Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

Light had her implant on June 25th of 2024.

Her comb started to get bigger a week ago.

Today she tried very hard to lay. No egg though.

My husband got all stressed out already, although she is acting normal. Vet appointment in a week.

I think it's sweet that your husband loves Light so much. I can understand it could be a bit excessive to live with ! I hope she does ok until the vet's appointment.
Laure still hasn't layed another egg! It's been nine days now. She looks fine as far as I can tell so maybe it's a hormonal "hiccup". I'm still not sure whether we should take her to be reimplanted or not !

The last days have been an interesting mix of the small things I love about chicken keeping and those I find stressful. We've had some lovely weather in the afternoons.and bleak damp cold mornings. Alba is pulling off all her feathers and I can't find the cause - she's been treated with so many different products that I'm beginning to think maybe she's doing a reaction to one of those. Lulu is our new trouble layer, she's laying a huge flatt egg one day and not laying the next. Théo was totally horrible at roost time yesterday - he came down from his roost and ran to the garden to attack Gaston who was with all the hens outside. And the three hens that know how to get out of the chicken yard, Merle, Annette and Mélisse, ruined my partner's preparations.for the strawberries so now he's all upset again at the chickens.
On the brighter side the chickens utterly enjoyed the sunny afternoons. The days are getting longer and they are going to bed a bit later so they have more time outside even if they hide at noon when the vultures circle above. They love getting in the garden for the last 30 mn before roost time ! Lilly is finally back in great shape and coincidentally or not, she has started laying regularly again. And Chipie hasn't done any more fits, and while she is still very dramatic and goes to bed early, she has been more energetic during the day.

It's all up and down. I start telling myself I'm not done for this thing called chicken keeping, it's just not working, and then a few hours later it seems they are the happiest chickens in the world and everything is fine .

Random pictures from the last days .

I've been trying to be consistent with running but it's a slow process getting back in shape. Yesterday evening my partner had invited people from the village and they stayed way past my time - I skipped today. These pics are from yesterday morning

This is a part of the new educational path they made. I was stupidly convinced it was a megaphone and didn't see what was educational about it but was told yesterday it's the other way round - it's supposed to help listen to sounds from nature . Dorkey me !

And it's hard to see the size one the picture but these are from a wolf from the day before. I can't distinguish wolf track from those of a big guard dog, but the scats are very different. Maybe because the LGD's eat pellets and the wolves eat...other animals ...their scats have all sorts of fibers and this time sadly wool.

People here are very opposed to the wolves and they are always claiming they have seen one close to the houses, even in their garden...now there's a kid that says he ran into one with his car at night on the street !
We see tracks fairly often, but the only time we have ever seen wolves was toward 7 in the morning running in the mountain 2200 m high, in 2017. They ran as soon as they saw us.

 

[BDutch]

Just try to enjoy your chickens and the beautiful landscapes like your followers do. Maybe useless to say but worrying doesn’t help at all.

People here are very opposed to the wolves and they are always claiming they have seen one close to the houses, even in their garden...now there's a kid that says he ran into one with his car at night on the street !
We see tracks fairly often, but the only time we have ever seen wolves was toward 7 in the morning running in the mountain 2200 m high, in 2017. They ran as soon as they saw us.

Since about 5 years wolves have established in the Netherlands too.
People have been taking nightly pictures of wolves in shopping streets and parks were children play.
Our country is very densely populated for such large predators.

 

[Molpet]

We have coyotes that have bred with wolves and/or dogs according to DNA.
They are 2x the size of a coyote. I have seen a couple that are with a regular size coyote.
They get several of my turkeys each year, the last 3 years.


I used to have a pet coyote back in the 90s but I didn't have poultry at the time.

 

[lightm]

I can understand it could be a bit excessive to live with

Finally somebody is being understanding. Thank you.

Light is acting normal. Our area is expecting another snow storm (it really should be the last of this winter) so the vet office already cancelled our appointment on Thursday due to this forecasting. Everything shuts down here when there is snow. (for reference, there is usually no snow in this region.)

