Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[BDutch]

Stil okay?

Here we had some nasty weather and snow. My DD wanted to pay a visit but didn’t because it was too nasty to bike.

She send me this picture instead.

 

[ManueB]

Stil okay?

Here we had some nasty weather and snow. My DD wanted to pay a visit but didn’t because it was too nasty to bike.

She send me this picture instead. View attachment 3427592

Crazy weather ! It was actually really warm here, which is a good thing as we can't use the stove when the Mistral is blowing. And yes, we did keep both power and internet access. They must finally have done some structural repairs !
**********
There was still a lot of wind this morning and branches and "things" fallen all over the place during the night, but that did not seem to bother the chickens too much. Both Léa and Merle came out of the coop puffed up and screaming . Cannelle had already laid in the nest box, which I found pretty impressive considering I had closed the second big door of the coop to protect them for the storm and that means they were in utter darkness.
(Edited to add) : Nougat fell off her roost this morning. And she didn't lay for the third day in a row. I hope she is okay ).

I came back from my run having locked Théo's team in the coop+ run : I found Merle trying to force her way in. She was very decided to lay in the coop. She succeeded in the end, which made Gaston very upset as he kept hearing her scream every time an ex-batt chased her off.

In the end he ended up coming inside the netting and both groups dustbathed each on opposite sides of the laurel tree. This lasted for about an hour. There were a few fights, when Blanche came away from Théo to cry that it was time for her scrambled egg, Gaston charged her and would have jumped on her if Théo hadn't come running to defend her. The last round was a bit more violent and Gaston and his hens decided to leave. They hung out in the wood shed.

We had some light rain again in the afternoon, not much but better than none.
I don't know if it was because Gaston frightened her but Blanche looked really unwell in the afternoon. She spent most of it lying down.

What I see almost every day after breakfast . He's not allowed on the table but I find him so cute I let him crow in the morning.

The broody conspiracy

This girl has a terrible temper and bullies poor Léa all the time, but she shows no sign of broodiness.

Blanche looking tired

Nougat and Chipie are deadly ennemies but they worship the same sun.

They seem to appreciate the shelter. Let's hope they will still like it when it will be full of wood and with a coop.

Wind...

The almond trees are full of bees. Unfortunately the storm broke off many flowers. But we are lucky all of the shrubs and trees we planted resisted.

 

[BDutch]

You make me jealous with your almond trees.
At my climate almonds are a no go. Apricots , grapes and kiwis are just okay. And of course apples, cherries, pears and many berries do well here.

We bought a combined kiwi (male + female) many years ago, but only got male flowers. Now we bought a female. Hopelly we can eat our own kiwi a few years from now.

Chickens were out and about almost all day. The weather was great, no wind and lots of sun. But I took no photo’s. ->

Two weeled tax: I ordered a new bike (last week I was at a cycle test center to try a few)

 

[MaryJanet]

You make me jealous with your almond trees.
At my climate almonds are a no go. Apricots , grapes and kiwis are just okay. And of course apples, cherries, pears and many berries do well here.

We bought a combined kiwi (male + female) many years ago, but only got male flowers. Now we bought a female. Hopelly we can eat our own kiwi a few years from now.

Chickens were out and about almost all day. The weather was great, no wind and lots of sun. But I took no photo’s. ->

Two weeled tax: I ordered a new bike (last week I was at a cycle test center to try a few)


View attachment 3428542

I love ebikes! Which brand and model is it? I can't make it out on my mobile.

 

[BDutch]

I love ebikes! Which brand and model is it? I can't make it out on my mobile.

A Sparta e-bike. https://www.spartabikes.com/nl-nl/sparta-a-shine-fit-m7b/laag/

Do they sell these in Australia too? Here it’s a normal trademark.

 

[MaryJanet]

A Sparta e-bike. https://www.spartabikes.com/nl-nl/sparta-a-shine-fit-m7b/laag/

Do they sell these in Australia too? Here it’s a normal trademark.

