Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[Perris]

Do you think he will go on to live as an outcast ?
I think I wouldn't have the heart or the gut to let things go like this

I really don't know. I think it's too early to tell yet. I am entertaining the idea of trying to find him a new home. His eyes btw are absolutely fine; I worried some time ago that he had ocular Mareks, but I got a good look at both of them in the utility room this morning, and they're fine.

Why do you use washing bowl to keep unwell birds ? Are these the type of bowls ?

I find the rectangular ones are just the right length to support the head of my large fowl at one end/corner and the tail at the opposite one, so an ill bird off its legs can keep its head in fresh air and its tail out of the poop. A towel in the bottom provides a non slip and absorbent surface.

if it's a genetic issue unfortunately I suppose you have to stop the line.

I prefer to let nature take the lead there and work on the assumption that a serious genetic flaw will bring a line to an end without my intervention. That's also why I don't use breeding pens. I have far more confidence in evolution than in human judgement, including my own, to produce the best chicken for this environment.

Sorry to hear that Theo is getting the dark comb tips again too. But he (and Henry) got over it last year, so that's a good sign. It must be stressful being a bantam rooster among large fowl hens and long-legged Gaston!

 

[ManueB]

I am entertaining the idea of trying to find him a new home.

But the thing is, after having lived like he does at your place, he would never find another home with such conditions. Do you believe you could find him a place where he could be outside all day ?
I have this dilemma with Gaston, and my chickens have much less freedom and don't eat as well as yours ! I've reached a point where I could be ready to re-home him, but I couldn't imagine sending him to a place where he doesn't get to free range. I now have him locked up two hours and a half every morning and it's obvious he hates it.

It must be stressful being a bantam rooster among large fowl hens and long-legged Gaston!

Théo's always been stressed, probably because he arrived so tiny among a bunch of ex-batts who wanted him dead. He's really not a quiet guy, and it's been ages since I've seen him relax , sun or dustbathing like he used to before Gaston began fighting him back. Stress has a huge impact on the chickens I think, it's not just drama for fun.
***********
Today both groups came to a sort of arrangement where Théo and his hens stayed the whole day on the field across the chicken yard, and Gaston didn't come to bother them, except when Alba joined Théo's team. However I can see Théo and the three ex-batts are terrified of Gaston ; Blanche and Nougat especially keep making frightened pleading noises, probably asking me to take this lunatic giant rooster away from them. And as soon as they come a bit too near him, he charges them crazily fast and jumps on them before they have the time to do anything.

I weighed Gaston today, and was a bit surprised, he's only 3 kilos 2 (6.6 pounds), I expected much more seen how huge he looks. He's only a bit more than twice Théo's weight, but he's about three to four times bigger.

Piou-piou is now trying every trick she can think off to escape our surveillance and join her Gaston. She's also showing signs for the first time that she would like to sleep on the roost and not in the crate. But her feathers have barely began growing back and she still has a lot of bare skin. I'm hesitant to put a bandage on her and let her join Gaston's team, but she dustbathes twice a day so I'm not sure it would be a good idea. I'm surprised her feathers take such a long time to regrow.

I saw a tiny lice on Cannelle today so we dusted again all the older chickens. Léa was impossible to catch unfortunately. I will do the black and white pullets tomorrow evening, if I don't succeed catching them during the day. Lily and Kara are less afraid of us now but Nieva and Alba still act in panic if we come too close.

And Brune is still hanging on, not wanting to cross the bridge.

Gaston is acting sweet with Léa now. I think he would like to have her back. He pecked a chick a bit hard today, that was staying behind when they had all gone to roost.

Merle does her part trying to control the oxalis invasion but it's just impossible.

Gaston now takes both his white sweethearts out of the chicken yard, which wasn't exactly the plan .

The field across. And of course Alba and Nueva wanted to come see what was there.

Yes we may be fighting for the wild cherries.