We did not reschedule since Light is acting fine, vet is 2.5 hours away, and vet office has some weird protocol on bird flu.

Random rant: I feel like my work has been stressful , and I'm doing things outside of my duty because my boss does not do his job

Alba is pulling off all her feathers and I can't find the cause

Sad. I hope she will be fine.

I used to have a pet coyote back in the 90s but I didn't have poultry at the time.

That is really cute. How did you get this coyote?

My chickens

 

[Molpet]

That is really cute. How did you get this coyote?

Short story is Stupidity on a walk

I was walking my st Bernard one gloomy good Friday in the woods. He was squeaking something and it turned out to be a puppy with the umbilical cord attached still. There was a bunch of them under a gooseberry Bush.
I thought they were stray dog puppies... because I thought no coyote would have pups there. I thought they would be in a den. Not thinking that it had just rained a lot and she probably moved them. Also coyotes were rarely seen or heard around here in the 80s.
So I had the brilliant idea to take them home and when old enough to find homes.
I put them in my backpack in the gloomy. It started raining before I got home and when I took them out in the light I realized they all had a cross over the shoulder and down the back. I knew then what they were. I wondered if I could find that gooseberry Bush again . I thought about stepping on their little heads briefly.... would have been a lot less heartbreak in the long run if I had.
Anyway when they started walking most got sick loosing motor control. Worried it was something contagious I took one to the vet. He ran some tests and said it wasn't contagious. He said if I hadn't said it was stray dog puppies I found, he had seen something similar in very inbred pure bred canines. I think he was doubtful about the stray dog story .
Anyway only one male didn't get sick so I think the vet might have been right about genetics, although the inbred bit I never heard of before or since.

I didn't take any pictures until they started walking. I'm not much on thinking about that. Especially before smart phones.

 

[Molpet]

 

[Perris]

your St Bernard looks a right gentle giant! Gorgeous!

 

[ManueB]

Just try to enjoy your chickens and the beautiful landscapes like your followers do. Maybe useless to say but worrying doesn’t help at all.

I do (enjoy the landscapes and the place) and I don't that much (worry for nothing).
It's easy to get over implicated when I'm with the chickens all day, as they become my only focus. But running more is good for my mood, to get out of the place a bit, take a step back and remember how lucky we are to be here.

Since about 5 years wolves have established in the Netherlands too.
People have been taking nightly pictures of wolves in shopping streets and parks were children play.
Our country is very densely populated for such large predators.

They came back by themselves in France from Italy. I'm deeply in favour of wildlife protection, but it's clear that the problems coexistence would create have been largely underestimated, until recently.

Finally somebody is being understanding. Thank you.

I certainly know what it's like to have conflicting views on chickens with my partner! I can barely imagine how difficult it must be for couples who have children .

Light is acting normal. Our area is expecting another snow storm (it really should be the last of this winter) so the vet office already cancelled our appointment on Thursday due to this forecasting. Everything shuts down here when there is snow. (for reference, there is usually no snow in this region.)

We did not reschedule since Light is acting fine, vet is 2.5 hours away, and vet office has some weird protocol on bird flu.

I think you will probably have some time to schedule again before it becomes a serious issue, should she lay again. I'm going to make a post about Laure to ask other people's experience with the transition between two implants.

Random rant: I feel like my work has been stressful , and I'm doing things outside of my duty because my boss does not do his job

Work can definitely be stressful and good bosses are rare as diamonds. Try to do things that help unwind and give you some energy outside work ?
And maybe ask yourself what would really happen if you left part of the job undone - sometimes it can be a way to shake things up ?

