Carol's Chickens

On a completely different subject I wonder if anyone remembers the mystery plant that self seeded in one of my plant pots last year.

It turned out to be a common orchid. Well one year on it has doubled it’s small size and is doing rather well in the garden.

Orchid

I think it rather likes it here.

Last night we had to go out at half past six and thought we would get back about ten o’clock in time to put the girls to bed. Before we left Emerald had left the little coop/nest box and I thought I should just check in case there was an egg.

I was really surprised to find that there was an egg. She wasn’t just practising after all. I was surprised because her comb is so small, almost non existent, and I really didn’t think she would be laying yet. Her egg was slightly bigger than my other little girls.

The second surprise was when we got back at ten o’clock and I went straight up to get the girls to bed. It was exactly the same as last night with Toffee in the flower pot and Emerald sat on the coop roof except that this time Honey and Amber were sat next to her. The reason I was so surprised was that after last nights escape I had used a spade to bank the soil up against the dividing wire before we went out. Emerald must have dug under the wire and squeezed through the tiny gap.

Emerald must have been really determined to join the other girls or to roost on the preferred side of the run. I decided that as I was integrating them today I may as well put them all in the main coop right then.

I checked that Topaz was in the coop already as she always goes to bed early. I lifted Sparkle from the top of the store cabinet and popped her in. I lifted the girls from the coop roof in the order of nearest to me and put in Honey, Amber and then Emerald with no problem. I then went round and lifted Toffee from the plant pot and put her in and closed the coop door.

My husband came up to see how it was going and was surprised that I had got them all in. We had a peek in through the nest box and they were all settled together. I decided to go out at first light this morning to make sure they all got along.

It was a really stormy night and we were kept awake by the thunder and heavy rain. Just after half past four I decided it was light enough for the automatic coop door opener to open so I went out. The older girls were all out but the two new girls were still in the coop. I looked in through the nest box and they were sitting happily together.

I pottered round the run doing my chores to give them a little more time then decided it was time to encourage them out. I took off the side panel of the coop and there on the coop floor was Amber’s egg with another really fragile, dented, shell. It was an improvement though because at least it had a shell (instead of completely soft) and she hadn’t looked unwell the day before laying.

I encouraged the new girls out and scattered some corn. It was Topaz and Honey that gave them a quick peck then they all set about scratching around.

The girls are all together

I spent half an hour watching them then felt happy to leave them to it. There was nothing nasty happening.

My husband looked out of the bedroom window and saw Honey chasing one of the new girls. This may explain yesterdays behaviour between Honey and Amber. I think perhaps Honey, bottom girl, doesn’t want to stay at the bottom and sees a chance to move up the pecking order. It will be interesting to see how the order settles.

I looked out of the bedroom window and Topaz and Toffee were on a perch together. I think this is a good sign.

I gave the girls some cabbage leaves and Topaz and Emerald were pecking at them together. Amber was having a dust bath which I thought was good for her as it will remove any dried blood from her. She seems to have bounced back from her ordeal yesterday.

Amber having a lovely dust bath

Sparkle and Toffee were on a perch together.

Sparkle and Toffee

On my next visit Toffee was sat on the perch between Sparkle and Topaz. They all seem to be getting along with only Honey giving chase now and then but nothing nasty.

It will be interesting to see what happens at bedtime. I am hopeful that both new girls will perch on the coop roof so that it’s easy for me to put them to bed.

Last night was a bit of a surprise. I went in to check on the girls about half an hour before I usually put to them to bed and it wasn’t what I had expected. At first I looked in the little triangle and saw no new girls. I thought that they must have gone into the little coop to bed which I thought was easier than I had expected. Wrong!

The first thing I saw when I entered the gate was this.

Much to my surprise Emerald was on top of the little coop

How had she got in this side? She must have got under the wire.

Toffee had found the highest point on their side in a plant pot!

