Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

Another windy day but temperatures have gone slightly warmer (10 in the morning, 20 during the day). Three eggs today but all were a bit strange .
There was a lot of quarrelling and bickering between the chickens and for the first time, Théo actually went after Gaston (who ran away honking with fright).

My partner gave them some party food- the remains of the raviolis with a shredded chicken thigh our elder neighbour gave us . It was quite a success - cannibalism doesn't hurt chicken ethics. Meat is meat !
On this subject, my stepmother came for lunch today ; she told us as a child she had been terrorized by her mother's hens, because she had been unable to stop them from killing and eating the baby rabbits.

At night we had another roosting drama session. It's the third time that Blanche goes past the other ex-batts to attack the younger chickens that roost on the highest bar. I had to go catch her, which is quite a hassle because the roost is very high and she was just above Théo, so that I had to put my face right next to him to catch her. Since we're not on very good terms, he wasn't happy about it and started growling, but I quickly put her lower on their ladder and closed the coop so they were in the dark and she didn't try again.
I will have to eventually let them sort it out, but last time I didn't intervene, she actually threw Gastounet to the floor, and he was so scared he tried to go roost in Piou-piou's nest in the wall, which is about a third of his size .
Chicken drama...

Dustbathing: big girls inside the netting, four younger outside.

Théo doing a war dance before attacking Léa behind him

Merle and the first fallen leaves- autumn vibes.

They love the black radishes and turnips leaves.

But of course Gastounet prefers the chicken forbidden zone, kale, salads and broccoli's leaves

Piou-piou .

 

[BY Bob]

Wonderful to see all of your chickens. I will be following for the pictures alone.

 

[ManueB]

Wonderful to see all of your chickens. I will be following for the pictures alone.

Well, I may feel a bit of pressure to add a lot of pictures to compensate for my blabbering in broken English!
**********
Not much to note today, a lot of social interactions between the chickens. The four younger chickens play at fighting in the morning, maybe to sort out some kind of hierarchy. The bigger hens and Théo chase and scare them around, especially away from the feeders. Chipie flirts with both roosters.

Nougat and Brune decided to lay in the same nest at the same moment but I only found Brune's egg, so either Nougat gave up, either she found a new laying place. I'll have to pay attention and check if she lays tomorrow!

Piou-piou's new tail is just like Léa, black feather.

She may be four times smaller but she definitely intends to kick Gaston's butt.

First sunflower of the year : Gaston and Merle were very, very afraid of the sunflower. Only Merle tried to peck it and it unfortunately attacked her, resulting in high pitched screams. The ex-batts on the other hand remember it very well from last year.

Cleaning and resting couples.

Cannelle found a big caterpillar and had to make an epic chase to keep it for herself. She didn't seem to feel very well after eating it though.

Hawk appears an hour before bedtime, every one looking at the sky.

 

[BY Bob]

Well, I may feel a bit of pressure to add a lot of pictures to compensate for my blabbering in broken English!
**********
Not much to note today, a lot of social interactions between the chickens. The four younger chickens play at fighting in the morning, maybe to sort out some kind of hierarchy. The bigger hens and Théo chase and scare them around, especially away from the feeders. Chipie flirts with both roosters.

Nougat and Brune decided to lay in the same nest at the same moment but I only found Brune's egg, so either Nougat gave up, either she found a new laying place. I'll have to pay attention and check if she lays tomorrow!

Piou-piou's new tail is just like Léa, black feather.
View attachment 3276221
She may be four times smaller but she definitely intends to kick Gaston's butt.
View attachment 3276225
First sunflower of the year : Gaston and Merle were very, very afraid of the sunflower. Only Merle tried to peck it and it unfortunately attacked her, resulting in high pitched screams. The ex-batts on the other hand remember it very well from last year.
View attachment 3276222View attachment 3276223View attachment 3276224View attachment 3276226
Cleaning and resting couples.
View attachment 3276227View attachment 3276228View attachment 3276229

Cannelle found a big caterpillar and had to make an epic chase to keep it for herself. She didn't seem to feel very well after eating it though.
View attachment 3276250
Hawk appears an hour before bedtime, every one looking at the sky.
View attachment 3276220

Marvelous.