I don't think so. I haven't searched much, only a few minutes, but I didn't find any. Then I checked the Canstar list of ebike brands available in Australia and sparta wasn't listed.

 

[BDutch]

In the Netherlands we have lots of bike-brands. My bike and repair shop only sells the most common brands. Sparta is one of them. Other brands they sell are Gazelle, Batavus, Kyogo.
Sparta once was famous for the mopeds . was one of the first to enter the e-bike market. And has had good reviews for over a decade for e-bikes. The motor is a Bosch.

More tax for being of topic.

Last summer photo of black.

 

[ManueB]

You make me jealous with your almond trees.
At my climate almonds are a no go. Apricots , grapes and kiwis are just okay. And of course apples, cherries, pears and many berries do well here.

We bought a combined kiwi (male + female) many years ago, but only got male flowers. Now we bought a female. Hopelly we can eat our own kiwi a few years from now.

The almond trees are not producing almonds. I hope it's because they are too young (4 or 5 I think), as they are one of the specie with quince and olive trees that we have planted with the most success. The Apricot and peach trees we planted have all died, our apple and pear trees are growing very slowly. I think they don't have enough water. We also planted a supposedly auto-fertile kiwi last year and it's not doing well, though it did not die. As for berries I can't count the number of cuttings I've made of raspberries and currants, I think nearly a hundred throughout ten years, and none survived . We have chalky soil, full south exposition, not much shade. Even grafted trees are very difficult. The older fruit trees that were on the property are growing too old, so we really need to succeed growing more trees.

Two weeled tax: I ordered a new bike (last week I was at a cycle test center to try a few)


View attachment 3428542

I may have said this already but I have very mixed feelings about e-bikes. I find them better than cars but I wish people would stick to real bikes ; there is no such thing as an environmental friendly battery.
And I thought the Netherlands were a flat country .

More tax for being of topic.
View attachment 3429120
Last summer photo of black.

Very pretty hen, the white ear lobes on the black feathers are so posh!

 

[Perris]

we really need to succeed growing more trees.

it's a real shame you're having such a hard time with fruit and berries; it's clearly not for lack of trying. I've never had to try grow things on chalk; I understand it can be challenging. Having spent years holding it (before whiteboards came along - I'm that old!) I really know how it sucks the moisture out of skin, and presumably roots too.

Hafod has started laying today - and much to my surprise it's a lovely sage green .

 

[BDutch]

The almond trees are not producing almonds. I hope it's because they are too young (4 or 5 I think), as they are one of the specie with quince and olive trees that we have planted with the most success. The Apricot and peach trees we planted have all died, our apple and pear trees are growing very slowly. I think they don't have enough water. We also planted a supposedly auto-fertile kiwi last year and it's not doing well, though it did not die. As for berries I can't count the number of cuttings I've made of raspberries and currants, I think nearly a hundred throughout ten years, and none survived . We have chalky soil, full south exposition, not much shade. Even grafted trees are very difficult. The older fruit trees that were on the property are growing too old, so we really need to succeed growing more trees.

I may have said this already but I have very mixed feelings about e-bikes. I find them better than cars but I wish people would stick to real bikes ; there is no such thing as an environmental friendly battery.
And I thought the Netherlands were a flat country .

Very pretty hen, the white ear lobes on the black feathers are so posh!

I have a normal bike too that I keep for short distances. But if I want to go further , against the wind or up a ‘mountain*’ my knees get painful. And since I had corona my energy level is not wat it used to be.
So I finally found it was time yo buy a e-bike. This one doesn’t need the battery to bike (I don’t know the english word for it -free turning?).

*We have no mountains and only a few hills. Silly Dutch named them mountains. I live nearby two of those. They are formed during the ice age. South from these hills is the delta of the Rhine and Meuse.

And yes you are right that digging materials for batteries is polluting landscapes. Compared to gasoline or diesel it is a better choice for the environment. Especially because we have solar panels to fill the battery (try to do that In daylight). .