Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[BDutch]

Kara wasn't her usual self by far, but she doesn't seem hurt and her eye is totally fine.

Nice!

I doubt it’s stress, that causes tiny eggs. Never this before and I never came to such a conclusion.

We had lots of rain again. So glad our house is on a much higher level as the small stream behind our garden.

Had my 5th corona vaccination today. So far so good.

And I received an award for the AI contest.

 

[ManueB]

Was there a yolk in the tiny egg, Manue?

I don't know, I didn't open it ! I might try to blow it to keep it because it's so cute.

Nice!

I doubt it’s stress, that causes tiny eggs. Never this before and I never came to such a conclusion.

We had lots of rain again. So glad our house is on a much higher level as the small stream behind our garden.

Had my 5th corona vaccination today. So far so good.

And I received an award for the AI contest.

Congratulations!
I don't have a clue about tiny eggs. It's only the second one I ever had in my flock, the other one was from Piou-piou a few weeks ago.

We had a lot of wind this morning and the weather was strange : blue sky and tiny snowdrops falling. The wind stopped toward noon and the afternoon was nice.
The chickens still seem very stressed. Some went out a bit but everytime a crow flew by, they went into panic mode.

I don't know what to make of Mélisse. She slept most of the day looking really unwell. I checked her all over again and found no specific symptoms whatsoever. I thought maybe she had some water in her eyes but I really couldn't be sure. The few times she got up, she looked and acted quite normal, if maybe a bit slow. I gave her a mash with scrambled egg, starter, oregano and she ate it all but not ravenously. She spent all afternoon under the laurel tree but half an hour before roost time she spent about ten minutes with Gaston talking a lot and following him around!
I didn't see her poop though. They play musical chair in the coop at night so apart from the ex-batts and the roosters everyone move around. Tomorrow morning I will go see where she is roosting before they wake up.
Maybe it has something to do with that huge egg she laid a few days ago... but she has been laying normally since. Or, she is doing some form of PTSD ; or it's something else that i’m failing to see, or that was triggered by stress. I don't know what to to help without identifying specific symptoms.
Kara on the other hand is acting almost normal, except she suddenly lies down while doing something else and sleeps a bit .

The three ex-batts came out a bit today, not for long, maybe twenty minutes. Gaston tried to mate poor Blanche who ran away screaming . I think she is doing a bit better .

Lulu

Nougat still looks very ugly and strange but she seems.to feel a bit better

Staring at the sky

Gaston is beginning to pay attention to Lulu.

Smallest and tallest members of the chickens des Sauches.

Mélisse looking almost normal after acting like she was dying for a few hours.

Her again with Lilly and Laure

Kara

Kara went to sleep while eating.

And got up a few minutes after.

Tiny indian's new nickname is Geronimo because she is a ruthless warrior .

 

[ManueB]

The chickens had a really good day today. (I didn't because last night I had something like a tennis elbow tendinitis waking me up and now I can barely move my right arm .) It was -5 in the morning with a great blue sky, no wind and a lot of sunshine. Mélisse seemed a lot better ! Back to her normal self in fact. So it was likely a reaction to stress. I saw where she slept and her poops were quite normal. However another chicken has worrying feces with blood, but i’ve no clue which one it is. They were all active and happy today. Even the ex-batts seem better and they joined the rest of the flock for a few hours in the afternoon.

My partner came home a bit late so we tended Lilly’s foot quite a while after she had gone to roost.I opened both feet which I hadn't done for about ten days. On the less swollen one a lot of gunk came out which I wasn't expecting. It made a nice clean crater. On the other one that is really huge, I wasn't able to take out that much, because it hasn't formed a scab. I hope she will get better at some point. I would prefer not having to take her back to the vet now I know they do a full anesthesia to debride the abscess.


