Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

Théo's baby pictures

Saw the photo of his legs on Shad's thread, and they do look angry. A couple of our feather-legged boys have had redness similar to that, but maybe not as severe.

I've used that Veterycin spray for what I considered to be overly irritated legs, thanks to advice dug up on BYC advice ages ago. Not sure about its availability outside the US, or if it really works or simply distracts them from the pain, but they always seemed to appreciate it. I think I did a couple spritzes, 1-2x daily for 3-7 days, obviously only when temps weren't freezing.

https://smile.amazon.com/Vetericyn-Relieves-Abrasions-Irritations-Non-Toxic/dp/B002YHL82G/?th=1

Veterycin is one of the few product regularly mentioned on BYC that's available online here. I looked up what it was because I was surprised of the high price. It isn't a placebo at all, the active ingredient is hypochlorous acid, an extremely efficient disinfectant , used among other things in medical environment and cattle farms : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochlorous_acid

Although deemed to be very safe, like any product that is extremely efficient in destroying bacterias and germs, I suppose it should be used cautiously.

I'm planning to buy some when I'll reorder the cat's kibbles, to save on shipping price.

 

[ManueB]

When I opened the shutter this morning toward 6.30 I could hear Piou-piou complaining loudly in the coop. And indeed forty minutes later when I opened she came out running up to the barn without even stopping to eat and laid an egg in a few minutes . Blanche and Brune also laid later in the morning.
The ex-batts are still scared. They did come out a bit today to dustbathe, enjoy the sun, and chase tiny crickets but for no more than 20 minutes at a time. They spent most of the day in the run.

Gaston, however, succeeded after multiple tried in convincing his girl gang to hang around with him around the upper barn.
I noticed that Chipie spent most of the day with Théo. She must feel pretty lonely when Léa and Merle follow Gastounet outside the chicken net.

There was some squabble at roost time in both groups. Piou-piou kept pecking Léa really hard and Léa didn't manage to get away as she was stuck again between her and Gaston. On the ex-batts side, Cannelle kept attacking Nougat. Nougat is last on the pecking order and the same thing happened last year that she was bullied during her molt, and was afraid of everything.

Blackbird at sunrise

Gaston the lion, dustbathed with Merle today- infidelity?

Merle will lay soon. Her comb is getting red and she keeps checking out the nests.

Cannelle doing pretty good, but still has a hoarse throat. Théo keeps pecking her comb and it's been bleeding quite alot.

 

[lightm]

Today I opened the coop and there was already two eggs. Brune had laid on the roost (relieved as she had tried unsuccessfully yesterday). Piou-piou had flown down from hers which means she must have made a stop next to Théo, hopped on the platform where Blanche lays, laid an egg, and was waiting for me by the door - all that in the dark !

Needless to say the chickens were not very keen on going out after yesterday's fright. The ex-batts stayed in the coop, and Léa and Chipie around. Piou-piou and Merle were under the laurel tree and didn't heed Gaston's desperate calls. He ended up jumping over the netting to reach them, but got chased by Théo. I think he can't bear not being able to watch over them. In the afternoon they joined him and they had some good times together. Then cold strong winds started blowing and everyone took shelter and went to bed early, but with some drama again between the hens. I've found a trick that seems to work to allow Gaston to reach the coop without being chased by Théo : I get the ex-batts, Chipie and Théo in the run, and put a reed fence between the run and the coop entrance, so that the roosters can't see each other.

Nougat's feathers are growing incredibly fast, she seemed again very unconfortable and frightened.

I noticed for the first time that Cannelle has changed colour with her molt, her feathers especially are much darker now.
View attachment 3330395View attachment 3330396View attachment 3330397View attachment 3330398View attachment 3330399View attachment 3330401Gastounet looking anxiously for Piou-piou on the other side of the chicken frontier.View attachment 3330402View attachment 3330403View attachment 3330405View attachment 3330406

I take it as a good sign that Cannelle's new feathers are coming in nicely? Perhaps her ill looking was mostly due to molting?

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Their dustbathing in the barrel planters is too cute.

Veterycin is one of the few product regularly mentioned on BYC that's available online here. I looked up what it was because I was surprised of the high price. It isn't a placebo at all, the active ingredient is hypochlorous acid, an extremely efficient disinfectant , used among other things in medical environment and cattle farms : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochlorous_acid

Although deemed to be very safe, like any product that is extremely efficient in destroying bacterias and germs, I suppose it should be used cautiously.

I'm planning to buy some when I'll reorder the cat's kibbles, to save on shipping price.

