Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

This morning both Merle and Piou-piou ran outside to lay when I opened the coop. Merle took three hours to lay, but she was very active after. Now she goes around the chicken yard screaming whenever another chicken approaches .
We had light rain the whole day with warmer temperatures (5c/41f in the morning) and I was surprised to see that the ex-batts spent the day outside. I don't know if it was because it was warmer, or because there has been a few days without hawks.
Blanche laid an egg that was almost normal this morning, and so did the three younger pullets.
Théo and Gaston again spent a lot of time staring at each other through the netting and doing that tidbitting thing. It looked to me as if Gaston is still submitting, he looks down, and will eventually move away.

 

[MaryJanet]

Blanche laid an egg that was almost normal

The things we have to celebrate when we care for production laying hens

Any other type of chicken and we'd take perfectly normal eggs for granted.

And that's a gorgeous photo of Merle.

 

[Shadrach]

Today the sun came out and the snow melted really fast! Gastounet's team dug up every single spot they could find that wasn't hidden by snow. Théo's team spent most of the day in the run but they did come out a bit, especially Cannelle and Brune. All the chickens seemed to really enjoy the sun.

There was one very funny scene when Gastounet got inside the chicken net with Léa, on the opposite side of the coop, to eat grass where Théo couldn't see him from the run. Cannelle was coming out toward him and when he saw her he charged wings out and tail spread wide open! We've cleared only a small path from the snow, so she stood her ground and attacked him! Then they both flew on the side and found themselves stuck in the deep snow.

Gastounet didn't want to show it but he was completely terrified! Cannelle managed to get out and went back to the coop. I sort of pushed Gastounet out because he was frozen on spot and he went out of the chicken zone and crowed very loudly...on the outside .

I worried for Merle because she went to lay around one, and got out more than two hours later! But... I brought her a tiny bit of food and she ate a bit but she made a noise that sounded like a broody sound. And I went to pick up her egg as soon as she came out, and it was barely warm. My guess is that she laid and then spent a long time in the nest either because she feels safe there and wanted to rest, or because she already has broody instinct.
Then of course she didn't want to go to bed at 4.30, whereas usually she's always the first to roost!

I've also noticed Merle is beginning to pick on Léa too. Léa is in between the two groups- she's the least rejected by the ex-batts and Chipie, but she doesn't get along so well with Merle and Piou-piou now. She is very submissive.

Two ex-batts laid today, but I didn't see who- from the egg's shape I think it was Brune and Blanche which means Cannelle didn't lay after yesterday's soft egg. Piou-piou took a break today and Léa also laid late.

Snow melting on site!
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Gastounet just before he charged Cannelle coming toward him
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Snow party! From both sides!
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That charge is pretty funny to watch. All that effort only to get a smack around the head.

 

[Shadrach]

But is that possible? She has only been laying for two weeks and a half! Maybe it's just her hormones acting up or because she has started laying she feels more assertive ?
Anyway we're not leaving her eggs. Imagine if she sets in the wood stack- that would just be the worst possible place! And I would prefer chicks in the middle of the spring, not right at the beginning of winter . Too bad she gets mated by Gaston and not by Théo, they would make pretty tiny black chicks for my cats to chase!
********
Got up in white damp fog that slowly let the sun come through. The remaining snow completely melted today.
When I opened the coop Léa had already laid inside. Merle ran out as soon as I opened and directly to her nest, where she took about an hour and 20 minutes to lay, which was a bit more reasonable.
I thought the chickens would be eager to come out with all that time spent inside, but that wasn't the case. Théo's team did come out, but rather reluctantly and they stayed close to the coop. Gastounet's gang was very glad that the snow was melting and scratched around like crazy, digging huge craters everywhere . But Gastounet watches the sky all the time.
A sparrowhawk landed right above me, in the low branches of our linden tree- and I think it hadn't even seen the chickens, because they were all under cover at that time . I scared it away. Then four or five vultures flew much higher above us. So they are right to be careful.

At some point in the morning when Théo 's team was decidedly staying in the run, I locked them in to let Gastounet inside the chicken netting. We hadn't thought about it, as it rains so rarely for several days, but the only sheltered dustbathing places are inside the netting! He took a long dustbath with Merle under the umbrella (which broke with the snow, my partner is bringing another one as it works really well for the chickens).

When I let Théo out again and Gastounet out of the netted zone, there were long challenging stares and Théo threw himself twice in the netting. However Gastounet stood his ground. I think he's not far from ceasing to be afraid of Théo. We have to make a decision on where to build the second coop!

Chipie
View attachment 3351317Merle screams just like her!View attachment 3351318Dustbathing under the umbrella- his first time View attachment 3351320Always on watch ! If he wasn't way too big for those cross bantam hens he would be a great rooster for his ladies!View attachment 3351321View attachment 3351322Nougat finishing her hard molt is slowly coming back to her usual behaviour, but she is still afraid!View attachment 3351324View attachment 3351326Cannelle really enjoyed pecking those boots. I only wear them when it snows so it's a rare treat View attachment 3351328View attachment 3351329View attachment 3351330View attachment 3351332Léa and Cannelle side by side. Léa is almost more bullied by Merle and Piou-piou than by the ex-batts now. I think a day may come when she changes team..but she really likes Gastounet and she doesn't like Théo at all.View attachment 3351333View attachment 3351335
Roosting time. Théo wants to get his hens inside the coop but he doesn't want them to roost before him . Roosting has been rather call for several days apart from Piou-piou bullying Léa.
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It will be interesting to see who goes where when the alternative coop is available.