First I have a small video and a question. I mentioned Lilly is enthusiastic about grooming, which isn't a common practice at all in my flock. However, she is also a pecker , as in bullying. In particular she pecks the younger pullets in the eye, Laure and Lulu especially.
So when I saw her doing this with Gaston I wasn't sure if this was just normal grooming, or more like she is trying to eat the small growing feathers he has on his face. What do you think ?

Early morning I knew Mélisse was doing better when she tried to go under the netting to dig up the leeks .

There was a lot of dustbathing today! Maybe they know it's supposed to rain for the next two days ?

Kara dozing in the sun

Merle and Théo having a nap in the woodshed

Kara also seemed better today, though she looked a bit off in the morning

Mélisse and Annette.

Gaston had a bath in the barrel with Laure

Kara and Chipie had a fight.

Kara, napping again.

 

[RoyalChick]

The chickens had a really good day today. (I didn't because last night I had something like a tennis elbow tendinitis waking me up and now I can barely move my right arm .) It was -5 in the morning with a great blue sky, no wind and a lot of sunshine. Mélisse seemed a lot better ! Back to her normal self in fact. So it was likely a reaction to stress. I saw where she slept and her poops were quite normal. However another chicken has worrying feces with blood, but i’ve no clue which one it is. They were all active and happy today. Even the ex-batts seem better and they joined the rest of the flock for a few hours in the afternoon.

My partner came home a bit late so we tended Lilly’s foot quite a while after she had gone to roost.I opened both feet which I hadn't done for about ten days. On the less swollen one a lot of gunk came out which I wasn't expecting. It made a nice clean crater. On the other one that is really huge, I wasn't able to take out that much, because it hasn't formed a scab. I hope she will get better at some point. I would prefer not having to take her back to the vet now I know they do a full anesthesia to debride the abscess.


First I have a small video and a question. I mentioned Lilly is enthusiastic about grooming, which isn't a common practice at all in my flock. However, she is also a pecker , as in bullying. In particular she pecks the younger pullets in the eye, Laure and Lulu especially.
So when I saw her doing this with Gaston I wasn't sure if this was just normal grooming, or more like she is trying to eat the small growing feathers he has on his face. What do you think ?

Early morning I knew Mélisse was doing better when she tried to go under the netting to dig up the leeks .
View attachment 3693815View attachment 3693816View attachment 3693817
There was a lot of dustbathing today! Maybe they know it's supposed to rain for the next two days ?
View attachment 3693818View attachment 3693819View attachment 3693821View attachment 3693825
View attachment 3693850
Kara dozing in the sun
View attachment 3693851
Merle and Théo having a nap in the woodshed
View attachment 3693852View attachment 3693853
Kara also seemed better today, though she looked a bit off in the morning
View attachment 3693879
Mélisse and Annette.
View attachment 3693880View attachment 3693881
Gaston had a bath in the barrel with Laure

View attachment 3693884View attachment 3693885View attachment 3693886View attachment 3693887View attachment 3693888View attachment 3693890View attachment 3693891
Kara and Chipie had a fight.
View attachment 3693892View attachment 3693893
Kara, napping again.
View attachment 3693882

Sorry about your arm. Hope you recover soon.
Sorry, no idea on the video. He doesn’t seem to try and move out if the way.

 

[BDutch]

I hope your arm heals fast Manue. I suppose the pain cant be a horrific if you take so much photo’s . Do you have medicines or exercises to heal?

I got rather sick from the pfizer vaccination after all. I got a fever and had to vomit a lot. Today my head was still a bit wobbly but Im getting better now.

So when I saw her doing this with Gaston I wasn't sure if this was just normal grooming, or more like she is trying to eat the small growing feathers he has on his face. What do you think ?

It’s clear Gaston is okay with it. She doesn’t harm him. Im not sure what she is pecking at. Or could it be for fun/chicken caressing?

 

[BDutch]

I just read an article on the dutch Anymal app about worming you might find interesting.

Spoiler: Can worms in chickens be combated naturally?