Wow, it's available! Thanks for expanding on hypochlorous acid. When I first bought it for rooster legs, I remember being worried the redness was some sort of infection. Veterycin was supposed to be an easy-to-apply option to offer relief. It did appear to.

I've used it after soaking mild bumblefoot and on our dogs for certain skin issues, all with success. Sometimes I dab it on a comb/wattle injury (instead of spraying, so it doesn't get in their eyes). But most comb/wattle cuts bleed so much I figure the wounds do a good job cleaning themselves.

In other news, the netting boundary for Gaston and Théo is so interesting. It seems to have been accepted as their own international border. Now they just need to commit to a peace treaty in the coop. The 2022 Reed Fence Treaty. Of course, if I were you, I'd still be lobbying hard to complete the 2nd coop space. Poultry peace treaties are super fickle.

 

[ManueB]

I take it as a good sign that Cannelle's new feathers are coming in nicely? Perhaps her ill looking was mostly due to molting?

I don't know yet really. She is doing and looking better, but she still has a very pale comb and a sore throat. I think it's when she will try to lay again, that I will know if her reproductive difficulties are over. Her symptoms are a lot like Caramel first had, except Cannelle never stopped eating.

Their dustbathing in the barrel planters is too cute.

Wow, it's available! Thanks for expanding on hypochlorous acid. When I first bought it for rooster legs, I remember being worried the redness was some sort of infection. Veterycin was supposed to be an easy-to-apply option to offer relief. It did appear to.

I've used it after soaking mild bumblefoot and on our dogs for certain skin issues, all with success. Sometimes I dab it on a comb/wattle injury (instead of spraying, so it doesn't get in their eyes). But most comb/wattle cuts bleed so much I figure the wounds do a good job cleaning themselves.

In other news, the netting boundary for Gaston and Théo is so interesting. It seems to have been accepted as their own international border. Now they just need to commit to a peace treaty in the coop. The 2022 Reed Fence Treaty. Of course, if I were you, I'd still be lobbying hard to complete the 2nd coop space. Poultry peace treaties are super fickle.

We have a protest song in France that goes "take one step forward, and then two steps back, that's the politic, of our government". I think I'll skip on the multiple ups and downs of the lobbying process to update once we've reached a definite agreement !

*****************************************
Today began with another chicken surprise. I opened the coop, waited until the ex-batts, Théo and Chipie were in the run to put them behind a fence so Gastounet and his hens could come out of the coop safely, then I left. Gastounet came at me from behind and pecked my leg, which completely surprised me. I can't say if it was aggressive (it didn't hurt) and have no clue what was the intent, since I didn't see him coming at all. It was the first time he attempted physical contact, and I was kind of weary for half an hour, but he then behaved exactly as usual throughout the day. I will stay attentive however to his behaviour with me in the next days.

I went running this morning and when I came back the ex-batts were crouching in fear under the laurel tree, both roosters were making growls at the sky, and Théo's comb and one ear were covered in dry blood. I asked my partner if anything had happened and he said Théo had attacked his leg at the entrance of the coop, and he had sent him flying away from him with his foot. This has unfortunately happened a number of times, both with my partner and with me. We sort of know now what triggers this behaviour so most of the times we can avoid it.

It's the first time that Théo actually gets hurt by one of us. From the look of it, it couldn't have been my partner's shoe that hurt him, but he may have caught himself falling in wire, or something sharp : he had a thin cut in the comb, and some dry blood on his ear. Théo acted like he was terrified of my partner for a few hours, and then he seemed to relax. However all the chickens were still very defiant, staying hidden, and running when they moved from one cover to another. Either they are still under the shock of the raptor that tried to land, or they are seeing some predators that we don't manage to see.

Gaston is now actively courting Merle and Léa. I saw him mating Merle successfully, but Léa still squeaks whenever he tries anything with her. In the other group, Théo is trying to mate Cannelle again. I take it as a sign that she's doing better, but she's really not happy about it. She acts like she is scared of him!

Brune chased some grasshoppers. In the back Nougat was scared and looked pretty scary herself.

Cannelle looks like she has nearly finished molting but she is still plucking feathers so I guess it's not done yet.

Gastounet really wanted to try these crushed eggshells that Piou-piou eats every evening before roosting. He seemed to enjoy them .

Théo escorting Cannelle

This is a picture I took on my run this morning, you can see the upper part of our village and the small red circle is our house.

 

[ManueB]

Well, Gastounet proved this morning he has finally entered the infamous "hormonal" stage. He ran again after me and then did the wings wide-open charging thing with his three ladies. I find it already impressive when done by such a small thing as Théo, but Gastounet is pretty massive now and I think Léa and Merle were rather afraid. And he didn't heed their protests this time !