Short story is Stupidity on a walk

I was walking my st Bernard one gloomy good Friday in the woods. He was squeaking something and it turned out to be a puppy with the umbilical cord attached still. There was a bunch of them under a gooseberry Bush.
I thought they were stray dog puppies... because I thought no coyote would have pups there. I thought they would be in a den. Not thinking that it had just rained a lot and she probably moved them. Also coyotes were rarely seen or heard around here in the 80s.
So I had the brilliant idea to take them home and when old enough to find homes.
I put them in my backpack in the gloomy. It started raining before I got home and when I took them out in the light I realized they all had a cross over the shoulder and down the back. I knew then what they were. I wondered if I could find that gooseberry Bush again . I thought about stepping on their little heads briefly.... would have been a lot less heartbreak in the long run if I had.
Anyway when they started walking most got sick loosing motor control. Worried it was something contagious I took one to the vet. He ran some tests and said it wasn't contagious. He said if I hadn't said it was stray dog puppies I found, he had seen something similar in very inbred pure bred canines. I think he was doubtful about the stray dog story .
Anyway only one male didn't get sick so I think the vet might have been right about genetics, although the inbred bit I never heard of before or since.

I didn't take any pictures until they started walking. I'm not much on thinking about that. Especially before smart phones.


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Amazing story ! Thanks for sharing. And for the pictures too !
I always thought coyotes could not be tamed, but I suppose babies from any species would develop a strong bond to those who raise them.
Did the male who survived behave in ways similar to a young dog, or not at all ?
---------

Crappy weather today, not above 3, grey and gloomy, but no rain. I think Chipie had a seizure again this morning. She didn't eat her special bowl, which alerted me as it had been the case the last morning she had a fit. I had finished cleaning the coop and was just outside in the run when I heard Gaston making a weird sound in the coop. When I checked back in, he was with Chipie who was almost lying on one side, with her head looking back up. My guess is that the seizure was just over. I picked her up and held her trembling and breathing loud, until she vocalised I could put her down. I have received the B complex but have not given it to her since she didn't have any seizure since, I will feed her some for a few days. She looks perfectly fine now, but she was definitely shaken up for an hour or two.

This brings me to talk about what we've been thinking for the chickens and us, and ask if you have opinions/ perspectives.

How we keep the chickens isn't going well in some ways : too many health issues, too many parasites in the environment, a very time consuming experience as our constant presence is key to keeping predators away.
I would like to have the chickens free range and my partner is totally opposed to it, and we are quarrelling about it too often. Keeping them in the chicken yard with only a few chickens free ranging means they can be outside all day, but it also means they are in a way more exposed to predators than if they were really free ranging, as their options for hiding are fewer.

I do wonder sometimes if it would be better not to have chickens at all ; but it would certainly feel very empty and sad for me without chickens.
We have tried to think how in the future a few things could maybe help a bit that we haven't yet tried : downsize the overall number of chickens under eight, forget production breeds, only get backyard mutts, either hatching our own chicks here or from our neighbour eggs, include more bantams and smaller chickens who seem to do better, and keep only one rooster.

With less chickens, their 500 m2 yard would be less crowded, and bantams can be left to roam more often in the garden as they do a lot less damage. Less chickens also mean we can take better care of them if they do have health issues, and the pressure on our soil is lessened.
One rooster only and less hens would allow us to lock them up in the run for an hour or two once or twice a week without impacting their well-being too much, so my partner and I could run again together. It would mean that we could potentially leave the flock for two or three days once or twice a year, with a friend who would act as a chicken keeper. And most of all, it means that there wouldn't be one rooster left out and stressing himself purple trying to get some hens to join him.
I realise it's not a magical solution. The worms will still be in the environment, the chickens will still get them, their health won't suddenly improve, and it's true that overall their social relationships had gotten less tense when their number increased two years ago.

Anyway, that would be in a not so near future, because we are not rehoming any of the chickens who currently live here unless we have no other choice. They are thirteen. If Alba and Kara are still here next year I'll be surprised, and it's hard to say with Chipie. Potentially Lilly and Alba will not live very long ; all the other chickens for now seem healthy enough to have a longer life.

