Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[lightm]

Lilly's bumblefoot is finally officially over. It doesn't look completely normal because of the scar left by the surgery, but there is no infection in there anymore.

 

[lightm]

Have you read this?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/raising-a-blind-or-partially-sighted-chicken.75986/

I have now.

 

[BDutch]

Such sad news about your Mother. Hope you have a good time with her.

 

[ManueB]

Such sad news about your Mother. Hope you have a good time with her.

It's truly nothing serious, just a severe sciatica. I thought she is accepting things rather well ; she knows that anyway at her age she couldn't have gone on forever doing all she does. And we had a really good time. I even went to Nice with them ( last time was in June 2022 when I had to spend a night in the ER ). We saw an italian film by Matteo Garrone, "io capitano" within the festival "spring of migrations". It was hosted by SOS Méditerranée, the french NGO that sails a rescue ship on the Mediterranean sea. I don't know why, I have always felt specifically concerned by the subject maybe because it's happening so close. The film was a bit too melodramatic for my taste but it was still captivating and beautiful (and also hard to watch at some points).
We also went on several short slow walks with my mum and I ran twice on my own and it was wonderful. It's much more green and lush than usual with all the rain, and there are lots of flowers, it was covered in rock roses (cystus).

I came back yesterday. Most of the chickens are doing fine but we have had a sudden temperature fall. It was 29c/84f last Sunday, much too warm, and freezing yesterday morning and -3/26 this morning . The shift seems to have been hard for Blanche ; she was quite active when she saw me but then she slept most of the day. It also means we won't have fruits or a lot less from all the trees that were in bloom.
My partner wasn't as diligent in taking Léa off the nest as I am, so she's still very hardcore at being broody.

He has done a huge amount of work in the garden while I was away, weeding and tilling almost all. He did the parts that we left uncultivated and covered in hay with manure and compost for two years, and he actually had to use the bigger tiller we almost never use as the soil was so hard. So he's completely disgusted with the no till ideas that I tried to convert him to and he says he's back to tilling at least every year and twice for the harder parts of the garden.
It's interesting that it didn't work even though we had a lot of rain. I used to think it was because of the drought that the soil remained so compact, but maybe it's more because of it's chalky rocky nature. And probably the fact that we have a slight slope on the gardening terraces doesn't help to keep the soil damp because the water runs down the slope.

The chickens are very unhappy that they can't go in the garden anymore, especially Lulu, Mélisse and Merle. They complain loudly, and often . For the time being, they are not interested in going into the new places that we are leaving open to them, all they think about is finding a way to cross the fence to the garden.

Blanche when I first saw her yesterday

I visited Pied Beau this morning while Gaston (the farmer) was feeding the chickens. Here he was watching the sky while the hens were coming out.

This is the bantam that is sitting on the eggs we gave Gaston. As you can see she is obviously from Chipie's family .

Théo looking for a great n'est for Merle . She isn't laying yet but gives signs she is looking for a nest.

The hooman said since I would soon make the trip to join Cannelle and the other ex-batt's I could try something she doesn't normally ever give chickens, raw egg. It was very good but I wish she had given me a bigger egg than Chipie's.

Kara takes a dustbath and then she stays all day with the dust on, turning her from black to grey. She shakes before roosting.
I weighed her the other day, she is 2kg7 , I think that is 4.4 ibs. She is the heaviest hen here. She still has a lot of trouble laying and even if otherwise she acts normal I believe there is something wrong.

 

[Perris]

Good to read that the trip to Nice went well, and that all was fine while you were away. Except the late frost of course; I remember last year (or was it the year before?) there were desperate efforts to keep some vineyards in France above freezing overnight at a critical time. I don't know how successful they were; the news typically doesn't do a follow-up, especially if the harvest wasn't bad news.

Your caption for the Blanche and the egg photo is hilarious

 

[MaryJanet]

the egg photo is hilarious

Isn't it! Her face.

'Nice' to hear from you ManueB!

 

[ManueB]

Except the late frost of course;

It's more the consequence of an early bloom than a late frost, at least for us. We are used to having episodes of snow and frost until the beginning of May, but not to having temperature above 23/70 in January!

I remember last year (or was it the year before?) there were desperate efforts to keep some vineyards in France above freezing overnight at a critical time. I don't know how successful they were; the news typically doesn't do a follow-up, especially if the harvest wasn't bad news.

You probably heard of the vineyards last year. The year before it was mostly orchards. Yes, the harvests have been impacted. Last year was really bad for wine and cherries. I think there was some public financial help, but it doesn't solve the problem in the longer term.
Now that we grow some of our food I really feel for anyone trying to make a living out of it.

Yesterday night when I took Kara from the roost to tend to her foot and later, when I took Léa out of the nest to put her on the roost, Blanche was making that specific soft cooing sound that I've heard Léa make while she was sitting, talking to her eggs, and that Piou-piou also makes when she is laying. I had the silly thought that Blanche was reassuring herself because she would die during the night. She didn't, but today she was far worse, luckily she was unconscious most of the day. I didn't have the heart to put her back in the crate but if she is still here tomorrow I will, so she can rest without being bothered by the roosters and the other hens.

After spending all morning looking for a place to lay, Merle ended up laying in the coop, much to Théo's disgust.

Gaston had a bath and dug a new hole fit to his size.

Nougat has lost her voice. For the first time today I heard her rasping while breathing, but it was just before she laid and I did not hear it again. I will try to check her tomorrow. She doesn't let me hold her but my partner can.

Piou-piou trying out a new possible nest.

No wonder the sand disappears from the run. Kara takes it out on her.

 

[Perris]

Now that we grow some of our food I really feel for anyone trying to make a living out of it.

Indeed; I think we're all prone to take our food for granted, until we try to grow some ourselves and realize what a lot of work and time it takes. And thanks for the clarification on the early blossom/late frosts.
Gorgeous photos as always.

 

[Molpet]

Blanche was reassuring herself because she would die during the night. She didn't, but today she was far worse, luckily she was unconscious most of the day. I didn't have the heart to put her back in the crate

 

[Molpet]

Now that we grow some of our food I really feel for anyone trying to make a living out of it.

Especially if trying not to use pesticides.
Used to be 80% of people were involved in food production before industrial revolution. Now it's the other way around . Takes a lot of labor to weed. When I was a kid I helped weed a bean field and it was hard hot and dusty work.