Théo and the chickens des Sauches

[ManueB]

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

The sunflower attacked?

It's Piou-piou! Chipie has dominated Gaston ever since she rejected the chicks.
The sunflower made a kind of flip flop when Merle pecked at it to get a seed out. Because it's bigger than her and she obviously thinks it's alive, she seemed to believe it attacked her .

 

[ManueB]

A beautiful Sunday today with temperature rising to 10/50 in the morning and 23/73 during the day.
Three of the four ex-batts had laid by eight thirty, and Cannelle then went in the same nest. An hour later, I found all three eggs thrown out on the floor (none broken) and a soft shell broken egg in the nest. She's coming back to laying - hopefully it will work better next time. Did she know she was going to lay a no she'll egg , or did she just thrashed around a lot to get all three eggs out of the nest ? Anyway she was doing good today and so was Chipie.
The chickens enjoyed the sunny day. Gastounet proved once again that he is not the bravest of roosters, getting in a panic run around after a bee flew close to him .
In the evening there were a lot of very small insects flying around and the chickens went crazy running after them. A sparrowhawk took his chance and landed just at that time, but I was warned by Théo and scared him away. Théo may be a pain in our butt but he's doing good on keeping watch and now all the chickens heed his growling alert calls.
Chickens are now coming out of the coop at 7.20, and going to roost around the same time pm.

Nice rising sun.

Cannelle

Merle is so pretty and confident.

He's still very ridiculous without any wing feathers and with his molting head but he is such a sweet funny guy.

Piou-piou was grooming Gastounet's molting feathers .

 

[Shadrach]

A beautiful Sunday today with temperature rising to 10/50 in the morning and 23/73 during the day.
Three of the four ex-batts had laid by eight thirty, and Cannelle then went in the same nest. An hour later, I found all three eggs thrown out on the floor (none broken) and a soft shell broken egg in the nest. She's coming back to laying - hopefully it will work better next time. Did she know she was going to lay a no she'll egg , or did she just thrashed around a lot to get all three eggs out of the nest ? Anyway she was doing good today and so was Chipie.
The chickens enjoyed the sunny day. Gastounet proved once again that he is not the bravest of roosters, getting in a panic run around after a bee flew close to him .
In the evening there were a lot of very small insects flying around and the chickens went crazy running after them. A sparrowhawk took his chance and landed just at that time, but I was warned by Théo and scared him away. Théo may be a pain in our butt but he's doing good on keeping watch and now all the chickens heed his growling alert calls.
Chickens are now coming out of the coop at 7.20, and going to roost around the same time pm.

Nice rising sun.
View attachment 3278422
View attachment 3278427
Cannelle
View attachment 3278426
View attachment 3278421Merle is so pretty and confident.
View attachment 3278424View attachment 3278428View attachment 3278431He's still very ridiculous without any wing feathers and with his molting head but he is such a sweet funny guy.View attachment 3278432View attachment 3278434Piou-piou was grooming Gastounet's molting feathers .View attachment 3278436

Seems to me you've got proper chicken lives enough to keep you entertained for ages. Lovely pictures.

 

[lightm]

It's Piou-piou! Chipie has dominated Gaston ever since she rejected the chicks.
The sunflower made a kind of flip flop when Merle pecked at it to get a seed out. Because it's bigger than her and she obviously thinks it's alive, she seemed to believe it attacked her .

Go Piou-piou! (Aller Piou-piou?)

I see what you mean on sunflower attack. Poor Merle, Mama was not kind enough to get all the seeds out for you.

 

[ManueB]

Seems to me you've got proper chicken lives enough to keep you entertained for ages. Lovely pictures.

I don't have TV but I spend way too much time watching chicken TV !

Poor Merle, Mama was not kind enough to get all the seeds out for you.

I like giving them the whole thing to peck. It takes them quite a bit of time so they don't gobble the seeds too quickly, it can last for a few hours and it makes a fun occupation.
********
Today was another warm lovely day and no hawks, so the chickens enjoyed the sun. At some moments both groups seem to coexist peacefully and then a bit later, it's raging war. The younger stayed outside the chicken zone all afternoon; they have understood that the vine above the house still has some grapes in it and they tried to eat all that was left.
Théo attacked Chipie several times this morning and she stayed clear of him for the rest of the day !
There were three eggs today, but one was slightly cracked by pecking.