 

[ManueB]

Laying troubles
Yesterday Cannelle changed her roosting place as she does every winter, going to roost next to the small window.
This morning I opened the coop before dawn. It was dark but I saw with the red light on my headlamp that there were only two hens on the ladder, and no Cannelle next to the window.
I then heard a little laying sound coming from the nest hole in the wall- and indeed saw two chickens in there, Cannelle and Blanche. Blanche roosting on the ladder was right next to it, but for Cannelle it means she got down her roost, crossed the coop, and climbed on the smaller ladder to get in the nest hole (it's about 1.m 50 high). Just don't tell her chickens can't see a thing in the dark!
Next, I saw an egg had fallen under the ladder where they roost-probably Nougat, who didn't manage to lay yesterday. It wasn't a pretty egg as she usually does either, but wrinkled on top.
Laying is such a problem for them.

Today there was still a lot of bullying going on around the food. Then, in the evening Chipie was crying for Théo to escort her to roost, but he didn't. Instead Gaston came and tried to mate her . Since he's now four time her size it couldn't work and she quickly turned around and gave him a thrashing! After he cooed in fright, she was all sweet to him. I took a video and it looks like she is showing him a piece of food and she was making dorky sounds. I think chickens love stories are too complex for me .

Cannelle seemed a bit better today.

In the morning the younger ones went on a mission above the house, which they hadn't done in quite a while.

Leave me bug alone or die.

Meanwhile Théo was trying to convince Cannelle he had found the best laying place.

Blanche, our smallest crazy molting ex-batt, terrorizes Gaston.

Size could be a problem for this love story.

 

[BY Bob]

Laying troubles
Yesterday Cannelle changed her roosting place as she does every winter, going to roost next to the small window.
This morning I opened the coop before dawn. It was dark but I saw with the red light on my headlamp that there were only two hens on the ladder, and no Cannelle next to the window.
I then heard a little laying sound coming from the nest hole in the wall- and indeed saw two chickens in there, Cannelle and Blanche. Blanche roosting on the ladder was right next to it, but for Cannelle it means she got down her roost, crossed the coop, and climbed on the smaller ladder to get in the nest hole (it's about 1.m 50 high). Just don't tell her chickens can't see a thing in the dark!
Next, I saw an egg had fallen under the ladder where they roost-probably Nougat, who didn't manage to lay yesterday. It wasn't a pretty egg as she usually does either, but wrinkled on top.
Laying is such a problem for them.

Today there was still a lot of bullying going on around the food. Then, in the evening Chipie was crying for Théo to escort her to roost, but he didn't. Instead Gaston came and tried to mate her . Since he's now four time her size it couldn't work and she quickly turned around and gave him a thrashing! After he cooed in fright, she was all sweet to him. I took a video and it looks like she is showing him a piece of food and she was making dorky sounds. I think chickens love stories are too complex for me .

Cannelle seemed a bit better today.

In the morning the younger ones went on a mission above the house, which they hadn't done in quite a while.
View attachment 3277399
View attachment 3277389
View attachment 3277392
Leave me bug alone or die.
View attachment 3277394
View attachment 3277396

Meanwhile Théo was trying to convince Cannelle he had found the best laying place.
View attachment 3277387
View attachment 3277390
View attachment 3277397
Blanche, our smallest crazy molting ex-batt, terrorizes Gaston.
View attachment 3277393

View attachment 3277388
View attachment 3277395
Size could be a problem for this love story.
View attachment 3277398

The size difference is stunning. Wow!

 

[RoyalChick]

Well, I may feel a bit of pressure to add a lot of pictures to compensate for my blabbering in broken English!
**********
Not much to note today, a lot of social interactions between the chickens. The four younger chickens play at fighting in the morning, maybe to sort out some kind of hierarchy. The bigger hens and Théo chase and scare them around, especially away from the feeders. Chipie flirts with both roosters.

Nougat and Brune decided to lay in the same nest at the same moment but I only found Brune's egg, so either Nougat gave up, either she found a new laying place. I'll have to pay attention and check if she lays tomorrow!