Many chicken owners do not realize that chickens can also suffer from worms. Only when the chickens become ill is a worm infestation discussed and the vet is called in for a worm treatment. But did you know that you can also treat preventatively against worms and that there are natural remedies nowadays? These have no negative effects on the quality of eggs!

Recognizing worms in chickens

All chickens have worms, which live in balance with the chicken and do not cause any problems. If there is a surplus of worms, problems can arise and chickens can become ill. Only a manure test can actually confirm whether there are worms. But there are a number of symptoms that indicate worms:

• Chickens lose weight
• Bloody diarrhea
• Pale and/or dry combs
• Chickens start to sit up
• Chickens become less active
• Chickens stop laying eggs

Does a chicken show these symptoms? Then we recommend taking action and possibly starting preventive measures against worms. This can be done naturally and that is always preferable! Natural products support the intestinal wall and make the intestinal wall thicker, so they cannot settle in the intestinal wall and the worms are immediately removed via the manure. In addition, natural resources also support the general resistance of chickens.

Preventive or curative treatment against worms?

As soon as there is a worm infestation, it is important to provide curative treatment against worms. This means that you start a treatment to remove excess worms from the chickens' digestive system. In addition, you can treat preventatively, so to prevent a worm infestation. You do this by providing the chickens with a small amount of supplement every week so that they remain resistant to worms.

We recommend a mixture of aromatic substances (turmeric, artemisia, thymus and allium), which help thicken the intestinal wall and support the chicken's overall resistance. As a curative measure, you then give a solution of this through the drinking water every day for a week. As a preventative measure, give chickens a dose of this mixture twice a week in the drinking water.

It is also possible to regularly (just to be on the safe side) apply a curative dose and also to treat preventively. This mixture is completely natural and safe for chicken and the environment. Eggs from the chickens can also continue to be eaten, as it does not affect the quality of the eggs.

Did you know:
Chickens are often infected by wild birds?
Do new chickens also often transmit a worm infection?

The article doesn’t give a clue for the amounts because its a product you can buy at the animal/gardening store too.

 

[Molpet]

I got rather sick from the pfizer vaccination after all. I got a fever and had to vomit a lot. Today my head was still a bit wobbly but Im getting better now.

Sorry it had side effects. Did you get the same vaccine brand before? Or have any others that effected you like that?

 

[RoyalChick]

I hope your arm heals fast Manue. I suppose the pain cant be a horrific if you take so much photo’s . Do you have medicines or exercises to heal?

I got rather sick from the pfizer vaccination after all. I got a fever and had to vomit a lot. Today my head was still a bit wobbly but Im getting better now.



It’s clear Gaston is okay with it. She doesn’t harm him. Im not sure what she is pecking at. Or could it be for fun/chicken caressing?

Sorry you had a bad reaction to the vaccine. I got mine recently and as with all the others didn’t even have a painful arm. I suspect I am getting the placebo version!

 

[BDutch]

Sorry it had side effects. Did you get the same vaccine brand before? Or have any others that effected you like that?

I had Astra Zenica to start with in 2021. That was sickening but not very bad. Then I got Moderna, and it made me more sick. It was even worse in march 2021 when I got Pfizer. Had to vomit a lot the day after the vaccination. And got a severe headache because I even couldn’t keep any water inside. Last year I decided to skip the vaccination because of that and because there were new variations of Covid that were not included in the vaccination. Unfortunately I got the real thing last Xmass. I was dreadfully sick the first two days. The vomiting continued for almost 24 hours and I got almost at a point that l needed an IV with fluids. It stopped just in time. After that it took weeks to recover.

So this autumn I decided it would be wise to get the vaccine. I contacted a doctor of the vaccination programme about my fear of overreacting and asked for an alternative.

They only give Pfizer in my country and there is no possibility to get something else. He advised to take a medicine against vomiting. Take one pil an hour before the vaccination and a second one 6 hours later.
It worked. I did feel the fever but didn’t vomit the first night. In the morning I started to vomit anyway. I took another pil when it continued and the nausea got less, but it didn't stop completely until last night. I could drink water in between this time. Al in all it wasn’t too bad. Nothing like the first Pfizer and certainly nothing like going through the real thing.

