He is in his full glory doing what was intended.Theo's feathers are so pretty in this picture.
Théo and the chickens des Sauches
- Thread starter ManueB
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- #482
I think Merle is a hopeless case; gotta love a broody
even if it is the wrong time. Hopefully she'll make a great mum one day.
She is a sweetie, she screams and puffs but she doesn't even peck me and I can pick her up and put her on my knees
. @Perris , is your penny still broody ?It is too cold- we don't have a room where we could have chicks inside. And I would also prefer the second coop to be finished. Gastounet's team slept outside in a dog crate when they hatched in June, and it was a good thing they could come inside the coop when there were a few bad storms! With the incessant fighting between the two roosters I don't think chicks would be allowed inside the coop now.
Yes it is. I still have small feathers all over the coop- Blanche is molting, Merle is pecking her feathers out, and Théo and Chipie are still shedding some.
I think you get colder temps than I do because my rosemaries have all survived the winter. One tip if plants or bushes are just at the limit in winter, is to plant them under a tree, or any form of shelter like an overlap from a roof, or even close to a wall, it really makes a difference to slow the freezing. Here we are supposed to get possible frost until the "ice saints"- this year 11 to 13 may.I love this. Two fluffy butt excavators with Gaston supervising.
Where I live now is technically within the range for some of the hardier pomegranate varieties, and I’m tempted to give it a try. Spring is always such a crapshoot here in Utah though and late frosts aren’t uncommon, even before climate change started making things even less predictable. As I’ve been considering which varieties of fruit trees to plant, I’ve been leaning in favor of those with high chill hours (we get plenty) and late bloom times to hedge my bets that I’ll have fruit to harvest.
I finalized my garden plans for the year, ordered a bunch of seeds (I hardly bought any last year and was out of a lot of things) plus a currant, some hardy rosemary (I’ve been too cold to have it overwinter successfully in the past), an apple and a peach. I’m going to try collecting seeds from some of these so I don’t have to keep buying them.
Our biggest challenge however is the lack of water. It took us a few years to understand that we needed to water young trees even in winter when there was no snow or rain for more than a month. All the saplings we have not watered at least every 15 days in summer have died. This is why we plant a lot of trees on the border of our vegetable garden where they can benefit from the automatic watering system. This is also why we don't plant them too far away from the house because many of those we planted far, we forgot to water regularly as we didn't see them, and they died or are still very small.
We will also be buying and grafting some trees soon both for us and for the chicken yards. I'm afraid I've killed all the cuttings I made from the elderberry - I kept watering them when our temperatures dropped and I think the ground froze.
Theo's feathers are so pretty in this picture.
Poor Théo can only succeed in this activity with Blanche sometimes, and with Chipie. The size of the ex-batts combined with the steepness of the slope in his yard make it an extremely difficult feat in regard to keeping his balance... and his dignity. I think it's one of the reason he is such an angry rooster!He is in his full glory doing what was intended.
no, thankfully
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- #484
-3/26 and very cloudy this morning. The chickens didn't seem to mind too much and they stayed outside. Léa and Merle went in the nest as soon as I opened the coop. Merle stayed a long time and I wasn't expecting her to come out on her own, but she did. Although she made broody noises and dustbathed about ten times she didn't go back in the nest and spent most of the afternoon digging a hole in the a pile of rotten hay .
It was a calm chicken day, and the afternoon was slightly more sunny. The three pullets and the three ex-batts all laid. This means unfortunately that Blanche laid four days in a row- she's the one that needs taking a break. It really seems to take a toll on her.
Hello pancake..seems like she decided to get out, and fell back into trance just before coming out of the nest
An afternoon digging on her own. Gaston just ignores her when she acts half broody and this means he is not keeping watch on her.
Nougat's huge egg next to Blanche's and Cannelle's
.It was a calm chicken day, and the afternoon was slightly more sunny. The three pullets and the three ex-batts all laid. This means unfortunately that Blanche laid four days in a row- she's the one that needs taking a break. It really seems to take a toll on her.
Hello pancake..seems like she decided to get out, and fell back into trance just before coming out of the nest
An afternoon digging on her own. Gaston just ignores her when she acts half broody and this means he is not keeping watch on her.
Nougat's huge egg next to Blanche's and Cannelle's
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- #485
Back to -8/17 in the morning but the day was so beautiful and sunny it didn't feel cold. Only Léa rushed out of the coop to lay, all the other chickens had a late sleep in until 7.30.
Théo and Gaston were very angry at each other today, Gaston jumped several times inside the netting and Théo chased him out. We separated them twice. I'm not sure if we shouldn't let them fight at this stage.
Blanche was very unwell in the morning, she climbed up to Chipie's favorite nest and stayed there all morning. She was slightly better later on.
We had to take Merle out of the nest (she did not lay today) but after that she was normal for the rest of the day.
In the afternoon the chickens had and gave me a good fright. Gaston's gang was far at the other side of the garden and suddenly I see them coming back screaming at full speed. Léa tried jumping from above down to the laurel tree and she caught herself in the netting! Third time now a chicken tries to strangle itself in it! I was very close by and since she is smaller and she had just gotten her head in I was able to get her out. Then all the chickens were in full alarm mode but Théo still chases Gaston out when he tried to come in to check on Léa. It was quite chaotic.
When they had calmed down I noticed Chipie had been badly pecked on her comb, I don't know if it was by Théo or one of the ex-batts. She had blood pouring down her beak. She didn't mind and she usually heals very well so we didn't disinfect her- I think it would be so stressing for her that the day we really need to give her care it will be a problem. She was bullied by Blanche again at roost time but Théo let her sleep on his roost. I wish she could stay with the smaller hens of Gaston's team, they like her well enough.