Another pic of pretty Piou-piou.

I caught Gastounet flying and screaming away from Cannelle pecking him . Happens twenty times a day.

Théo potato inspector.

He got on the wood shed roof, like when he was a baby, and cried because he didn't remember how to get down.

Going at the grapes.

Even the boss rests sometimes. He's having a lousy day with Chipie snubbing him and the ex-batts all going after my partner.

 

[lightm]

I don't have TV but I spend way too much time watching chicken TV !

I like giving them the whole thing to peck. It takes them quite a bit of time so they don't gobble the seeds too quickly, it can last for a few hours and it makes a fun occupation.
********
Today was another warm lovely day and no hawks, so the chickens enjoyed the sun. At some moments both groups seem to coexist peacefully and then a bit later, it's raging war. The younger stayed outside the chicken zone all afternoon; they have understood that the vine above the house still has some grapes in it and they tried to eat all that was left.
Théo attacked Chipie several times this morning and she stayed clear of him for the rest of the day !
There were three eggs today, but one was slightly cracked by pecking.

Another pic of pretty Piou-piou.
View attachment 3279500I caught Gastounet flying and screaming away from Cannelle pecking him . Happens twenty times a day.View attachment 3279501View attachment 3279502View attachment 3279503Théo potato inspector.View attachment 3279504He got on the wood shed roof, like when he was a baby, and cried because he didn't remember how to get down.View attachment 3279505View attachment 3279506Going at the grapes.View attachment 3279507Even the boss rests sometimes. He's having a lousy day with Chipie snubbing him and the ex-batts all going after my partner.View attachment 3279508

Yes of course giving them the whole sunflower is more fun.

I love that you caught Gaston flying. It is a very funny picture.

 

[ManueB]

Feelings on my first chicken's deaths.

Two nights ago I woke up and realized I had come to peace with Vanille's and Caramel's death. It took me two months, you could say that is short or long depending on how you look at it.

I don't have a heart pang everytime I count four ex-batts instead of six anymore.
I don't start crying when I wake up at night and think that they are dead.
I have been wanting to run again. Running has been a big part of my life for the last ten years and not wanting to run was a first for me.
I think I found it so hard because chickens are my daily companion in my solitary life here (apart from my partner who is rather extroverted ), because I experienced my first two chickens deaths a week apart, and because I felt responsible. There were some lessons to be learned. I hope to accept the next chicken's deaths more gracefully.

Caramel is the reason for starting this thread. I mentioned having forgotten health issues that were scattered on other threads. About a month ago, I checked an alert for someone that was going through one of my old post and had reacted by a sad face. It was a post about Caramel having laid internally at the beginning of June. I had completely forgotten about it.
If I had thought of this immediately when I first noticed that she started having trouble breathing, there is a very slight possibility that I would have been able to get her on antibiotics and saved her from EYP. It's rather unlikely for a number of reasons ; but it could happen that such an information makes a real difference for making a correct diagnosis, and I think keeping track of health problems is part of correct chicken keeping.

I believe that the way we are afraid of illness and death is a disease of our society. Everyone die eventually but chickens just do it much quicker than us. I don't mind grief, it's a normal process, but I don't want to be afraid of my chicken's deaths.

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't have TV but I spend way too much time watching chicken TV !

I like giving them the whole thing to peck. It takes them quite a bit of time so they don't gobble the seeds too quickly, it can last for a few hours and it makes a fun occupation.
********
Today was another warm lovely day and no hawks, so the chickens enjoyed the sun. At some moments both groups seem to coexist peacefully and then a bit later, it's raging war. The younger stayed outside the chicken zone all afternoon; they have understood that the vine above the house still has some grapes in it and they tried to eat all that was left.
Théo attacked Chipie several times this morning and she stayed clear of him for the rest of the day !
There were three eggs today, but one was slightly cracked by pecking.

Another pic of pretty Piou-piou.
View attachment 3279500I caught Gastounet flying and screaming away from Cannelle pecking him . Happens twenty times a day.View attachment 3279501View attachment 3279502View attachment 3279503Théo potato inspector.View attachment 3279504He got on the wood shed roof, like when he was a baby, and cried because he didn't remember how to get down.View attachment 3279505View attachment 3279506Going at the grapes.View attachment 3279507Even the boss rests sometimes. He's having a lousy day with Chipie snubbing him and the ex-batts all going after my partner.View attachment 3279508

So lovely. I am glad he has the potatoes under control!

