Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[lightm]

I'm really happy too, it's been a surprise in the good way. She just laid a second normal egg this morning!

With my ex-batts it hasn't been at all like what is said that when you notice signs of a chicken being unwell, it is already often too late. I can't count the times I've seen them get well when it looked like they were very ill. But on the other hand I didn't expect the two that died, because they had pulled out of it many times before.

Chickens have 9 lives, as RC once said.

 

[ManueB]

Temperatures are slowly dropping, -3c /26f this morning, and we had another beautiful sunny day. But many raptors flying above. The chickens did forage for a while but they regularly ran to hide under cover. Cannelle, Merle and Blanche laid this morning. Blanche was obsessed with reaching a hole high in the wall where only Chipie could nest up to now. I didn't see how, but she managed to reach it and laid there! Not very good news for Chipie as it was one of her only completely safe place in the coop.

There was a lot of squabbling between the hens today, and Théo chased several times Gaston's hens away, pecking them hard. This is new behaviour, up to now he scared them away but without hurting them.
Also, Chipie got pecked badly on her comb. I didn't see what happened, if she got into a fight or if it was Théo's doing.

Blanche squeezing into Chipie's safe hole

Chipie's pecked comb

Cannelle scratching vigorously

Gastounet crowes to try to attract his ladies to the other side of the netting

 

[Perris]

merle's plumage is just stunning in that sunlight

 

[RoyalChick]

merle's plumage is just stunning in that sunlight

It is like she is polished metal. I agree, it is wonderful. But then you know I have a soft spot for black chickens and cats (and it turns out donkeys).

 

[MaryJanet]

It is like she is polished metal. I agree, it is wonderful. But then you know I have a soft spot for black chickens and cats (and it turns out donkeys).

It's a wonderful photo of her. So dark and lustrous. The shape of her tail is lovely too.

a shattered feeder .

That seems odd. What was it made of?

Not at all like the flattened eggs she was laying before pausing and then molting ! So this is very good news and I hope it means her problems are over for now at least.

Fantastic! I'm so pleased for her.

he is really gorgeous

Yes, he's looking wonderful.

She just laid a second normal egg this morning!

Great news.

Blanche squeezing into Chipie's safe hole

Aww, so snug and safe. I love those nook nests at your place.

 

[ManueB]

merle's plumage is just stunning in that sunlight

It is like she is polished metal. I agree, it is wonderful. But then you know I have a soft spot for black chickens and cats (and it turns out donkeys).

It's a wonderful photo of her. So dark and lustrous. The shape of her tail is lovely too.

I'm not sure he's known outside France, there's a painter, Pierre Soulages, who died recently and all his work consisted of variations on the colour black. Here's a quote from him :
“ I love black's authority. It is a colour that makes no compromise. A violent colour, yet a colour that encourages introspection. Both a colour and a non-colour. When light reflects in it, it transforms it, transmutes it. It opens a mental landscape that is singular to it." A tad grandiloquent for Merle but that's the idea

That seems odd. What was it made of?

It's a cheap plastic feeder, and the lid comes off quite easily !

*****
My partner was working early today so we had breakfast at 4.30 and I knew something was strange , because I heard Gastounet crowing non-stop. Normally he doesn't Crowe in the coop because he's too scared of Théo. I understood what it was when I opened the coop earlier than usual - Piou-piou was up and she had laid an egg quite some time ago. She couldn't go back on her roost as she needs to hop on Theo's roost to do so and she must have been calling Gastounet for help and him trying to reassure her. Théo was already angry but Gastounet managed to get out escaping him.

We had another cold beautiful day, but it's supposed to change tomorrow. The chickens enjoyed themselves. Cannelle seems in great shape and she was hanging out all around with Théo. Brune was a bit subdued and she laid a strange egg- I wonder if she will also take a break from laying. Cannelle and Merle also laid with no difficulties.

The evening ended with serious drama. Théo jumped on Gastounet's roost and attacked him. I don't know if threw him off or if Gastounet jumped down but there was an epic chase around the laurel tree and they began fighting, I used a stick to get Théo off, I hope I didn't hurt him. Anyway, I managed to lock Théo in the run with the ex-batts who had all come out of the coop afraid, and got Gastounet and Piou-piou, who had dutifully followed him on his run, back in there.

We're going to Nice to buy food and will get supplies to build the second coop on Monday - but we still don't agree where to put it .

Best ennemies

Any idea what they are doing ?

Spoiler

Digging off the Jerusalem artichokes

 

[MaryJanet]

Digging off the Jerusalem artichokes

I had a feeling it was a dining situation!

