Carol's Chickens

Three months after Sparkle started laying (back in April) Topaz laid five eggs in two weeks. She then stopped laying for the next month and I had no idea why.

Topaz would go into the little coop nest box and come out shouting but never an egg. A few days ago she went into the nest box for longer than usual (a couple of hours) and came out shouting. I thought this time there might be an egg and checked, but there wasn’t.

Yesterday Topaz spent all morning in the nest box. Sparkle wanted to get in and lay her egg despite there being two other nest boxes but Topaz was in her favourite one. I began to wonder if I should lift her out as I thought maybe she was going broody.

I decided to give her a bit longer and while doing my lunch time clean up in the run Topaz came out shouting.

She shouted and shouted, long and loud. I checked the nest box and there was her egg. It is larger and rounder than Sparkle’s eggs. She was so proud and after five minutes of very loud shouting I distracted her with some sunflower hearts. Well done Topaz! I wonder if she is going to continue to lay or if this is a one off. Only time will tell.

Sparkle immediately went into the little coop nest box and very quickly laid her egg. She must have been hanging on.

The other change in the flock is that since Amber and Honey had their big falling out battle, Honey has moved up the pecking order. Their battle was a week ago and I wanted to wait to be sure before mentioning it but now when I put out treats or dig for worms Honey gives Amber the warning peck (the quick peck that doesn’t actually connect but just lets her know her place). Amber always did this to Honey before but now Honey does it to Amber. It seems that she has fought her way above Amber this time.

They stopped perching next to each other at night after that fall out but last night for the first time in a week they were perched next to each other. They had also been together again during the day. It seems that they are friends again.

All eight girls perch together

It’s cute how they are perched in their pairs except for Toffee and Emerald who are never together.

Each of the pairs spend a lot of time together except the game birds. They are more like two singles and have no attachment to each other at all and yet they were together in the barn at the farmers and together here before integrating. They did integrate quickly (in only a few days) perhaps because they wanted to join the flock rather than be together.

Toffee and Emerald always roost well away from each other.

Amber and Honey side by side

It is nice to see Amber and Honey together again. Amber is on the left and the dark spot on her comb is where her peck marks have healed.

Toffee, Peaches and Barley

Peaches and Barley always roost next to Toffee or Topaz as they are the only two that don’t chase them away but most of the time it is Toffee they sit next to.

I love the way Toffee looks at them and the way her feathers sit over the perch.

I hope Amber and Honey have finished with their spats for now. I looked back at last year and they did this in spring then again at this time of year and this year they have repeated the pattern which is interesting. For now though harmony has resumed.

There always seems to be some sort of drama going on in my flock. Last night I went to check on the girls just before bedtime.

At first all seemed normal with all the girls on the perches in the usual positions and all happily preening and dozing.

Then I looked down and was horrified to see splashes of blood on the patio. There was a lot of blood. Big splashes (the size of a pound coin) with smaller dots around them. Blood on the patio, on the coop roof, on the two nest box coops, streaks on the top of the cabinet and streaks on the perch.

I haven’t seen so much blood from the girls, this was more than the spots of blood from a pecked comb. I was horrified and yet mystified how there could be so much blood and yet the girls all looked perfectly normal.

I did a quick inspection of the girls looking at combs, vents and legs and feet. Sparkle had some blood on her toe but was standing in the blood on the perch and no obvious injury.

I fetched a bowl of soapy water and a cloth. I lifted each girl down again checking comb, vent, legs and feet. Nothing obvious. They all went out into the garden part of the run and scratched around while I cleaned the perch, top of the coup, little coups, top of the cabinet and scrubbed the blood splatters from the patio.

That done the girls all returned to their usual positions on the perch. I again checked each one of them. The only tiny bit of blood I could see was on Sparkles toe. I picked her up and had a close inspection. There was a tiny trace of blood on one toe and one claw but I couldn’t see any injury and when she was on the ground she was showing no sign of limping or discomfort.