These little girls were relegated to my little chair

Sparkle as usual was on top of the store cabinet

Topaz as always was in the nest box

My husband had come out with me and picked Emerald up off the coup roof and while I held open the gate he put her back on her side of the run.

I then put Honey, Amber and Sparkle in the main coop so that I could concentrate on the new girls.

Emerald was getting agitated as she wanted to get up high. I decided to use bribery and got the corn pot. I calmed her with some corn and laid a trail into the little coop and  sprinkled some inside. It took patience but eventually she entered the coop for the corn and I closed it.

I then lifted Toffee down from the plant pot (under protest) and lifted the lid of the little coop and popped her in.

Job done for now but I think integration is going to happen faster than planned as the new girls obviously won’t go into the little coop at night. They want to roost high and it would be better to let them go to the main coop roof and then lift them in to the coop with the other girls.

The problem is we are out tonight at a function so I will have to come to up with a plan. I may let them choose their roost (there are a few perches to choose from) on their half of the run and lift them to bed when we get home then try integrating them the next day when I am at home to supervise them.

This morning I let the new girls out of the coop at half past five. They investigated the new part of their side of the run.

Emerald

Toffee

Emeralds green sheen

It’s difficult to get a photo of Emerald but her feathers shine with green and a touch of purple in the sunlight.

Later when I checked on the girls Emerald had found one of the perches and was snacking on the rose leaves.

Emerald has found a perch

While I was in with the girls Honey and Amber suddenly started fighting. I have caught them doing this before but this time it seemed really intense. I sprayed them with water which had no effect then I scattered some sunflower seeds to distract them. There were a few downy feathers floating around. I have no idea what causes them to do this.

I returned a little later and was horrified to see that Honey was pecking at Ambers comb and her comb and face had blood on it.

Poor little Amber

I have purple spray and wound powder but on reading the instructions it says it must not go in their eyes. Her face is so small and she is never still so I decided this was too risky to use. Her eye looks partly closed so I think she may have taken a peck close to her eye. I know from Honey’s recent poor eye how quickly they heal so decided it may be best to leave her alone.

A little later when we checked on them Honey and Amber were sat together again. They soon seem to get over their spats and behave as it had never happened.

It seems just as things are going well something happens to shake it up again. I hope this episode is over for now but I feel so sorry for Amber she always seems to come off worse.

Later in the afternoon Emerald become very agitated and was walking up and down the wire separation. I felt that she wanted to come out but it must wait until tomorrow as we have to go out at half past six. We are doing a steak pie supper for fifty people.

A little later she went into the nest box and started scratching around. I realised that this was why she had been agitated. She spent about an hour in and out of the nest box doing what I consider to be, practising, to lay an egg. I was surprised as her comb is still quite small. She calmed down after this so I felt happier about going out.

Tomorrow I will be here all day and will start to integrate them as I feel they are ready.

This morning I went out at five o’clock to let the new girls out of the little coop. I wanted to let them out early as it is quite warm at the moment.

They didn’t rush out and I decided to let them come out in their own time. I removed the dog crate and set up their feeding station then started the morning clean up. About ten minutes later they came out and instead of heading for food and water Emerald went straight to a dust bath.

Emerald having a dust bath

Toffee came out and had a look around

They both seemed quite settled. Toffee is top of these two as occasionally she would give Emerald a quick peck to show her who is in charge. Toffee is more wary of me though whereas Emerald doesn’t take much notice of me.

Amber and Emerald lifted their ruffs to each other and then Topaz and Toffee lifted their ruffs to each other but it was all over in a few seconds.

Later that morning Toffee was sat on one side of the gate and Honey and Amber were sat together on the other side of the gate opposite and they seemed very comfortable together.

When I went back up later Emerald was back in the dust bath.

Emerald is really going for it in the dust bath

That really is a good impression of a dead chicken. Look at her little upturned face with her eyes tightly shut.

Queen of the dust bath

They have had greens this morning and apple this afternoon and tucked into both happily. They seem to have settled in really well.