Merle flew up the branches of the cherry tree , Chipie tried to join her but couldn't go as high and Piou-piou watched from below.
Unlikely trio
Brune flirted with Gaston for ten seconds!!
Théo and Gaston were very angry at each other today, Gaston jumped several times inside the netting and Théo chased him out. We separated them twice. I'm not sure if we shouldn't let them fight at this stage.
Blanche was very unwell in the morning, she climbed up to Chipie's favorite nest and stayed there all morning. She was slightly better later on.
We had to take Merle out of the nest (she did not lay today) but after that she was normal for the rest of the day.
In the afternoon the chickens had and gave me a good fright. Gaston's gang was far at the other side of the garden and suddenly I see them coming back screaming at full speed. Léa tried jumping from above down to the laurel tree and she caught herself in the netting! Third time now a chicken tries to strangle itself in it! I was very close by and since she is smaller and she had just gotten her head in I was able to get her out. Then all the chickens were in full alarm mode but Théo still chases Gaston out when he tried to come in to check on Léa. It was quite chaotic.
When they had calmed down I noticed Chipie had been badly pecked on her comb, I don't know if it was by Théo or one of the ex-batts. She had blood pouring down her beak. She didn't mind and she usually heals very well so we didn't disinfect her- I think it would be so stressing for her that the day we really need to give her care it will be a problem. She was bullied by Blanche again at roost time but Théo let her sleep on his roost. I wish she could stay with the smaller hens of Gaston's team, they like her well enough.
Merle flew up the branches of the cherry tree , Chipie tried to join her but couldn't go as high and Piou-piou watched from below.
Unlikely trio
Brune flirted with Gaston for ten seconds!!
Do you know what it was that scared them so?
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- #487
No. I only saw a pair of crows. I'm never sure if they have seen something that has escaped my human eyes, or if they have just worked themselves in a panic because the crows flow very near and they are very stressed by all the raptors landings we've had.
*********
Another beautiful winter day, -5/25 in the morning and a nice warm afternoon. Both Piou-piou and Léa ran to lay as soon as I opened the coop and Gaston jumped directly down from his roost to follow them (he doesn't usually do that, the roost is quite high for such a massive guy). I stayed inside all morning trying and failing to solve computer issues so I didn't see how they spent the morning.
In the afternoon there were a few rooster pursuits but nothing serious. Both groups of chicken spent the day outside. Chipie has a big scab, but she doesn't seem to care at all ; Blanche was not well again, and did not lay again for two days in a row.
We are going to have to lock up the chickens twice this week, and I'm a bit anxious about it- we're driving for our two months food haul and to see my parents on Thursday, and then my partner's father has invited us for lunch on Sunday. I was really hoping he would forget, but he didn't. So I'm getting mentally ready for a few hours of the latest extreme right conspiracy theories (I wonder if I will hear something about layer feed?
) while watching C-News and being fed industrial prawns and chickens. Yes, those chicken's that grow ten thighs in plastic wrapping. Normally I always, always eat what's in my plate but I have been known to make an exception to this rule when my partner's father's wife cooks.
mmm, sounds like a fun lunchSo I'm getting mentally ready for a few hours of the latest extreme right conspiracy theories (I wonder if I will hear something about layer feed?
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- #489
Today was even warmer than yesterday, -2 in the morning and wearing short sleeves in the afternoon. Guess who screamed at me in the nest this morning? Léa ! Full broody mode, it must be contagious. And she's much bigger than Merle so I couldn't drag her out of the hole in the wood stack. I managed to lure her making a line of sunflower seeds to the exit .
Cannelle laid during the night but her egg broke, I think it hit the ladder falling. Blanche laid early, and seemed to feel better, and Piou-piou laid a bit later.
Both groups of chickens had a nice day, enjoyed the sun. I saw the eagles further above the house, but they didn't stay enough to frighten the chooks. Théo ran twice after Gaston, who's close but not yet really ready to fight back.
I unfroze grapes for the chickens and that made them very happy.
They are now getting up earlier, at 7.15 and going to bed later too (I closed the coop's door at 5.15). Chipie was again bullied at roost time.
During the day, Merle came inside the netting and Chipie and her had a "frozen" moment - I still wonder what happens between the chickens when they do that.
Early in the morning I went inside to drink a second coffee and when I came out Gaston and Merle had disappeared. I finally found them behind the old houses on the other side of our fence which means they must have jumped the fence in front of our house and gone up all around the old houses where they had never been yet .
4ex-batts, 1 rooster and Chipie all on the perch in the morning, a rare sight
.Cannelle laid during the night but her egg broke, I think it hit the ladder falling. Blanche laid early, and seemed to feel better, and Piou-piou laid a bit later.
Both groups of chickens had a nice day, enjoyed the sun. I saw the eagles further above the house, but they didn't stay enough to frighten the chooks. Théo ran twice after Gaston, who's close but not yet really ready to fight back.
I unfroze grapes for the chickens and that made them very happy.
They are now getting up earlier, at 7.15 and going to bed later too (I closed the coop's door at 5.15). Chipie was again bullied at roost time.
During the day, Merle came inside the netting and Chipie and her had a "frozen" moment - I still wonder what happens between the chickens when they do that.
.4ex-batts, 1 rooster and Chipie all on the perch in the morning, a rare sight
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Sometimes Ivy and Janet have a frozen moment. I have an idea it's a sign of mutual subservience but that's only a guess.
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