 

[ManueB]

Rain was forecasted, but we woke up to melted snow, that quickly turned into real snow. It was still dark when I opened the coop and Piou-piou ran alone under the snow in the night up to the barn to lay. Then during the whole day she refused to go up there to join her team for shelter. She has the worse temper ever . She's not even attracted to food so I can't get her to follow me with the grapes, walnuts or sunflower seeds the other chickens are crazy about.

Théo and the ex-batts spent most of the day in the run, though Cannelle and Blanche did wander a bit to eat some snow. Then it turned to rain , and light drizzle. Gaston's gang spent some time in the garden and ended up completely soaked. Piou-piou especially: her legs are too small, she's so low to the ground that her belly was rubbing in the snow and ended up full of mud .

I was dreading roost time. I stayed in the coop watching and called Théo loudly every time he turned toward Gaston, and everything went fine.

Tomorrow is the same weather , supposedly the only sunny day of the week will be Monday but the chickens won't enjoy it : we will lock them up as we'll be gone the greater part of the day. We need some water so we'll take the snow or rain and some chicken grumbling!

 

[ManueB]

Weather forecast didn't disappoint and we had light rain throughout the whole night and the whole day. The chickens didn't complain too much. The older gang stayed in the run again, and it's obvious now that having covered it partially and putting a vertical structure in it allow them to spend a rainy day a lot more patiently than when they had only the coop to stay in.

Big news of the day is that Léa laid her first egg! She laid it inside the coop, which shows again that unlike Merle and Piou-piou she stays in between the two teams. She laid in that hole I mentioned where Chipie shelters and Blanche has begun to lay two days ago!
I only discovered it because she sang that laying song and Théo and Chipie sang back, and when I came down to see what the noise was she was throwing straw all over herself .
That makes now three hens that can reach this nest- I don't believe the other ex-batts could manage it. And Léa laid a bantam's egg! So the three girls are laying tiny eggs. We'll see if hers will get bigger, it is already slightly bigger than the other two. And we had 5 eggs today- all the young hens and Blanche and Cannelle. Thank you ladies I really appreciate now what it takes for us to eat those .

Gaston's gang had a great day under the rain after that. Piou-piou is definitely one of those chickens that don't give a damn about being soaked !

And the other new of the day is that I completely moved Théo's roost, on the other side of the big ladder that's in the middle of the coop. I put the roost in between the two roosts where the ex-batts sleep. I hope to stop the confrontations every night and evening because he was just under Gaston. It was really stressful for him at roost time tonight- he kept looking for his old roost place, going out grumbling when he saw it was missing, then coming back to look for it, and at one point he even started flying up to Gaston's roost. It took about half an hour, but in the end he went on his newly located roost. Hopefully he finds it acceptable there, and he will go back next night without putting so much of a fight.

Tomorrow we're locking up the chickens for the bigger part of the day to go on errands. We're hoping to get Gaston's gang locked up in the barn, if they agree to follow us up there .

 

[ManueB]

We had no trouble getting Gaston and his girls up in the barn this morning. However when we came back they let us know that they were extremely unhappy..and they had crossed again the fences we made to keep them from getting in the fresh hay .
Léa waited until she was back in the coop to lay.

Everyone enjoyed the sunny afternoon-dustbathing, scratching around and digging up the worms that have come near the surface with the rain. A wonderful afternoon for all, no hawks in sight, I was glad to see my ex-batts having a good time ! Gastounet's hens didn't want to go back to bed at 4.15, which is their usual time- they were quite far in the garden and wouldn't listen to him clucking like crazy to get them back to the coop .

Théo did hesitate quite a bit again at roost time, coming in and out, and was also showing aggressive postures to me- he's stressed and scared I think. He finally found how to fly directly to where his roost is now located. I realized then that he has never used any of the ladders, so he probably doesn't feel confortable trying that, which would be the simpler access (the roost is now between the two ladders).

We bought the furnitures to build the second "safety" coop. I admit we were both completely surprised by the price increase- we read about inflation and all that's going on in the medias but we buy so little stuff that apart from gas oil, it hasn't had much impact for us. I was expecting to pay around 250 euros and it was nearly 400 euros for three pieces of plywoods, ten rafters, protective paint, and all the screws, hinges, locks and metal pieces. We already have metal sheets and material for the floor. So, it will not be cheaper than buying an equivalent pre-made.

Digging around

I think Chipie's coming back into Theo's good grace

Freedom!

Piou-piou is really jealous but I'm glad Gastounet is mating the three hens now.I was afraid he would really hurt her!

Théo shines in the sun

Léa laid again in the coop but not in the same nest.

I suspect Chipie has started laying again in a secret place. Her comb is red again, she eats crushed eggshells and I catch her nesting- but no eggs!

Nougat still molting and grumpy, but slightly less unconfortable.