I am hoping they will put themselves to bed tonight and then tomorrow they can have all of their half of the run. That will give them some perches to explore.

Since Pepper and Dotty have gone the run seems so big and empty. It is lovely to see the little girls looking so happy though. It is all quiet now apart from the egg shout and some happy chatter and all the girls are happily scratching away, dust bathing or perching together.

I rang the lady that I will be getting two bantam brown leghorns from and let her know that I was now ready at any time. She said they are still with their mum and it will probably be about a month before they are fully feathered and ready to leave mum. We agreed that I would ring once a week to see how they are coming along.

My husband said that after all the expense and effort on building such a big run he thought I should also add a few more. He pointed out that we now have more than enough space for eight little girls.

My friend Jackie called yesterday to see how I was feeling after re-homing Pepper and Dotty and she said that she thought I needed some chicken therapy and that a month was still a long time to wait.

I thought that she was right and if I could get another couple of bantys now there would be plenty of time to get them integrated before I collect my new babies. My problem is that there are not many farms near us that breed bantams.

The farm that I got the wyndottes from used bantam game fowl as their broodys. They are lovely birds with glossy black feathers that shimmer with green hues. I thought it a bit of a long shot but rang the farmer today to see if he sells them.

To my surprise he said I could have two straight away. He has a clutch of chicks for himself and would be happy to sell some of last years hens. He said I could come and collect them today and he would show me his game fowl chicks while I am there.

I felt really excited and we said we would be along in a few hours time. I got the dog crate ready once again and closed off the smallest part of the chicken enclosure. As luck would have it I had cleaned out all three coops yesterday, dug the whole run over and swept every thing down. Everything was ready for the arrival of new girls.

We got to the farm by late afternoon. We had a look at the game fowl bantams first. There were two different colours which was even better for me as I could have one of each and could tell them apart. There were some black with glossy green and a bit of purple in their feathers and the other were a bit like a partridge colour with some brown feathers.

We went to look at the chicks before choosing our girls to take home. The first ones we looked at were the two types of game chicks with a silver laced wyndotte mum.

Game chicks with wyndotte mum

They were adorable. We saw the silver laced and gold laced chicks at various stages from little chicks to big chicks to teenagers. They were all adorable.

We went back to the barn where the game birds were and I chose one of each colour. The farmer caught them with a net and put them in our dog crate. I asked how much and he said thirty pounds for the two which I thought very reasonable.

On the way home I chose names going with my descriptive theme and decided to call them Emerald and Toffee.

Emerald and Toffee

Emerald is on the left and it doesn’t show much here but in the sunlight she shimmers with green. Toffee is on the right and has brown partridge type feathers on her back and breast. Emerald has a much smaller comb and is obviously younger than Toffee.

I put the dog crate against the little coop like I have done before with new girls so that they will know on their first night where to go to bed. Tomorrow they will have all of this area and once they know where to go at bedtime I will open the hatch and let them have half the run. I plan to keep them separate for a week as that worked really well last time and then mix them under supervision and take it from there.

So far the other girls have not taken any notice of them but it’s early days yet. Once I had the dog crate in position the two new girls went into the little coop. I hope this means they will know where to go at bedtime.

Emerald ventured out for some food

Toffee got this far

Emerald was soon scratching around in her small space, eating pellets and standing in the water. Toffee seems more upset by the move and is reluctant to come out of the coop. I am sure by tomorrow when they have more space they will be more settled.

I will shut them in this little coop tonight and then remove the dog crate. I will then get up early tomorrow morning and let them out into this space. I hope they settle in as quickly and easily as the wyndottes did. Our new adventure begins.

I think last night was sort of the last straw for me with the ongoing problem with my girls.

Amber was looking unwell again and I knew she was heading towards her next egg. I made sure she had eaten by offering her sunflower seeds away from the flock and decided to sit in with the girls at bedtime while they were together to keep an eye on her.

Amber was first to settle on the coop roof with her wings down and her eyes closing. She dozed on the coop roof. Pepper jumped to the coop roof and started pecking at her bare head while she was sleeping which was upsetting to see.