I can only think that Sparkle has cut her toe on a sharp bit of flint in the run and the cut is so fine and clean that it bled for a while but now doesn’t show. I can’t see any other explanation. When poop picking I remove any sharp bits of flint but the run is large and the girls are always turning up more with their digging.

I just couldn’t believe there was so much blood and yet I couldn’t see any injury. Today Sparkle has been fine and doesn’t show any discomfort at all.

With hindsight I am quite glad I didn’t go in while the bleeding was taking place or I would have been horrified. It must have healed very quickly. Everything seems absolutely fine today. This was all very odd but I am so glad that all the girls seem to be fine. What will they throw at me next!

Emerald and Toffee have been heavily moulting for weeks now but most of the other girls look ragged and ready for moulting with odd feathers starting to come out.

Emerald has quills on her neck

Emerald is scruffy and still losing feathers but you can see the white quills on her neck.

Toffee’s tail is growing

Toffee’s tail is growing back quite quickly and she isn’t so scruffy but also has quills on her neck.

Amber’s comb is healing

Amber’s tail feathers are very ragged.

Honey’s comb is large and she doesn’t actually look too bad apart from the bare patches on her head

Sparkle looks really good

Sparkle looks really good apart from her bare bottom but I have found long wing feathers in the run so she is starting to drop feathers.

Topaz looks good

Topaz looks the best of all but I have found an odd feather of hers and she is still not laying.

Peaches and Barley are always together

Peaches is getting quite brave

If I am still Peaches will come right up to me but it has to be on her terms. If I move towards her she will run away. Sometimes when I am cleaning up and she is on the table my husband says it looks as if she is going to tweak my hair.

I am finding feathers from the chicks too as they go through a partial moult while getting their grown up feathers in.

Amber plays dead in a dust bath

In the afternoon all the girls have a dust bath but seeing Amber like this I can understand how new chicken keepers think they have a dying chook. Amber plays a pretty good dead chicken and my husband said she looks just like road kill.

I am looking forward to my flock looking beautiful again after the moult and to having more eggs too.

And on a completely different subject, we have never grown these before, but they are looking great.

Radicchio lettuce

I don’t know what they will taste like but they are looking good.

Yesterday Amber and Honey continued to stay out of each others way. For the very first time when I took in some spinach Honey chased Amber away. I have never seen Amber run from Honey before she usually gives Honey a warning peck over the treats.

Maybe Honey really has moved up the pecking order. I wonder if it will last but she has certainly won this battle.

Amber’s pecked comb

Now that the blood has dried you can see a row of peck marks on Amber’s comb. Her comb had been looking so good recently and now it’s battered again. I feel so sorry for her.

As the day went on Amber continued to stay out of Honey’s way. I have never seen this with these two before. At bedtime the line up was exactly the same as the night before. Amber and Honey were on separate perches and Emerald joined the girls on the perches again.

The bedtime line up

It seems that this time Amber and Honey’s battle has really changed things between them.

Amber and Honey have been together on the farm where they were hatched, from chicks. They have been together with us for a year and a half. Ever since they have been with us they have had little spats between themselves every now and again.

None of our other girls have done this outside of when they were chicks doing the chest thumping, ruff raising, running at each other to establish their pecking order. Amber and Honey are best friends ninety percent of the time and are inseparable but every now again they have a battle.

It used to be ruff raising and jumping at each other but recently it has become more aggressive with pecking to each others comb and face and drawing blood.

If I see this happening I try to stop it by water spraying or picking one of them up and holding them for a while but sometimes it happens when I am not there.

It was six weeks ago that it last happened and Amber got pecked on the face and we think it got infected as it swelled up. She has been fully back to normal for two weeks now.

Yesterday afternoon I heard a lot of commotion with the whole flock shouting. When I investigated I found that once again Amber’s face and comb had been pecked and was bleeding.

Honey had a little blood on her comb but Amber’s was very much worse. It was obvious that they had had another spat. They were very vocal especially Amber. Usually they are sitting together again half an hour later but this seemed to be a real falling out. If Honey got any where near Amber she would be very vocal and they stayed well clear of each other for the rest of the afternoon.