The family discussion about the house have reached a statu quo, the only change is that my partner's aunt is pulling out of the indivision, so my partner's father becomes sole owner. So we stay, but our status remains unofficial.

But with all this said...here is the catch : we are also hesitant about getting eggs this year for Merle. The reason is that Chipie and Théo's lineage, which used to be all over the village, is now very reduced and may possibly disappear. I wrote lengthily about it on FBA, the only people who still have those bantams are old and very sick. And now it looks as if Chipie could possibly die sooner than I would have thought ; she doesn't lay, and her eggs are not fertilized.

So we are wondering to get eggs from those people who still have those bantams.
Pro's : keep that lineage alive, get other small hens like Chipie (who maybe has seizures now but has lived a rather long healthy life), allow Merle to hatch who wants it so much, knowing that she is top hens so her chicks will have it easy.
Con's : the biggest negative point is that it goes against our goal to downsize. Timing issue : my race is on the 25 June so I won't be able to watch over chicks that would hatch the month before. Brooding issue : Merle has a tendency to poop on her eggs. Safety issue : while there has been no attacks, no sign, and the run and coops are safe, we haven't killed the marten and it's potentially still around. Gender issue : if we only hatch a few eggs we could get only cockerels. I'm sure Gaston (the farmer) would be happy to take one or two, but not more.

I'd be interested by your opinions, especially as some of you might see things differently.

A few pictures from today and yesterday.

Morning preening - ten hens on and under what used to be Piou-piou's roost

Saucisse mélisse would do anything for food.

Little Chipie better in the morning.

And to bed at 4.30

 

[Molpet]

I always thought coyotes could not be tamed, but I suppose babies from any species would develop a strong bond to those who raise them.
Did the male who survived behave in ways similar to a young dog, or not at all ?

The coyote, 'wild E' after the roadrunner cartoon, or more often called Willie, was definitely not a dog. Wouldn't come when called after training for over a year. He was quite amused to play can't catch me.
I found him jumping at the base of the waterbed one day. He had bit it over 20 times and the water was dripping on the floor. I ended up putting chicken wire over a 24x24 ft pen and a wire skirt so I had somewhere to lock him in other than the house. I made a 4x4x4 ft house for him.
When I put on a lead and brought into the house he would panic and poop. Even though he had pooped outside. He wouldn't ask to go out, but he would pee in the basement floor drain which was good.

When he was almost 2, I woke up with him standing over me staring. It was breeding season. So out he went in the pen. For several weeks he stayed in the pen because he was acting like a wild animal, very spooky and didn't want anything to do with me. Then one day he wanted to be petted and was acting normal. I brought him back in.
Unfortunately a couple months later I was sitting on the couch with my boyfriend and the coyote. My boyfriend put his arm around me as usual and without warning the coyote bit his bicep with several deep wounds. Boyfriend was terrified of the coyote after that but didn't want me to put him down. Coyote was fine with me reprimanding him but wanted to get my boyfriend every time he seen him. Boyfriend had been visiting the coyotes entire life and he had taken the coyote to his house for 10 days when I went out of town for a couple weeks the year before.

That August my parents came to visit in their travel trailer. They had been worried about the coyote. I got home from work late after midnight and didn't bring in the coyote. In the morning he was gone. Gate was shut, no gaps in the fence or any sign he had gotten through. Parents said they had heard him howling but didn't know anything. I looked and looked through the property and never seen him. I think my dad either took him out and shot him disposing of the body somewhere else or let him go. I doubt he let him go because of a wild animal not afraid of people and had bitten a person. Letting him go was something I had said I wouldn't do.

 

[BDutch]

I'd be interested by your opinions, especially as some of you might see things differently.

Lots of good ideas about a future flock.
Less and smaller chickens you can keep in a run will eventually make your life easier. And certainly if its big enough to keep them imprisoned for a few days. Running. Visiting parents. Etc.

I love it to have the possibility to go on a vacation and have the freedom to go away to visit friends or family without having to worry about the chickens.