I shooed Pepper away and lifted Amber into the nest box. I settled her in and hoped that she would stay put which she did. I stayed until the coop door shut and then put all the girls in.

This morning as it was quite hot we had our bedroom window open and from half past five until half past six when I went out to the girls we could hear Pepper shouting. She doesn’t seem happy since we separated the girls yet this shouting is while they are still together.

I went out and Amber was back to her self again. I then found the remains of a soft shelled egg that had mostly been eaten.

I separated the girls and had a think about what I could do to speed up re-homing Pepper and Dotty as I felt we really couldn’t go on like this much longer. It’s been really getting us down and seeing Amber’s bare head pecked is worse than seeing the feathers pulled if that is possible.

We get our disposables for our catering business from a company based on a huge farm near us. They have lots of chickens, ducks and geese as well as all sorts of other animals. We wondered if they would take on our two girls. The more I thought about it the more I felt it would be much better suited to our two girls. They would be able to stay together and in a huge flock with acres of space I felt sure they would have a happier life and soon forget about pulling feathers.

It was a just a case of whether the farmer would be willing to take them. I called her but couldn’t get an answer so my husband called our guy there and he talked to her. He said she couldn’t see a problem but would like to talk to me first.

I finally got through to her in the afternoon and she sounded really nice. I explained everything to her and she said she had lots of experience with re-homing other chickens and the odd cockerel and felt it would work out fine. We arranged to take Pepper and Dotty to her that afternoon.

The farmer was lovely. She had a big barn with perches which she keeps the chickens in overnight and had put about fifteen hens (bluebells) in already and one cockerel to start the integrations. She said this method had always worked for her. We let Pepper and Dotty into the barn and they went straight to the perch. She said she would keep them here for four days to get used to home and their friends was her term. She would then let them out and said they usually scratch in the compost pile first before exploring.

She said she would look after them to the best of her ability and has loved her chickens all her life. I had said I wouldn’t cry but went into the barn to say goodbye and yes I cried.

The farmer said she knew how I felt because she has been there but the girls will have a free range life with her and will be well looked after.

It’s been hard but I know it’s for the best. Jackie is my friend and ten minutes away from me so she lets me know how Bluebell/Blossom is doing and I visit. I thought of asking the farmer if I can ring and check up on them but decided this is different. They will have a new life and I can’t ask a busy farmer for updates. I must let go and know that she will do her best by them and I must move on.

My husband said he will look for them when he goes for disposable tableware but we feel we must trust her to do what she has done all her life and we are sure Pepper and Dotty will love a farm way of life once they have adjusted.

For us it is a new chapter. Two years down the line all my original girls have moved on and we are moving forward with a new run and the prospect of adding new girls to our flock.

Our little girls now have the entire space and no one to pluck them. I look forward to seeing them regain their feathers and bloom and maybe without the stress Amber may once again improve.

We are looking forward to a future of happy chicken keeping with happy chickens.

Having finally come to the difficult decision that I need to re-home Pepper and Dotty I felt I needed to move forward and start planning the future of my flock.

The recently doubled run would now be a huge space for four little girls and I would like to add two more bantams. From my recent research I know how difficult it is to find bantams within my local area. I remembered that the lady at the farm in Amersham where I got Honey and Amber from last year had lots of bantam brown leghorns which are another pure breed and look like a miniature version of Bluebell (now Blossom). They are pretty, robust, good egg layers and have bare legs. These are all the qualities that I like.

I decided to give her a ring and see what she had. The news was good. She has many chicks ranging from a of couple weeks old to a month old. She said this meant in a months time she would have some at an age to sex and to sell. The timing could be really good for me. I explained the situation and said I would keep in touch. She said when I was ready she would be able to sell me a couple at about two months old. This would be really good as it’s easier to bond when they are young and I now have the separate part of the run ready to keep them in until they are big enough to integrate.