Amber’s bloodied comb

The other side of Amber’s face

Honey’s face seems fine

Amber continued to complain all afternoon and at bedtime Amber and Honey were perched separately. Usually they sit next to each other or at least close to each other. Last night they were on different perches and even facing the opposite way.

The other surprise was that Emerald left the shoe box and joined the girls on the perch.

Another change to the bedtime line up

From left to right we have Amber, Toffee, Emerald, Topaz and Sparkle then on the other perch Honey, Peaches and Barley. Emerald is actually on my little chair at this point but she later moved across to the perch.

This really does look like a bit of a sulk going on here. I had earlier considered separating them but soon decided that wouldn’t work. They are together happily most of the time and I wouldn’t be able to tell when this would be likely to happen again. After being together for a year and a half I decided they just have to work it out themselves. They are numbers three and four in a pecking order of eight so I really don’t know why they are doing this.

Amber always comes off worse and yet so far has always maintained her position above Honey. They were once the bottom two so I wonder if because Honey was bottom girl and is now near the top she is trying to move further up. Amber has always been feisty and will not give way.

Early this morning when I was doing my first clean up of the day Amber and Honey suddenly started again. They were hanging on to each other but before I could move to intervene Topaz grabbed Amber and broke it up. Good top hen Topaz.

Amber ran off to the furthest corner of the run under the ladder and stayed there. Honey casually moved over to the big bush.

All the while I cleaned up the run Amber stayed in her corner. I did an inspection of her face now that the blood had dried up and saw that she had five little peck marks to her comb.

A little later I looked out of the window and Amber was still tucked into the same corner of the run. I think her feelings have been hurt.

A little later again I went back in and they were all back to normal apart from the fact that Amber and Honey were not together. This is their biggest falling out yet. I will be watching to see if the pecking order remains the same.

Peaches and Barley have been with us for five weeks although it’s hard to imagine them ever not being part of my flock now. They are now eleven weeks old and going through what I think of as the teenage stage. Their comb and wattles have grown, they have long legs and they are catching up in size with the grown up girls.

They are not easy to get close up photos of so I decided to take some at bedtime. The bedtime line up has changed slightly. A few nights ago Sparkle decided to perch on the big perch instead of sitting on the top of the cabinet. The next night Topaz joined her on the big perch and for the last three nights they have settled there.

This makes it easier for Peaches and Barley as they can take their time moving from the cabinet to the perch without Sparkle chasing them off.

Peaches and Barley go to the cabinet at bedtime

A very scruffy Emerald is in her usual bedtime position

Emerald has been moulting heavily and is looking very scruffy. When she stretches her neck she has loads of quills coming through.

The new bedtime line up

Peaches and Barley are getting ready to join Toffee on the perch

I love the way Toffee looks down at them. Toffee is also moulting but doesn’t look so tattered despite losing her tail. She also shows a neck full of quills when she stretches.

Even the chicks are losing feathers getting ready for their adult feathers to replace the baby ones.

They are on the bedtime perch

They settle down onto the perch

Their combs have grown and they had no wattles at all when we first had them but now they are quite big.

They settle next to Toffee as she never bothers them

Bedtime can be a bit like a chess game for the chicks. They have to position themselves next to Toffee as she never takes any notice of them. Sparkle, Honey and Amber all chase them away. Topaz also doesn’t bother them but always perches near Sparkle, Honey and Amber who also chase Toffee away. This means it always end up with Toffee, Peaches and Barley together.

I am always pleased when they have chosen their positions as I know they will then settle without any more chasing.

There are a few changes happening among the girls at the moment. Toffee and Emerald are in the full swing of their moult. I pick up a handful of feathers every morning. Yesterday Toffee lost her last single remaining tail feather.

Toffee has lost her tail

I think the girls always look quite cute without a tail.

Emerald is looking a bit shabby

Emerald hasn’t much of a tail either and her feathers are so loose that any sudden movement sends some feathers fluttering from her.

