Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

We had just 10 ml of rain Sunday, enough to cool things down for a day yesterday, but now it's just as hot and dry as it was. The chickens really enjoyed the cooler day, they seemed much more active and stayed up later. Today it was up to 33 / 91. It felt better when some clouds showed up at 4. The sun is really scorching.

Merle is getting broody again . And Laure still hasn't laid an egg though she spends two hours every day in the nest. So now we have both Kara and Laure with laying issues. And Nougat off course but since she is almost five, I don't feel as bad about it.

It seems Théo understands that Merle turning broody means it's no use acting like the biggest jealous macho with her. At least he seemed less obsessive today and spent more time with Piou-piou. I'll see how roosting goes ! Sadly he hates me once again now because of all the time I separated him from Gaston. I don't feel up to just walking in and pick him up, usually I have to use a stick or an umbrella, and shoo him out of the chicken yard. That makes him mad at me.

Yummy food stuff : this morning when I came out to have breakfast Mélisse was eating something big and slimy under the table - innards, likely an intestine seeing how it was long left over by the cats. She gobbled it up before I even had time to think about whether I should let her eat it ! Probably a rat or dormouse.
In the evening Gaston found a nest of flying ants in the chicken yard with the baby just coming out ! They were all over it and once Nougat found it she wouldn't let anyone near until she had eaten all she could .

Laure

Nougat

Dupont et Dupont. Alba and Nieva. I'm attempting to make them more friendly with food but unfortunately their total dread of getting caught to apply powder is stronger for now than their food motivation.

Babies. I will make babies, human.

Not dead rooster. Just sunning his long tail.

It's too warm for Léa.

Excuse me I have things to do.

 

[MaryJanet]

Has Merle spent more months broody than not broody? Her favourite pastime

 

[ManueB]

Has Merle spent more months broody than not broody? Her favourite pastime

With the egg tracking file sheet, I can clearly see her cycle. She does indeed almost spends more time being broody than not, though not by far. She lays eggs during a period that last from 15 to 21 days ; then she stops for a period that lasts from 15 to 25 days. She usually begins acting broody and sitting two or three days before stopping to lay, and in the same way she stops sitting and goes back to normal two or three days before laying again.
Léa follows her closely although her laying periods are usually a few days longer and so she sits a few days less.
Apart from Chipie none of my other hens have been sitting. Only Lily and Piou-piou have shown signs of thinking about going broody, but without actually doing it.

Yesterday was a bit nerve wrecking. The night before Laure had been acting eggbound. I expected her to pass a softshell egg on the roost like she has before, but in the morning it was still stuck. She went to hide in the laurel tree and she is such a wild thing that I couldn't even get close to see how she was doing without making her scream and trying to get away. She ended up going in the nest in the afternoon and when she came out she had a soft shell hanging from her vent which Alba quickly pulled out and ate. I only found a bit of yolk, but she acted much better afterwards so I hope she passed all of it.
I've ordered some human calcium citrate from a foreign site for her as the liquid calcium I've been adding to the water doesn't seem to make things any better. It's just ridiculous the number of medications I've been having internationally shipped for the chickens. I'm not sure how to get it into her, I think I may make an addition to a spoon to have a very long handle so I can give her in a piece of yogurt or cheese from far away.
Then in the evening we were having a bunch of people from the village over. I am at a point in my life where that's enough for me to be stressed . They arrived a bit earlier than we told them, before seven, at a time when the chickens are usually well asleep. But yesterday the two roosters were still fighting for something like the fifth time and I just realised that Annette and Lulu had somehow gotten out of the chicken yard and were far, very far away below in the big bare field underneath, having obviously completely forgotten any idea of going to bed. Then Laure went to hide in the nest next to where Nougat roosts and Nougat threw her out, and chaos ensued. All the chickens came down the roost loudly shouting alarm.
Of course everything turned out all right in the end and they all went to bed. My partner made fun of me for getting worried for nothing and we had far too much wine.

Today's is going better regarding the chickens but I have a headache.

Alba and Nieva dustbathing. They both have been getting in fights with the other hens especially Léa, who is turning broody which always makes her more aggressive and dominant than usual.

Poor Lily looks terrible with her broken and torn feathers. She is acting fine but like she's always borderline broody.

Nougat had some bad days but today she is doing great, chasing butterflies like she was young again.

Laure today. She doesn't look bad but I have a feeling she looks slimmer, she may have lost weight. I'm also working with her on trying to get her to become more trusting with treats

Kara. She looks good and still runs about but she is beginning to have difficulty jumping up and down. She sleeps early and naps a lot but that has been the case since we took her to the vet last winter. I think she has gained more weight.

 

[Molpet]

Then in the evening we were having a bunch of people from the village over. I am at a point in my life where that's enough for me to be stressed .

Me too
Covid is going around here again.
My brother came out for a show and I didn't even want to see his germy self. I did see him for an hour.

Hoping chickens are all better and getting along

 

[BDutch]

… and we had far too much wine.

Today's is going better regarding the chickens but I have a headache.

Of course.

It seems you have always ups and downs with you chickens. Glad today was okay for them at least.

Covid reached its peak last week here in NL. From now on its getting less risky until the next strain. The nat. Health people say: “people get about as sick as with a flu because most people have been vaccinated or had Covid previously. “

 

[MaryJanet]

They arrived a bit earlier than we told them

That's considered a little bit rude in Australia, where it's polite to arrive at someone's house 10-15 minutes late.

On time or early arrivals are for meeting up in public.

 

[Molpet]

Covid reached its peak last week here in NL. From now on its getting less risky until the next strain. The nat. Health people say: “people get about as sick as with a flu because most people have been vaccinated or had Covid previously. “

They were saying here that if you hadn't gotten a booster recently, your immunity from vaccine or covid probably was waning. They recommended get a booster now because the new booster was coming out in fall. They recommended at least 4 months between boosters.

 

[RoyalChick]

They were saying here that if you hadn't gotten a booster recently, your immunity from vaccine or covid probably was waning. They recommended get a booster now because the new booster was coming out in fall. They recommended at least 4 months between boosters.

I had not heard that. Even with the same vaccine?
I have had all the vaccines available but the last one was October. I never had Covid before this time when I picked it up on my Africa visit. I wasn’t ’Hospital Sick’ but I was pretty miserable for over a week.

 

[Perris]

I never had Covid before this time when I picked it up on my Africa visit. I wasn’t ’Hospital Sick’ but I was pretty miserable for over a week.

Sorry to hear that; hope it didn't ruin your visit to Africa (did I miss your posts on that or did you not mention it before?).

I was really knocked back by this strain a few weeks ago, and still haven't got my normal strength back, but at least it should mean my immune system is now well primed for any more exposures in the autumn and winter at least.

 

[RoyalChick]

Sorry to hear that; hope it didn't ruin your visit to Africa (did I miss your posts on that or did you not mention it before?).

I was really knocked back by this strain a few weeks ago, and still haven't got my normal strength back, but at least it should mean my immune system is now well primed for any more exposures in the autumn and winter at least.

I think you and I were down at the same time. I think around July 6th. I read your posts that you were ill and didn’t really have the energy to respond.
Africa trip was great. Think I contracted it during some very crowded travel within Tanzania. Then flew to London and was pretty sick once I landed at Heathrow.