I am still getting upset about parting with Pepper and Dotty and have been giving more thought to how to re-home them for a future that would be best for them. I haven’t yet heard back from the animal sanctuary but have started wondering if it would be better if I could re-home them on a farm. I think they are a breed that would love the space on a farm rather than being contained in a domestic run. I am going to call a few local farms tomorrow and run it by them. I have no idea if this something that a farm would consider but I feel it’s worth asking the question.

Finally I have to remind myself why I am doing this so I took a few photos of Amber and Honey today. The girls have been separated now for three weeks and I have reduced their time together at bedtime. I had seen Pepper peck at Amber’s bare head as soon as I put them together and it was looking quite red. I now only put them together for fifteen minutes before bedtime when they are totally occupied with the bedtime routine. They come out at about five o’clock in the morning at the moment and I have been going out to separate them at about half past six.

Amber’s bare neck

Amber’s poor plucked head

Honey’s bare neck

I just can’t let this continue any longer. I got my first girls two years ago and this started eighteen months ago when we lost Treacle. I have tried everything to stop this and really don’t think that I have any other option now. I want to get back to having a happy flock and being able to enjoy them again. I want a flock with feathers. I know that I have to go on with this until I have the best outcome for all my girls.

Yesterday Amber looked really unwell again and I knew her next egg was on the way. I worry every time she looks like this and my husband always tells me she will bounce back once she gets her egg laid.

I am still giving her limestone flour and cod liver oil but I know in my heart it makes no difference. What ever is wrong with her egg making machinery or her inability to absorb calcium it’s something that I can’t fix.

Poor little Amber always looks like this when about to lay her egg

At bedtime Amber was in the nest box with Topaz which is where she always goes when she feels like this. I hoped by morning she would have laid her egg.

When I went in this morning Amber bounced over back to her usual self. I felt sure this meant there would be an egg in the nest box. This is what I found.

Amber’s latest egg

The shell was once again really soft and the egg was oozing out. She must have laid it really early as it didn’t get eaten.

Amber has sat in the nest box a few times today. She often does this as if she doesn’t realise she has laid it. I am thankful every time she manages to get her egg laid. Luckily she is only laying about once a week at the moment.

Last night after chatting to my husband and to Jackie about the possibility of re-homing Pepper and Dotty my eldest son Steve called me after reading my blog post. We had a long discussion about it and he too thought re-homing them would be the best thing all round, best for the little girls and best for the big girls too. He felt they would be better re-homed separately so that the pecking habit gets broken.

After much soul searching I have reached the decision that this is what I must do. I called in at the animal sanctuary nearby to have a look round and to chat to someone there.

I was really impressed with the place and the good work that they do. They had a horse, two pigs, a few ducks, a few chickens and quite a few cockerels. They match the animals to good homes and keep them if a good home can’t be found.

The lady I talked to was very understanding. I explained everything about the feather pulling and that I had re-homed Bluebell (now Blossom) with Jackie and the feather pulling stopped in a different flock. I said I felt in a new flock of big girls it could stop as it had with Jackie’s flock. I said how good they were with people and are easy to handle and how difficult this decision was for me.

At that point I broke down and cried then apologised and she said when people are upset it shows they care for their animals and they will have been well looked after. She offered me a cup of tea but I said I was okay now.

She took my details and said someone would call me in a few days. They have no space at the moment as each run and coop are occupied but she said she hoped they could come up with a solution in a couple of weeks.

I feel better for reaching a decision as this has been upsetting the flock and my husband and me for so long now.

Another point Steve made was that by alternating the girls on different sides every two days I may be unsettling them and that may be why there is more shouting especially over the nest boxes. They need their own space and their own nest box so I am going to try putting them on the same side for a while.

This has been a really difficult decision but I know in my heart I will have a happier flock.

Last night and early this morning we had torrential rain. For hours it hammered down and we wondered how the chicken run was holding up to it.