 

[RoyalChick]

Feelings on my first chicken's deaths.

Two nights ago I woke up and realized I had come to peace with Vanille's and Caramel's death. It took me two months, you could say that is short or long depending on how you look at it.

I don't have a heart pang everytime I count four ex-batts instead of six anymore.
I don't start crying when I wake up at night and think that they are dead.
I have been wanting to run again. Running has been a big part of my life for the last ten years and not wanting to run was a first for me.
I think I found it so hard because chickens are my daily companion in my solitary life here (apart from my partner who is rather extroverted ), because I experienced my first two chickens deaths a week apart, and because I felt responsible. There were some lessons to be learned. I hope to accept the next chicken's deaths more gracefully.

Caramel is the reason for starting this thread. I mentioned having forgotten health issues that were scattered on other threads. About a month ago, I checked an alert for someone that was going through one of my old post and had reacted by a sad face. It was a post about Caramel having laid internally at the beginning of June. I had completely forgotten about it.
If I had thought of this immediately when I first noticed that she started having trouble breathing, there is a very slight possibility that I would have been able to get her on antibiotics and saved her from EYP. It's rather unlikely for a number of reasons ; but it could happen that such an information makes a real difference for making a correct diagnosis, and I think keeping track of health problems is part of correct chicken keeping.

I believe that the way we are afraid of illness and death is a disease of our society. Everyone die eventually but chickens just do it much quicker than us. I don't mind grief, it's a normal process, but I don't want to be afraid of my chicken's deaths.
View attachment 3279534

View attachment 3279535

Wonderfully put as always.

I still grieve for my Roadrunners, for Bella Dracula, and for Lulu. My phone reminds me of them all the time by randomly showing me their pictures. In a way I like that as it keeps them front of mind.
I have also come to terms with the mystery of their deaths so close together, though I still partly expect to wake up each morning and find another one gone.
Chickens seem to die more readily than many other creatures which makes getting close to them an emotionally hazardous journey, though also very rewarding.

For both of us

 

[MaryJanet]

Feelings on my first chicken's deaths.

Two nights ago I woke up and realized I had come to peace with Vanille's and Caramel's death. It took me two months, you could say that is short or long depending on how you look at it.

I don't have a heart pang everytime I count four ex-batts instead of six anymore.
I don't start crying when I wake up at night and think that they are dead.
I have been wanting to run again. Running has been a big part of my life for the last ten years and not wanting to run was a first for me.
I think I found it so hard because chickens are my daily companion in my solitary life here (apart from my partner who is rather extroverted ), because I experienced my first two chickens deaths a week apart, and because I felt responsible. There were some lessons to be learned. I hope to accept the next chicken's deaths more gracefully.

Caramel is the reason for starting this thread. I mentioned having forgotten health issues that were scattered on other threads. About a month ago, I checked an alert for someone that was going through one of my old post and had reacted by a sad face. It was a post about Caramel having laid internally at the beginning of June. I had completely forgotten about it.
If I had thought of this immediately when I first noticed that she started having trouble breathing, there is a very slight possibility that I would have been able to get her on antibiotics and saved her from EYP. It's rather unlikely for a number of reasons ; but it could happen that such an information makes a real difference for making a correct diagnosis, and I think keeping track of health problems is part of correct chicken keeping.

I believe that the way we are afraid of illness and death is a disease of our society. Everyone die eventually but chickens just do it much quicker than us. I don't mind grief, it's a normal process, but I don't want to be afraid of my chicken's deaths.
View attachment 3279534

View attachment 3279535

I haven't yet forgiven myself for failing to protect my first three hens from Mr and Mrs Fox. The hens were called Dora, Alice and Nigella. But it helps that the new hens have been safe from foxes for four years now.

There's a lot to learn when you start keeping chickens and it's similar to swimming in that you can't always gain a clear sense of what a chicken's health problem looks like from reading about it. You need practical experience in order to know what sickness looks in your own hens, especially when it's something subtle (like Mary's hernia).

For this reason, new chicken keepers need a lot of kindness and support from the old hands. And we should forgive our early mistakes, even though it's hard to.