Topaz continues to sit in the nest box for a little while most days and often shouts upon leaving but when I check there is no egg. This is a mystery.

Topaz does this most days

Sparkle always looks full of attitude

Sparkle remains our best egg layer at the moment and is laying most days. Her eggs are tiny compared to Honey’s but she is a year younger so they may get a bit bigger in time.

This is a favourite spot of the chicks and if they are chased this is where they usually go. Emerald is the one who chases them because being bottom girl, she doesn’t want to slide further down the pecking order. I think she is also grumpy because of her moult.

The chicks love the table

They are growing so fast and we have now noticed their wattles growing as well as their combs.

Honey

Honey is looking good and her head feathers are almost back in with just one little gap.

Amber looks great

Amber may look a bit shabby to most people but to us she looks really good. Although she has a bare neck her head feathers have grown back in. Her face is back to normal and her comb is not only red but it seems to have grown. This is the best Amber has looked for ages.

With Amber’s return to good health comes the dreaded return to egg laying. She isn’t looking as unwell as she used to though. Yesterday I knew she was getting ready to lay her next egg as she becomes a lot more vocal.

In the afternoon she sat in the nest box for about an hour. I thought this was a good sign and might have meant her actually laying an egg in the nest box. She didn’t though. She came out without laying her egg.

At bedtime as all the girls settled on the high perches I thought Amber looked near to laying. She had her penguin like stance for a little while but then sat down and dozed.

I have been covering the little coops (nest boxes) with newspaper overnight while the girls are sleeping above them as they were getting splattered on.

This morning when I went in to clean them up there was Ambers broken egg on the newspaper. As always the shell was like paper. I think she must have laid it at first light from the perch.

Today she is looking her usual self again. It is hopeful that she isn’t looking as unwell as she used too and hopefully she will continue that way.

It’s impossible to photograph the whole of our run as it has grown so big but I thought I would photograph it in sections and try to give a better feel to it.

The patio area

The patio area is the dry and sheltered area. It has fence panels on both sides, a wooden shed at the back, a concrete base and a plastic corrugated roof over a double layer of chicken wire. It has a concrete path outside too.

It houses the coop, two extra nest boxes, my store cabinet and the feeding station. This means everything here can be kept dry and any spilled (or flicked out) food can easily be swept up.

Store cabinet

The store cabinet houses all my chicken supplies. This means everything is conveniently in one place and close at hand. I keep food, bedding, cleaning products and brushes, treats and medications, spare dishes and in fact everything I need for the girls is in this cabinet and boy do they know that this is where the treats are!

This patio area is six feet wide and it’s where my entrance gate is which is double locked when I am not around and has a child gate inside to stop the girls getting caught by the gate.

The original garden area

This is what was the original garden area of the run and has an apple tree on the left side and a huge hypericum bush on the right hand side. It can be divided by closing the gate and shutting down the chicken wire gap at the patio end.

It has double chicken wire over the top and plastic panels underneath that can be opened in fine weather and closed when wet. The weld mesh goes down a couple of feet underground and there are a layer of horizontal tiles in a trench inside that to stop anything digging in plus a concrete path on the left hand side and a decking area on the the other side of the right hand hand fence.

This part of the run is fifteen feet wide.

This is the view from the other direction

Extended garden area

This is the newest extended part of the run which can also be closed off in two halves if needed. It also has double chicken wire or weld mesh overhead and plastic roof panels which can be opened and closed as needed.

It also has weld mesh dug down and a trench was dug out and horizontal tiles laid in plus a concrete path outside on one side and some thick wooden beams outside on the other sides.

There are perches and shrubs and a rose too and this part of the run is eight feet wide.

The complete length of the run is forty two feet long and it’s height is eight feet.

The hatch linking the old and new part of the run

The run can be separated into either two or three parts if needed by two gates and this hatch. This is useful for integrations.

I had considered taking down the dividing chicken wire partition but then thought leaving it up with openings each end allows the girls to escape when chased and gives them all more exercise. I decided there wasn’t really any advantage to removing it.

