Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[lightm]

Gaston does have really long legs.

 

[ManueB]

I was pleased when I opened the coop this morning to see slightly less feathers on the floor. Hopefully everyone has done the worse of the falling feathers part of the molt. And I checked poops carefully and didn't see any worm segments, or dead worm, neither during the day. Hopefully the Flubendazole worked.
Blanche and Brune both laid with a lot of drama. Théo isn't escorting any of them now, and they are very unhappy about it. Nougat took her weekly day off- she's the only one of the ex-batt that's still laying huge beautiful eggs. And still nothing from Cannelle who spent again too much time resting, and Chipie, who has lost the most feathers of all the flock.

The fragile truce is gone- now it's war again with Blanche and Nougat being the main instigator but Théo, Brune and Cannelle also participate in the chasing and pecking. Poor Gastounet got stuck by Nougat trying to go out through the chicken net (which he hasn't been able to cross for about six weeks now ) and instead of going backwards, insisted on trying to get through while Nougat was attacking him. Good thing he was making so much noise that I heard him and went to his rescue. Now he knows that if he bleats loud enough, we come around to see what's going on and he calls when he wants to cross the nettings.
I can see that the four of them are growing more confident, because they don't stay together all the time and one will often go to roost later than the others. They do check on one another very regularly though.

Smaller chickens enjoying the garden

Chipie's hiding pretty well the huge amount of feathers she's lost

Chipie and Cannelle both not quite feeling right

Finally decided to go lay after screaming about it for half an hour

 

[ManueB]

Chipie's behaviour
I'm wondering what's in little Chipie's mind ask she's creating havoc. For several nights she hasn't been sleeping with Théo anymore but on the roost above him, in a space on her own between the four younger chickens and the ladder where the ex-batts roost. Tonight she was roosting in the middle of the four younger chickens, next to Gaston, and they spent the morning together. I even saw Léa grooming Chipie's molting feathers and they both seemed to enjoy it.
So I was thinking she had made up her mind to be head of a new tribe. But this afternoon she spent under Théo's wing! All chickens were staying very much under cover as there was a lot of wind and the gallicus circaetus and the sparrow hawk flying above. She stayed with Théo who was dancing and shuffling his wing around her.
So, I don't know if she was just wanting protection, if she doesn't know what she wants, or if she's a trouble maker .
Théo is getting irritated with the younger chickens because of it- he maybe thinks they're stealing her ?

Otherwise coexistence between the two groups went a bit better today, maybe because of the danger from the sky.
Only Blanche and Nougat laid today and for once Nougat's egg was weird. Hard to say if behaviours were normal or not since they spent most of the day hidden . I can see feather quilts growing on most of the chickens including the two roosters, except Blanche. I'm not sure that she will be able to regrow her feathers.

The clip shows all the chickens together until Théo scares the younger ones away.

A first: 8 chickens on one photo!

Little Piou-piou has been really growing her feathers this last week. I'm finally convinced she's a girl and she'll survive! She has quite a temper and gets well along with Chipie.

Théo and Chipie

 

[ManueB]

Tonight we're having the human Gaston over for dinner. He's the old farmer related to my partner's family that gave us Théo, Chipie, and the four fertile eggs the younger chickens hatched from! We named Gaston the cockerel after him, they even have the same nickname Gastounet! It will be the first time they meet .

My partner's cooking the traditional local raviolis that are stuffed with squash and chard, with a walnut sauce, and a rabbit our elderly neighbour killed and skinned for us. He doesn't see anything anymore (he's 96) so there was some bits of fur left .

 

[lightm]

Chipie's behaviour
I'm wondering what's in little Chipie's mind ask she's creating havoc. For several nights she hasn't been sleeping with Théo anymore but on the roost above him, in a space on her own between the four younger chickens and the ladder where the ex-batts roost. Tonight she was roosting in the middle of the four younger chickens, next to Gaston, and they spent the morning together. I even saw Léa grooming Chipie's molting feathers and they both seemed to enjoy it.
So I was thinking she had made up her mind to be head of a new tribe. But this afternoon she spent under Théo's wing! All chickens were staying very much under cover as there was a lot of wind and the gallicus circaetus and the sparrow hawk flying above. She stayed with Théo who was dancing and shuffling his wing around her.
So, I don't know if she was just wanting protection, if she doesn't know what she wants, or if she's a trouble maker .
Théo is getting irritated with the younger chickens because of it- he maybe thinks they're stealing her ?

Otherwise coexistence between the two groups went a bit better today, maybe because of the danger from the sky.
Only Blanche and Nougat laid today and for once Nougat's egg was weird. Hard to say if behaviours were normal or not since they spent most of the day hidden . I can see feather quilts growing on most of the chickens including the two roosters, except Blanche. I'm not sure that she will be able to regrow her feathers.

The clip shows all the chickens together until Théo scares the younger ones away.

A first: 8 chickens on one photo!
View attachment 3274178Little Piou-piou has been really growing her feathers this last week. I'm finally convinced she's a girl and she'll survive! She has quite a temper and gets well along with Chipie.
View attachment 3274179Théo and ChipieView attachment 3274180View attachment 3274181View attachment 3274182View attachment 3274183

Yay for all chickens in one picture. Piou piou is looking great! Your chicken feeder has great colors (green + light pink legs)

 

[Perris]

Tonight we're having the human Gaston over for dinner. He's the old farmer related to my partner's family that gave us Théo, Chipie, and the four fertile eggs the younger chickens hatched from! We named Gaston the cockerel after him, they even have the same nickname Gastounet! It will be the first time they meet .

My partner's cooking the traditional local raviolis that are stuffed with squash and chard, with a walnut sauce, and a rabbit our elderly neighbour killed and skinned for us. He doesn't see anything anymore (he's 96) so there was some bits of fur left .
View attachment 3274205
View attachment 3274206

That rolling pin is something else! So brilliantly simple for making little pockets!

 

[RoyalChick]

That rolling pin is something else! So brilliantly simple for making little pockets!

Yes! Wonderful.

 

[lightm]

That rolling pin is something else! So brilliantly simple for making little pockets!

Did not realize that was a special rolling pin until you mentioned it. Very cool.

 

[MaryJanet]

Hi MamueB just wanted to say I'm following along

 

[ManueB]

Yay for all chickens in one picture. Piou piou is looking great! Your chicken feeder has great colors (green + light pink legs)

It's a very recent cheap online purchase to add a fourth feeder, because Blanche and Nougat's game is chasing the younger chickens around to hinder them from feeding. I was pleased to discover when it was delivered that it's made from recycled plastic.

That rolling pin is something else! So brilliantly simple for making little pockets!

They are incredibly useful and very hard to find of good quality now. Here it was a culinary revolution, the generation of my partner's grandmother were all making raviolis by hands before !This house's kitchen is a low-tech's dream, it's full of old appliances that work without electricity .

Hi MamueB just wanted to say I'm following along