Carol's Chickens

I did a post a while back about how much Vanilla had changed since we first got her. She started out vanilla in colour with a few honeycomb spots and has ended up mostly honeycomb coloured.

Spangle has also changed just as dramatically but it’s the other way round. She started out mostly brown and black with a white breast. I thought she looked like a turnstone and the breeder described her as looking like a penguin because of her white breast and dark back.

Spangle is now mostly white with just dark spots and her once all white breast also has some dark spots. I actually think she is much prettier now. She also has a magnificent wide tail (much like Freckles had) which is all white but with one dark top feather.

The five amigos when we first got them with Spangle on the right

Spangle at the front of the group

Notice Spangle has an all white breast and almost all dark back.

Spangle has an amazing tail

Spangle is now dotted with dark colour

Her breast now has dark spots too

Her back is now mostly white with dark splodges

I think she has grown more beautiful as I like seeing more white and it shows up her unusual dark spots. It is funny how Vanilla and Spangle have changed so completely whereas Smoke, Marmite and Salmon have stayed the same as they were as chicks.

Marmite finally got her first egg laid today a week after she first started practising. She had been sitting in the nest box for almost an hour so I was sure that today was going to be the day.

What a surprise her first egg was. It is the tiniest egg we have ever seen.

Marmite is determined to get her first egg laid

Marmite’s first egg

Ebony’s egg is on the left, Smoke’s egg is in the middle and Marmite’s teeny, tiny, egg is on the right next to a pound coin for size comparison.

Marmite’s first egg sat on a pound coin

And next to a pound coin

It has a calcium blob on the top.

Marmite’s perfectly formed, teeny, tiny, first egg

These tiny first eggs are often called “wind eggs” because sometimes they are empty or just have white in them but this one has a tiny yolk surrounded by white.

I am amazed that after a week of trying to lay Marmite has laid such a tiny egg. It will be interesting to see what her next egg is like. Well done Marmite!

I haven’t so far received any chicken related gifts for Christmas although not all our family gift exchanging has been completed yet.

I did however receive this gift as a thank you for feeding youngest son’s and fiancee’s rabbits while they were on holiday shortly before Christmas.

Cute little fella

Cockerel

Strictly speaking I would say he is a cockerel due to the large comb and wattles although what variety I couldn’t say. I was really pleased with him. He is such a cutie!

Smoke and Ebony both laid a Christmas day egg in the morning. I think this may be the first time we have have had eggs on Christmas day.

Mid morning I took the girls their fish treat in six little dishes.

Christmas day in the chicken run

A fish treat for the girls

By lunch time all the fish had gone

Ebony is out of shot because she is close to me. I thought the fish would last most of the day but it went very quickly. I think the girls enjoyed their Christmas day treat.

I would like to wish seasons greetings to all my readers and good health to you and all your girls.

Today I have dug the run over, swept the chicken patio, washed all the food and water dishes and made sure that everything is ready for the girls for Christmas day even though it doesn’t matter to them. It matters to me!

I have fish for their Christmas day treat.

Dandelion’s head looks like a porcupine with all the pins and Flame still looks very tatty but I think they are through the worst of their moult. Ebony and Smoke continue to lay but Marmite hasn’t quite managed her first egg yet.

Dandelion looks like a porcupine

Flame looks very tatty

There is only an occasional sneeze now so once more we have safely come through the myco but I will remain ever vigilant.

Tomorrow morning we will have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for breakfast with our girl’s eggs so thank you girlies!

I felt sure that Marmite would lay her first egg today. She must be near to laying. She sat in the middle nest box for a while then moved to the nest box nearest the shed. She was in there for about an hour so when she came out I checked the nest box and nothing. It seems she is just practising.

Marmite practising

Some girls need more practice than others. Maybe tomorrow.

I decided to try the smaller pellet dish without the tray as I figured the dish is too small for Smoke to stand and the dish would be easier to reach without the tray. Once I had established that this was working and no pellets were being flicked out I had another light bulb moment. I decided to use two small dishes.

Solving the pellet dish problem

Look, no mess!

This means I can put out twice the amount of pellets and the girls have twice the space to get to them and there is still no mess. Hurrah!

Notice Dandelion’s head feathers are filling in at last.

We have felt today that Marmite is getting ready to lay. She has been very vocal all day and has been checking out the nest boxes.

I gave the girls some yogurt as a treat and Marmite was quick to the yogurt in between standing on the nest boxes and looking in them.

Marmite with a yogurt beak

Look at her red, comb, face and wattles

Marmite and Smoke together at the yogurt, bottom and top of the amigos

Look at the state of poor Flame in the background.

Little and large, black feathered, girls together

It’s interesting seeing the same coloured, different sized, girls together for comparison.

Marmite investigating the nest boxes

It was quite funny seeing Marmite checking out the nest boxes with her yogurt beak. I think she might lay tomorrow.

I had a bit of a light bulb moment. Instead of getting a bigger plant pot tray I decided to try a smaller dish for the pellets. I have plenty of assorted dishes. A smaller dish would make it difficult for Smoke to stand in.

Smoke takes a look at the smaller dish

Smoke took one look and then turned around and marched off. I could almost read her thoughts saying “Really! what’s the fun in that!”.

Dandelion shows how it is done

I may experiment and try it with and without the tray. It would be easier for the little girls without the tray but they may just flick the pellets out. It’s a work in progress. The bigger girls are able to easily reach over the tray.

Flame looks a sorry sight

Flame continues to look very shabby and is still lacking in confidence. I am still putting her on the perch at bedtime. I have never had a girl moult to the extent that they couldn’t get to the perch before. I will be so pleased when she has wing feathers again. I think with no wing or tail feathers she hasn’t the confidence to jump to the perch.

We will all be glad when moulting is over.

Since having seramas I had been pleased how little mess there was around the pellet dish. As long as I only filled it half way the pellets stayed in the dish and there were very few  flicked out on to the patio area.

Somehow Smoke starting to lay seemed to trigger a different behaviour in her. From the moment she started laying she has taken to standing in the pellet dish and scratching furiously until she empties the contents of the dish on to the patio.

On the patio the pellets get dirt mixed with them and I end up sweeping them up and throwing them away.

I decided to try standing the dish in a plant pot tray. Some pellets are still scratched out but much less as a lot get caught in the tray. A larger size of tray may be a possibility.

Smoke in the pellet dish

She likes to scratch with her feet

And flick pellets everywhere

Smoke is a really good layer. She has now laid seven eggs in nine days. That is really good compared to my previous seramas. I am wondering if she is a fluke or if the other girls will be such good layers.

Ebony is also still laying so I have come to the conclusion that she is a first year girl. I am going to guess that she is one year old and Flame is two years old.

I really wasn’t expecting to get eggs this winter so it is a lovely bonus.