 

[RoyalChick]

It will be interesting to see who goes where when the alternative coop is available.

I have visions of them all moving and simply exporting the squabbles to the new place!

 

[ManueB]

It will be interesting to see who goes where when the alternative coop is available.

I have visions of them all moving and simply exporting the squabbles to the new place!

That isn't going to happen.
As much as I hate our actual coop, our hens love it in colder weather. I see several reasons : the mite we have in summer disappears in winter, it relatively temperature stable, it's big enough to hang out in, and now with the covered run it makes quite a nice sheltering place. The small hens are always trying to get in during the day and getting thrown out by the ex-batts. What we are going to build will be a very light three meters square structure that will only be used at night time. So, if Théo gets thrown out, none of the ex-batts would follow him as they certainly wouldn't leave the coop for a rooster they don't like very much, but Chipie could eventually. If Gaston leaves, Piou-piou is I think the one hen that would willingly follow him ; and Merle might get thrown out by Théo.

I won't explain all the why's and how's because it would be very long and my english isn't good enough. What we've decided is that we will extend our actual woodshed, just next to our outdoor dining table, to the stone wall that is behind it. We will move the wood against the wall, leave a path in the middle for us, and build the coop inside the actual woodshed. The actual structure of the woodshed we will cover in mesh and use when we need to lock the chickens up for a few hours to a day.
It's not an ideal solution but it fits my partner's criterias that the second coop should be very close to our house for safety, and that it should be sheltered from the wind without having to build foundations. And it will allow to lock the chickens during the day every now and then without having to make or buy a run, which he didn't want.
It's a bit of work and what's more, we need to have burnt a good part of the wood in the shed so we probably won't do it before early spring. If the roosters actually fight before that, we can always build the coop structure inside the barn, and move it later on.

 

[ManueB]

It was incredibly warm today, 3 /37 in the morning, and up to 15/59 during the day. The chickens seem to really enjoy the warmer weather, they were outside most of the day, and didn't want to come in to roost. Théo managed to get out once to chase Gaston and they both spent a lot of time again staring at each other through the netting. Théo was very upset as the ex-batts came to see what was going on when Gaston was tidbitting on the other side for his hens to join him.

Merle has us worried again as she looked tired in the early morning, spent three hours in the nest, and then dustbathed I don't know how many times! I checked her once again, and still couldn't see anything on her. I've ordered a dusting powder for poultry and I will treat the coop again tomorrow, but I don't know why we're not seeing anything. In the afternoon she was very active and going around screaming at Théo and the ex-batts..and at us. Here is her trying to get to the maize before my partner breaks it in pieces. She certainly doesn't look sick then.

There was an egg down the roost when I opened the coop which I believe was from Cannelle, and another ex-batt laid (probably Brune), and the three pullets.

Nougat chasing Chipie and Piou-piou

Tiny monster walking in front of Théo puffed up and screaming.

Chioie and Léa are still pretty good friends. Probably because Léa doesn't mind being dominated!

 

[Solanacae]

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

My brother in law is a painter and did this study in black and white, with a tiny amount of color in three places. I love it, as does my husband. We’ve had a few guests who don’t like it - either the colors, the subject (why would you paint garbage?) or both. I find the use of black and white so compelling.

 

[Shadrach]

I have visions of them all moving and simply exporting the squabbles to the new place!

Hopefully the roosters will accept the seperation of living space. I've had roosters driven out of their tribe coops in the past and it makes life difficult.

 

[Shadrach]

It was incredibly warm today, 3 /37 in the morning, and up to 15/59 during the day. The chickens seem to really enjoy the warmer weather, they were outside most of the day, and didn't want to come in to roost. Théo managed to get out once to chase Gaston and they both spent a lot of time again staring at each other through the netting. Théo was very upset as the ex-batts came to see what was going on when Gaston was tidbitting on the other side for his hens to join him.


Merle has us worried again as she looked tired in the early morning, spent three hours in the nest, and then dustbathed I don't know how many times! I checked her once again, and still couldn't see anything on her. I've ordered a dusting powder for poultry and I will treat the coop again tomorrow, but I don't know why we're not seeing anything. In the afternoon she was very active and going around screaming at Théo and the ex-batts..and at us. Here is her trying to get to the maize before my partner breaks it in pieces. She certainly doesn't look sick then.

There was an egg down the roost when I opened the coop which I believe was from Cannelle, and another ex-batt laid (probably Brune), and the three pullets.

Nougat chasing Chipie and Piou-piou
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Tiny monster walking in front of Théo puffed up and screaming.
View attachment 3356040View attachment 3356041View attachment 3356042View attachment 3356043View attachment 3356044Chioie and Léa are still pretty good friends. Probably because Léa doesn't mind being dominated!View attachment 3356045View attachment 3356046View attachment 3356047View attachment 3356049View attachment 3356050

Your man has got a nice easy touch with the chickens.