When I went out this morning all of the new extension part of the run which we have just fitted with roof panels was wet as was the old part of the run under the panels. The only dry part was the triangular area that we had put plastic sheeting over and of course the patio area with its solid roof.

I felt that I couldn’t separate the girls as one group would have no dry ground.

The silicon sealant hasn’t worked as water is still dripping through the wood joins. It’s also coming in at the end of the first set of panels and at the sides.

It is however running off outside of the end of the run and although the soil is wet at least it’s not full of puddles like before we covered it.

It wasn’t long before I saw Pepper pecking at Honey and Amber’s heads and Pepper was also constantly shouting. Gradually the other girls joined in and all were very noisy. After repeatedly going out to them I decided enough was enough and separated them again with the little girls in the wettest side.

They instantly stopped shouting and I wondered if they have got used to being separated. It was very odd.

I set about trying to dry the feeding area in the wettest side and moved one of the slabs into the gateway where it is most muddy.

Stepping stone through the muddiest part

The triangular area on the left is dry but the rest is wet

This part is wet despite the roof panels

The problem is keeping enough dry area for the girls to be separated. If they were altogether the triangular part would give enough dry plus the patio area but the group on the other side of the run have very little dry area.

The other problem is that since I have been separating the girls Pepper has become very noisy and spends a lot of time shouting. She is also plucking Dotty when they are together and plucking the little girls’ heads when they are all together.

I am reaching the end of my tether with this problem. It has taken the joy out of my flock. My husband is heartily sick of the problems and suggested we should look into re-homing Pepper and Dotty.

I feel heart sick at the thought and at first said that I just couldn’t think of doing this. I later talked to my friend Jackie and she agreed with my husband. She said she agrees with him that Pepper and Dotty are probably not suited to being kept in a closed run and would be better suited to a farm environment. She suggested the feather pulling may stem from them not being happy and they are spoiling the happiness of the rest of the flock.

My husband and Jackie also pointed out that we have spent so much time, effort and money on the run and yet are not able to enjoy our flock.

I have started thinking that they may be right. It would break my heart to let Pepper and Dotty go as I have had them from babies and I love them. But I do have to think of the happiness of the whole flock. Without Pepper and Dotty the little girls could have the whole run to themselves and with that much space could have a happy life. They would grow their feathers back and not get plucked again.

I know I can’t break Pepper and Dotty of the habit with my little girls but when Bluebell (now Blossom) went to Jackie’s flock she stopped feather plucking. Pepper and Dotty may not do it if they were with big girls.

I would only ever keep bantys in future. The other thing is that if the little girls ever learn the habit from Pepper and Dotty I will stuck with it in my flock forever.

I am feeling very sad at the thought of doing this but am beginning to think that it is the only way I will have a happy flock and be able to enjoy the girls again and maybe the big girls will be happier too.

We recently talked to a lady that runs a charity animal sanctuary where they keep pets until they can re-home them. They either find them the right home or keep them forever and they have chickens and cockerels.

Jackie also suggested a farm near us where they keep animals for children to visit may be an option. With a heavy heart I am going to give this some serious thought.

When I let the girls’ together at the end of each day they instantly switch sides. They rush to the feed dishes on the other side as if the food in the opposite dish must be better despite being identical.

I give the girls’ some greens every day at mid morning. If I have a cabbage heart I hang it on wire from the gate. I did this this morning on the little girls side and the big girls’ frantically walked up and down the wire wanting to get to the cabbage. I hung some on the inside of the big girls gate and the little girls’ tried to peck at it from their side.

Okay I can solve this. I moved the cabbage from the little girls’ side to hang on the other side of the big girls’ gate. Instant harmony as they could all peck away together.

Cabbage

Honey isn’t with them as she is in the nest box laying her egg. Sparkle isn’t with them as she is a bit of a loner and shows no interest in joining in with the other girls’. Even if they have a dish of mash or scrambled egg Sparkle never joins in and she is always wandering about on her own and doesn’t let the other girls get too close her. They all have such different characters.