullets, Annette and Mélisse , stayed in the chicken yard most of the day. They went in the garden with Gaston about an hour before roost time.

The bad surprise today (although I should have expected it) is that Blanche is very unwell again. Just when I was begining to think she could maybe make it to spring. Until lunchtime she really looked like she was going to die during the day. She ate nothing, gorged on water, had some white liquid coming out of her vent. In the afternoon she perked up a bit again and got up for about half an hour to peck at some grass. I’ll see how she is tomorrow. I was afraid she wouldn't make it on the roost tonight, but she was the first up there.

These are the sounds Lulu makes for about half an hour before laying. So what do you think, little pig, little duck, or worried pullet ?

Gaston did come out early in the morning to have a look around and do some cocoricos on the roof.

Kara seems to be doing better, as far as I can tell. Since we took her to the vet she has been laying every two days and the quality of her eggshells has improved.

Doesn't that tail feather sticking out lol like a ?

Blanche looking very unwell and obviously not going to eat the scrambled egg and banana mash I made her.

Blanche and Nougat, when she came out a bit in the afternoon.

Léa is molting for the second time this autumn. She had already lost and regrown all her tail and wing primary feathers ; and she is doing it again. I guess the first molt was a post broody thing and now it's a seasonal molt ? Anyway she doesn't eat a lot and is acting even more shy and scared than she usually does.

 

[Perris]

So what do you think, little pig, little duck, or worried pullet ?

squeaky hinge

 

[ManueB]

squeaky hinge

Well, she is very loud. This morning I could hear her through my window and even Gaston who is very patient with the four pullets seemed to wonder what was wrong with her.
But..I heard her making that sound again during the day when she wanted to go out and he didn't follow her. So either it's because she’s unhappy/frustrated or because she is calling him.

Another beautiful warm day today, just underneath freezing at dawn but very pleasant after ten.
Blanche was slightly better, she ate more, but still not doing great.
At one point I got really worried because I couldn't find her. She wasn't under the laurel tree, not in the coop or in the nest boxes, and she is really not mobile so I didn't think she had gotten out of the yard. I was very relieved to find her dustbathing on her own behind the laurel tree.
But tonight I saw she has an issue on her ear lobe. She has had a white sort of tiny pimple for a long time now, more than a year. But now the whole ear lobe is covered in white fuzz. It could be an infection but it doesn't feel warm at all, it's not really swollen, and her ear from what I could see looks totally clean and normal. My partner is home tomorrow so we can have a better look and post some clear pictures, she began struggling when I held her and I don't want to stress her.

Something funny happened tonight. The chickens went late to roost, so when I went to pick Lilly off the roost to tend her feet it was a bit dark in the coop already. She was struggling quite a bit and she kept struggling when I took her inside, but I figured it was because she had a wing that was awkwardly stuck against me. Then I sat and put her on my lap to cut off the dressing, and she started suddenly flapping frantically her wings, trying to escape, making all the wraps and dressing and ointment fall on the floor. And only then I realised I had the wrong hen- I had picked off Kara ! Of course, since she has never been inside, she must have been terrified and wondering what was going on . I gave her a few sunflower seeds to apologise, she wasn't even keen on eating them as she was too worried, and took her back in the coop to get the right hen .

Laure and Piou-piou

Lulu

Alba

Cannelle

Lilly

So relieved when I found Blanche !

 

[BDutch]

floor. And only then I realised I had the wrong hen- I had picked off Kara !

My chickens wouldn’t come out of the run today. They ate the left over broccoli, the bird seeds and the grains I scattered. But hardly touched the chick crumble and the layer pellets.
I offer them a choice now because they don’t lay for several months.

 

[ManueB]

My chickens wouldn’t come out of the run today. They ate the left over broccoli, the bird seeds and the grains I scattered. But hardly touched the chick crumble and the layer pellets.
I offer them a choice now because they don’t lay for several months.

Did they come out today ?
When mine do that, I tend to think that they have probably seen a threat that I haven't. But I can't be sure !

Skipped a day posting yesterday so here are the pictures I took.

I am surprised that Théo seems to be doing a second phase of molting. He has finished regrowing tail and mane longer feathers about three weeks ago, and now he is loosing the tiny feathers on the top of the tail.

Cannelle 's favorite past time

Blanche

Kara

Léa. She is behaving like a molting hen, eating less and acting skittish.

Surprised that Alba pecked my shoe- these leghorns are very afraid of us. I think she believes the laces are something to eat ?

We left a chestnut that had a worm on the table and it turned out Annette loved chestnut, she plucked it until there was no flesh left.

 

[BDutch]

Did they come out today ?

Yes, they were out and in the run for about 2.5 hours. They stay together very well and return to the run after a stroll of about 15 minutes. After a rest the chickens came out again for a second time. They seemed content with the feed and me closing the doors.

About 1 hour after closing them in, I saw the tomcat again.

He has finished regrowing tail and mane longer feathers about three weeks ago, and now he is loosing the tiny feathers on the top of the tail.

clever not to loose all his manhood at once.

Surprised that Alba pecked my shoe- these leghorns are very afraid of us. I think she believes the laces are something to eat ?

Happens with my speckled crox too.

 

[ManueB]

While it was a bit colder yesterday, today was again beautiful warm weather, 2 in the morning and up to 15 with a very warm sun during the day. Up to now, the weather has been mostly good for the chickens.
There was quite a ruckus in the coop early this morning, probably Annette and Mélisse who had both not laid yesterday were moving around to access the nests. Anyway I opened the coop just before it was light, at 7.25, and everyone except Blanche, Léa, and Théo threw themselves right oit of the coop.
Usually I help Théo out by carrying him outside of the chicken yard in the morning, so he can have at least one good meal in the woodshed before Gaston comes out, and now he knows that and waits on his roost for his taxi.

Blanche is eating a bit more, but she is not great. She doesn't have really bad diarrhea like she used to but she has taken up to throwing up water again, which she did for about 18 months and had completely stopped doing the last four or five months.

My partner fed the chickens shredded roasted chicken that our elderly neighbour gave him. They went crazy. Even Blanche joined in the frenzy !

Laure did not though ,because she spent two hours on the nest this afternoon and ended up not laying. It's happened to her once before and she was fine, so I hope it will be the case this time as well.

Mélisse

Léa with her two feathers tail

Lulu now honks VERY loud throughout the whole day

Chipie

Lilly

Chicken for the chickens !