More drama in the chicken run

Yesterday afternoon when I went in to the girls Butterscotch was missing. To my surprise she was in the little coop nest box. I was surprised that she would go broody again as it was only two weeks ago that she got back to normal with no eggs laid in between and a week ago she started moulting.

I knew she wouldn’t be about to lay as she is heavily moulting. I took her out of the little coop and closed both the coops as I really don’t want her broody and moulting at the same time. She shouted for a bit then rejoined the flock.

This morning I went in and gave the girls their morning handful of corn. As soon as Butterscotch had the corn she started looking for a way in to the coops. She walked all around them and stood on top of them. I could almost see her brain trying to work out where the door had gone.

I went and grabbed my camera. By the time I returned Butterscotch had gone in the chicken shed and was on the top perch. It really looked as if she was searching for the nest box although how she could have thought she would find it from there I don’t know.

Is it over here?

Is it in this corner?

Or here?

Or down there?

Or down there?

When she realised that she couldn’t find a nest box she settled for this spot. Obviously our wine box nest boxes are not going to work for her but I am still hopeful the smaller girls will use them in spring.

Okay this will have to do

I put her out once more but I returned ten minutes later and she was back in the same place with loose feathers dropping from her.

I’m back here again

My close up, how cute do I look?

I am not happy and not looking quite so cute!

I put her out again and decided to close the pop hole. She shouted and shouted and I distracted her with some sunflower hearts.

I decided as no girls are laying that I will keep everything closed until bedtime. I just want to nip it in the bud as quickly as possible as I don’t think it would be good for her to be broody while moulting at the same time.

A little later when poop picking I found a worm in a poop. Uh oh! Time to get the whole flock wormed. I haven’t wormed the flock since getting the new girls and have had the new girls seven weeks now. Luckily after the shortage of flubenvet my vet is stocking it again and I collected some last Friday so that I had it ready in case it was needed. That was good timing.

I had some tinned sardines in olive oil  which I put in five little dishes and mixed the flubenvet into it. I spaced the dishes out on the girls patio area and made sure that they all got a share. I will do this for seven days.

This makes it even more important that I don’t let Butterscotch go broody. She will need to have her dose each day with the rest of the girls. There always seems to be some drama going in the chicken run!