Piou-piou's new tail is just like Léa, black feather.
View attachment 3276221
She may be four times smaller but she definitely intends to kick Gaston's butt.
View attachment 3276225
First sunflower of the year : Gaston and Merle were very, very afraid of the sunflower. Only Merle tried to peck it and it unfortunately attacked her, resulting in high pitched screams. The ex-batts on the other hand remember it very well from last year.
View attachment 3276222View attachment 3276223View attachment 3276224View attachment 3276226
Cleaning and resting couples.
View attachment 3276227View attachment 3276228View attachment 3276229

Cannelle found a big caterpillar and had to make an epic chase to keep it for herself. She didn't seem to feel very well after eating it though.
View attachment 3276250
Hawk appears an hour before bedtime, every one looking at the sky.
View attachment 3276220

Such wonderful pictures!

 

[MaryJanet]

Laying troubles
Yesterday Cannelle changed her roosting place as she does every winter, going to roost next to the small window.
This morning I opened the coop before dawn. It was dark but I saw with the red light on my headlamp that there were only two hens on the ladder, and no Cannelle next to the window.
I then heard a little laying sound coming from the nest hole in the wall- and indeed saw two chickens in there, Cannelle and Blanche. Blanche roosting on the ladder was right next to it, but for Cannelle it means she got down her roost, crossed the coop, and climbed on the smaller ladder to get in the nest hole (it's about 1.m 50 high). Just don't tell her chickens can't see a thing in the dark!
Next, I saw an egg had fallen under the ladder where they roost-probably Nougat, who didn't manage to lay yesterday. It wasn't a pretty egg as she usually does either, but wrinkled on top.
Laying is such a problem for them.

Today there was still a lot of bullying going on around the food. Then, in the evening Chipie was crying for Théo to escort her to roost, but he didn't. Instead Gaston came and tried to mate her . Since he's now four time her size it couldn't work and she quickly turned around and gave him a thrashing! After he cooed in fright, she was all sweet to him. I took a video and it looks like she is showing him a piece of food and she was making dorky sounds. I think chickens love stories are too complex for me .

Cannelle seemed a bit better today.

In the morning the younger ones went on a mission above the house, which they hadn't done in quite a while.
View attachment 3277399
View attachment 3277389
View attachment 3277392
Leave me bug alone or die.
View attachment 3277394
View attachment 3277396

Meanwhile Théo was trying to convince Cannelle he had found the best laying place.
View attachment 3277387
View attachment 3277390
View attachment 3277397
Blanche, our smallest crazy molting ex-batt, terrorizes Gaston.
View attachment 3277393

View attachment 3277388
View attachment 3277395
Size could be a problem for this love story.
View attachment 3277398

Great nesting spot! Théo knows how to pick them.

 

[lightm]

It's a very recent cheap online purchase to add a fourth feeder, because Blanche and Nougat's game is chasing the younger chickens around to hinder them from feeding. I was pleased to discover when it was delivered that it's made from recycled plastic.

They are incredibly useful and very hard to find of good quality now. Here it was a culinary revolution, the generation of my partner's grandmother were all making raviolis by hands before !This house's kitchen is a low-tech's dream, it's full of old appliances that work without electricity .

The way this rolling pin makes ravioli somehow reminds me of very old printing technology.

 

[lightm]

Well, I may feel a bit of pressure to add a lot of pictures to compensate for my blabbering in broken English!
**********
Not much to note today, a lot of social interactions between the chickens. The four younger chickens play at fighting in the morning, maybe to sort out some kind of hierarchy. The bigger hens and Théo chase and scare them around, especially away from the feeders. Chipie flirts with both roosters.

Nougat and Brune decided to lay in the same nest at the same moment but I only found Brune's egg, so either Nougat gave up, either she found a new laying place. I'll have to pay attention and check if she lays tomorrow!

Piou-piou's new tail is just like Léa, black feather.
View attachment 3276221
She may be four times smaller but she definitely intends to kick Gaston's butt.
View attachment 3276225
First sunflower of the year : Gaston and Merle were very, very afraid of the sunflower. Only Merle tried to peck it and it unfortunately attacked her, resulting in high pitched screams. The ex-batts on the other hand remember it very well from last year.
View attachment 3276222View attachment 3276223View attachment 3276224View attachment 3276226
Cleaning and resting couples.
View attachment 3276227View attachment 3276228View attachment 3276229

Cannelle found a big caterpillar and had to make an epic chase to keep it for herself. She didn't seem to feel very well after eating it though.
View attachment 3276250
Hawk appears an hour before bedtime, every one looking at the sky.
View attachment 3276220

Piou piou is kicking Gaston's butt? Or is it chipie in the picture?

The sunflower attacked?