I wonder how much he weighs now. I think Léa, Merle and Piou-piou are between 1 to 1.5kg (2.2 to 3.3lbs), and he must be something like 4 or 5 kg (9 to 11lbs) ? We will need to find other bigger hens for him, as soon as we have solved the housing. He is too big for bantams and even small standards.

The chickens had a nice morning but after lunch a sparrowhawk attacked a baby bird in the linden just above me and then the gallicus hawk circled above the house, so the afternoon was spent hiding. Nougat especially was terrified and she stayed all the afternoon hiding in the run.

There was again some bullying between the hens at roost time. Merle decided to roost next to Chipie (who had taken Nougat's place), without realizing at all that she was risking attack. Chipie easily flew off but Merle didn't realize what was happening before she was stuck between Cannelle and Nougat attacking her. She didn't know what to do and stepped over Cannelle to join Gastounet's gang on the other side of the roost, and almost fell. She was obviously very surprised by the ex-batts bullying! And Léa was again submitted to Piou-piou's hard pecking like every night now. I'm kind of thinking Piou-piou should have stayed in her nest.

The ex-batts and Théo stay for an hour or two inside the coop in the morning. I'm not sure if they are cold or scared of the raptors.

 

[Perris]

Killay's hormones are flowing too now, and he's chasing down the girls. Saw Maria giving him a lesson in manners at roost time. A few more of those and he should be sorted She is tiny by the way - as an Araucana she is technically large fowl but actually barely bigger than a bantam. It's all about attitude.

 

[ManueB]

Killay's hormones are flowing too now, and he's chasing down the girls. Saw Maria giving him a lesson in manners at roost time. A few more of those and he should be sorted She is tiny by the way - as an Araucana she is technically large fowl but actually barely bigger than a bantam. It's all about attitude.

My adult hens are very afraid of Gaston. He has already mated Blanche and Brune, both on occasions when we brought them out of the chicken netted zone- he's incredibly fast. And he got to Nougat as well who screamed like she would die and is utterly terrified of him. Only Cannelle could possibly show resistance and she's too unwell now.

I agree it's not about size, but they have never seen a rooster this big, and they are already slightly afraid of tiny Théo.

 

[Perris]

My adult hens are very afraid of Gaston. He has already mated Blanche and Brune, both on occasions when we brought them out of the chicken netted zone- he's incredibly fast. And he got to Nougat as well who screamed like she would die and is utterly terrified of him. Only Cannelle could possibly show resistance and she's too unwell now.

I agree it's not about size, but they have never seen a rooster this big, and they are already slightly afraid of tiny Théo.

Hopefully he'll moderate his behaviour when his hormone levels settle down. The jerk phase is tough on everybody.

 

[ManueB]

Hopefully he'll moderate his behaviour when his hormone levels settle down. The jerk phase is tough on everybody.

I was thinking maybe he had skipped it . But no, he's definitely there! Even his legs that were so yellow, are now really red.
It's almost a good thing that Théo stops him from coming inside the chicken nettings, because the pullets can have a break from him in there.

********
Another beautiful day and temperatures still above what they should be - we're around 2c/35f in the morning and 20/68 in the middle of the day. It seems like we won't have any winter!

Once again the chickens enjoyed the second half of the morning, before getty frightened by a number of raptors - vultures, a lone eagle, and the gallicus hawk. I'm feeling really sorry for my ex-batts. They are stressed out by the raptors, and they get chased by Théo, who has finished his molt and is again trying unsuccessfully to mate them numerous times. He was especially insistent with Cannelle today and most of the times she doesn't seem to enjoy it.
Nougat's feathers are growing incredibly fast, the good point of having such a hard molt.
Gaston was very unhappy that his ladies spent a long time away from him inside the chicken nettings. They take shelter under the laurel tree, and he can't see them. He tries crowing, tidbitting, growling...sometimes one answers and if she comes to him she gets the dancing and mating .

But sometimes they also call him to come inside, Merle did that for a really long time, and then he starts making sad cries because he's too afraid of Théo.
The day he overcomes his fright I think it will be like with Chipie and he will want to kill him for revenge.
The three current layers gave me eggs today but Brune had a hard time.

I made fun of it but the chickens do seem to like the structure in the run.

Gastounet used to be so greedy and now he never eats, he spends the day watching the sky!

Nougat's growing feathers

Evil eye

Nice feathers..still not finished growing the mane..