This morning I ran to the village's highest cabin for the shepherds and sheeps. It's a 1000 m / 3280 ft climb and while I used to do that without thinking about it, I'm completely out of shape from having stopped running all these months. So it felt like the mountain had turned steeper , even though I didn't run much going up . Unfortunately it got cloudy when I arrived.

 

[RoyalChick]

Remind me how old Gaston is. I am wondering if he will calm down a bit as he matures.

 

[Perris]

This morning I ran to the village's highest cabin for the shepherds and sheeps. It's a 1000 m / 3280 ft climb

I imagine the weather can change fast up there; I see what looks like solar panels on the roof; does it have all mod cons inside? Idyllic views.

 

[Perris]

Do you believe you could find him a place where he could be outside all day ?

possibly. The key thing is that it's somewhere where he wouldn't have to live in fear and hide all day. It's not really free range if he doesn't feel free to range.

 

[ManueB]

Remind me how old Gaston is. I am wondering if he will calm down a bit as he matures.

He is just one year old. He was late getting into being excited about mating, I think it began around mid march, so at more than nine months.
While I don't know if he will calm down one thing I'm sure is that the flock dynamic will be changing. Brune and Blanche won't make it through summer. Chipie and Léa will stop being broody. Lily and Kara will start laying and choose a rooster. So I'm not making any decisions before a few months.

I imagine the weather can change fast up there; I see what looks like solar panels on the roof; does it have all mod cons inside? Idyllic views.

This cabin is about 20 years old, but the solar panel have been added five or six years ago I think. There is no water on site. The shepherd has to pull a pipe at the beginning of summer from a small spring above that is a kilometer away. It's hard work and the spring has almost no water on dry summer. The solar panels are mostly for light. There is a gas heater. All the mountain cabins get helicopter drops at the beginning and ending of the season for food and basic amenities.

possibly. The key thing is that it's somewhere where he wouldn't have to live in fear and hide all day. It's not really free range if he doesn't feel free to range.

Yes, you are right. It's a hard choice to make but it seems his life could be at stake. If you feel inclined to tell us, I would like to know how it turns out, and how you deal with it. I'm hoping things will turn out all right.

 

[Perris]

one thing I'm sure is that the flock dynamic will be changing. ... So I'm not making any decisions before a few months

This is my experience too. I've also discovered that, given the way things turned out, most of my provisional decisions would have been wrong, and I would have been repenting at leisure what I did in haste. That's why I now take a back seat and let nature drive.

 

[ManueB]

This is my experience too. I've also discovered that, given the way things turned out, most of my provisional decisions would have been wrong, and I would have been repenting at leisure what I did in haste. That's why I now take a back seat and let nature drive.

I think acting in haste and repenting has been the whole story of my chicken keeping .
When I began I knew nothing about it so I had that excuse at least but now it's more a problem of learning / accepting to take a back seat !

I've also been meaning to ask you , when do you switch the chicks to fermented grains like the rest of the flock ? When they join the adults, or before ?

 

[Perris]

I've also been meaning to ask you , when do you switch the chicks to fermented grains like the rest of the flock ? When they join the adults, or before ?

You're assuming again that I'm in charge here Fez has been chowing down on it amongst the adults since about 7 days old! S/he has already learned not to climb into the bowl on pain of a disciplinary peck from someone or other, and most of them tolerate this little figure whizzing in and out between their legs during mealtimes very well. S/he'll be 3 wks old tomorrow; this was taken a couple of days ago.

Several hens learned early to hover near them, so that every time I tried during the day to offer some chickfeed, they were quickly pushed aside by grown ups who scoffed the lot in an instant. But since Polka's still sleeping out, I do get chance to feed them separately by not letting the rest out till they've had some breakfast, so I do manage to ensure Fez gets a cropful of mealworms each morning. And some milk-soaked bread this morning. At which I noticed s/he has started the 'me first' manoeuvre whereby they insert themselves in front of the middle of the foodbowl and try to shoulder anyone else (mum in this case) away. Kids eh?

 

[BDutch]

What a lovely little boy. And so confident in his behaviour!
My thought: the comb is so prominent that it would surprise me this chick turns out to be a pullet.