 

[ManueB]

Sorry about your arm. Hope you recover soon.
Sorry, no idea on the video. He doesn’t seem to try and move out if the way.

I hope your arm heals fast Manue. I suppose the pain cant be a horrific if you take so much photo’s . Do you have medicines or exercises to heal?

I got rather sick from the pfizer vaccination after all. I got a fever and had to vomit a lot. Today my head was still a bit wobbly but Im getting better now.



It’s clear Gaston is okay with it. She doesn’t harm him. Im not sure what she is pecking at. Or could it be for fun/chicken caressing?

Thanks for the feedback on the video. No obviously he doesn't run away, but I have already noticed the hens that get pecked in the eyes don't move at all either. It's like they are hypnotised by their bully, they just stay there and close their eye. I will try to observe Lilly more closely the next days.

Strange enough using the phone doesn't hurt my arm at all but I can't wash my teeth or hold a pot ! It was slightly better today, so I hope I may have just made a wrong movement.
I have diclofenac cream, the NSAID that we use most often for tendinitis here, but I don't like using it and keep it for extreme cases. I think the amount of pain is a useful indicator of how things are evolving !

I had Astra Zenica to start with in 2021. That was sickening but not very bad. Then I got Moderna, and it made me more sick. It was even worse in march 2021 when I got Pfizer. Had to vomit a lot the day after the vaccination. And got a severe headache because I even couldn’t keep any water inside. Last year I decided to skip the vaccination because of that and because there were new variations of Covid that were not included in the vaccination. Unfortunately I got the real thing last Xmass. I was dreadfully sick the first two days. The vomiting continued for almost 24 hours and I got almost at a point that l needed an IV with fluids. It stopped just in time. After that it took weeks to recover.

So this autumn I decided it would be wise to get the vaccine. I contacted a doctor of the vaccination programme about my fear of overreacting and asked for an alternative.

They only give Pfizer in my country and there is no possibility to get something else. He advised to take a medicine against vomiting. Take one pil an hour before the vaccination and a second one 6 hours later.
It worked. I did feel the fever but didn’t vomit the first night. In the morning I started to vomit anyway. I took another pil when it continued and the nausea got less, but it didn't stop completely until last night. I could drink water in between this time. Al in all it wasn’t too bad. Nothing like the first Pfizer and certainly nothing like going through the real thing.

Well, no luck . Sorry the vaccine has to make you sick each time. It seems the way people react to the vaccine can be very different, just as they don't react the same to the virus.
In the beginning we heard a lot that Moderna didn't go off well for people under 40, but now it seems all the vaccines can potentially make some people sick. And my mum had no issue with Pfizer the first time, but the second time she did, and it seems each time now it gets worse.

My partner 's mother got COVID last week for the first time. We were all extremely worried as she has lung deficiencies and is constantly prone to potentially deadly infection... but it went like a breeze ! It's hard to understand the factors that make it so different from one individual to another, and why it can be so hard on people who are in good health.
*******
As forecasted we had rain for the greater part of the day. It was a nice continuous steady rain so wonderful for the soil that had gotten extremely dry again. It's clear now that we are going to have two groups for winter : the older ex-batt's, Chipie, the two leghorns and Léa don't like getting wet and stay in the coop almost all day. Piou-piou, Merle, the younger pullets and Gaston don't care and prefer digging all the worms that come to the surface when it rains. It was really funny today that the smaller pullets got huge mud shoes- piou-piou and Annette could barely walk. Tomorrow will be the same and maybe Sunday we get some snow.

Piou-piou got up very early and went to the barn to lay, which she had also done yesterday. However something went wrong because she did not lay after an hour in the nest. She looked a bit off for another hour and then started playing in the mud. I hope tomorrow she lays normally !

Everyone else seemed fine.

I didn't take pictures because of the rain.