My son said it was more like a zoo adventure playground than a chicken run which I take as a compliment as this was what I wanted to achieve. There are lots of high perches, shrubs, logs, a ladder and a tree, all things the girls like to shelter under or perch on.

It is a safe environment for the girls with plenty of space and plenty of interest for them. My girls seem very happy in their run and as long as they are happy I am happy.

This weekend we had my eldest son, Steve and his lovely bride to be in three weeks time, to stay for part of the weekend.

It was the first time they had seen the newest girls, Toffee and Emerald, and Peaches and Barley as they live in Cambridge and with wedding plans on the go haven’t had time to come down recently. It was also the first time they had seen the run since it’s been extended.

They said that my photos don’t do it justice and the newest girls were all more attractive than the photos show and the run is bigger and more interesting than the photos show.

That’s probably because it’s impossible to photograph the whole run with my, quite basic, camera and lack of skills.

Steve did say that I should leave the roof panels open when it rains as the run had got very dry during the hot weather and that I should also probably add some top soil. With constant poop picking the level of the soil had gone down quite a bit.

I took this on board and decided to leave the roof panels open last night when usually I would close them overnight.

We woke up at five o’clock to an almighty storm with crashes of thunder and heavy rain. At six o’clock I couldn’t hold back any longer and went out to close the panels. There was a lot of water.

The thunder and rain continued for three and a half hours. I have never known thunder go on so long but we are in a valley so we think the storm was trapped.

However as it is so hot at the moment that the run had dried out again by lunch time. On my way home before lunch I called in at a garden centre and they had five and a half litre bags of topsoil on offer at three bags for twelve pounds so I decided to buy them.

I tried lifting them and soon realised that I couldn’t manage. I got someone at the garden centre to put them in my van for me.

Back home my husband and I managed between us to get them on the sack truck and pull them one at a time to the top of the garden.

We got them into the run and emptied them. No wonder they were so heavy as the first bag of soil was damp but the next two were really wet.

I was going to spread the soil but my husband said we should leave it in heaps and let the girls have the fun of spreading it.

Some top soil for the run

The girls scratch around in it

It is soon spread out

I think it was probably a bit disappointing as there were no bugs in it so we dug up the soil and wood chip that has been scratched outside of the run and dumped that on top of the top soil.

This gave out to a frenzy of happy scratching and pecking and soon all the soil had been levelled for us. This also means the surface is damp for now which should be good for scratching in and help keep it cooler.

I think the girls appreciated it.

The bedtime line up is exactly the same every night. I always know where the girls are going to end up. They are such creatures of habit and have perfected their bedtime positions and now they stick to those positions every night.

Emerald in her bedtime position

Topaz and Sparkle in their bedtime position

Amber, Honey and Toffee in their bedtime position

Peaches and Barley in their position

This is the complete bedtime picture

I think there are reasons behind some of the choices. Emerald is bottom girl and the others don’t let her roost with them so she settled on the shoe box as it’s out of their way. it has now become her spot and she is always the first to roost in the evening and always goes straight the shoe box and never leaves it again. She always stands for a while before eventually sitting down. This may be because it’s so hot at the moment.

Some of the girls take up their places but come down again for a last top up of food and water and then return but never Emerald.

Toffee is usually next up and always quick to dose on her perch. Topaz and Sparkle are next and I think being heavier birds they prefer the flat surface of the cabinet. They occasionally used to try the perch but looked uncomfortable getting up and down from it and soon returned to the cabinet. They now just go straight to there.

Amber is next up followed a little later by Honey and they always sit together. Toffee, Honey and Amber seem to prefer the narrower perch.

Peaches and Barley are always last up. I think they enjoy being able to potter around on their own and being able to top up with food without competition. I think they like this perch because it’s away from the rest of the girls and they always sit together.

I once moved Peaches because she was looking stressed because she couldn’t get past the other girls to get to Barley. Once I put her next to Barley she settled happily. Since then they have always managed to get perched together, perhaps another reason they settle later.

This same routine takes place like clockwork every evening.