Carol's Chickens

After Amber struggled with her last egg she only had one day of being back to normal before she looked ill again. I felt really disappointed and am wondering if whatever is wrong with her egg laying is getting worse.

I am so afraid of losing her. She looked ill and wobbly again so once again I hand fed her chopped grapes and sunflower hearts. It was late afternoon so not long until bedtime.

When I went in at dusk Pepper, Dotty and Honey were on the coop roof and Sparkle was on the top of the store cabinet which seems to have become her preferred bedtime position. I peeked in the coop and Amber was in the nest box with Topaz. I think she probably wasn’t strong enough to get on to the coop roof and I was glad she had gone into the nest box. Amber and Topaz seem to have formed a bit of an alliance.

In the morning I put two dishes of mash in the run with some crushed egg shells added. I felt that the mash would be easier for Amber to eat and that keeping her eating helps to keep her strength up.

Some mash to encourage Amber to eat

The two new girls didn’t show any interest in the mash and were preening in the background. They then put their heads under their wings for a snooze and looked like two balls. They are younger (Topaz hasn’t started laying yet) and still snooze a lot more than the other girls.

Sparkle and Topaz

By late afternoon Amber managed to lay her egg and bounced back again. I have noticed that since she has been feeling ill again before laying, her eggs have a vertical stripe around them. It is very faint and is brown but I wonder if it could be blood and could be part of what her problem is. I photographed her last two eggs but it is very faint.

Amber’s last two eggs

You can just see the start of the line at the top of the left hand egg and and again towards the bottom of the right hand egg. It’s a faint broken line. I feel sure this has something to do with her problem.

If anyone has any ideas please leave me a comment. I really want to help Amber but don’t know what else I can do for her. I keep hoping that she will get better but sadly she seems to be getting worse.

In between eggs she is absolutely fine and over winter when she wasn’t laying she was happy and healthy. She also had a few weeks recently where it seemed the problem had gone away for a while. It’s a shame she can’t just stop laying. I am willing her to get past this.

Topaz likes to get up into the apple tree. All the girls have at some stage got into the apple tree but they sit on the lower branches. Topaz likes climb up into the flimsy higher branches so she can eat the leaves. Dotty waits underneath in case any leaves come down.

Topaz likes to get up into the apple tree

Topaz

Topaz just about to jump down from the apple tree

When I tried to get a close up she decided to jump down.

A few days ago she was on a flimsy branch and it broke but she just flew down.

This is her new favourite past time at the moment.

I decided it was time to update my “Meet the Flock” page as we have had new girls now for three weeks.

They have settled in really well but I am observing the behaviour of the flock and have realised that it takes time for them to actually form friendships. Chickens have so much character and personality which is why chicken owners love their girls so much.

The new girls have established their place in the pecking order and there are no squabbles but they keep themselves to themselves and haven’t yet formed friendships with the other girls or any attachment to me. This all takes time.

I could very much see this behaviour this morning when I put two dishes of mash in the run. Pepper, Dotty, Honey and Amber ate the mash while the new girls stayed away. Topaz wandered off into the garden part of the run with no interest in it at all. Sparkle would come towards it but then lose courage and not get any closer.

What was interesting to me though was how comfortable the old four are together. Amber would be eating mash next to Pepper and Pepper would give her the quick peck that doesn’t actually connect but just reminds Amber that Pepper is above her. Amber would take no notice of it at all and continue to eat the mash next to her completely at ease with her.

It is as if Amber is saying that she knows her place and is quite happy with it. Whereas when Bluebell was here she would move the little girls constantly from dish to dish. Now the four old girls eat from either dish regardless of which girl is next to them and the little girls accept the warning “almost peck” and carry on.

Two dishes of mash

This is as close as Sparkle gets

Honey and Dotty are sharing a dish in the foreground and Pepper and Amber are sharing a dish in the background. Behind them is Sparkle and that is the closest she came to the dish and yet she is not in awe of Amber or Honey and will peck them away if they get too close to her. But even when Amber and Honey were sharing one dish Sparkle still didn’t come any closer.

Sparkle can’t pluck up the courage to come any closer than this

The two little girls now share a dish but still Sparkle doesn’t join in.

When I went back a little later Pepper was sitting on the wooden block and Honey was tucked in by her side. Seeing them so close made me realise again how comfortable they are with each other.

Topaz and Sparkle don’t yet seek out the company of the other girls. They keep themselves to themselves and just wander about doing their own thing.

The same thing applies to their relationship with me. They haven’t yet formed any bond with me. I know all the girls come running when treats are on offer but Pepper and Dotty will jump on my back or shoulder frequently. Honey and Amber will follow me and if I crouch down they will run to me. If I am cleaning the coop they go inside to watch me and chatter to me.

The new girls are not bothered by me being close to them but they don’t come to me either. It has made me realise how the whole thing of building the relationship between the girls and also between the girls and me takes time.

My husband said the other day that the new girls didn’t have the lovely character of the other little girls and I know that what he really means is that you don’t see it when they are not at all attached to you. It is much easier to feel a fondness for them when that affection is returned but it has to be earned first.

I find this all very interesting. A year ago when we got Honey and Amber they were very skittish and wouldn’t let me get any where near them. I remember saying that they may never be as attached to me as the older girls and yet now they are every bit as attached to me. My husband doesn’t spend as much time with them as me but they are used to him and comfortable with being close to him.

It is something that can’t be rushed and takes time to develop. I am sure in a years time the new girls will be as comfortable with their flock mates and with us as the older girls are. It is lovely seeing the bonding gradually take place.

To read the updates to the meet the flock page click here: Meet the Flock.

I had really hoped that Amber was past her egg laying problem. After Bluebell went to Jackie’s flock Amber laid every other day for ten days. She then missed three days and laid again, missed another three days and looked ill again.

Amber is not looking at all well

It breaks my heart to see Amber looking like this

Poor Amber

I felt quite tearful to see her like this. She looked worse than she ever had before and I really thought we might lose her this time. My husband pointed out that the reason I wanted to add two more bantams to the flock was because we were worried we may lose Amber and I didn’t want Honey to be the only banty in with big girls. Even so I had really hoped that Amber had got past this.

We have always felt that there is something adrift with her egg laying as she has been like this from the start of laying, last summer. It always follows the exact same pattern. She looks really unwell and miserable then two days later she lays her egg which is sometimes  soft shelled.

I give her limestone flour and crushed egg shells but this still happens to her every now and again.

It was heartbreaking as Amber still ran to me when I went in but she wobbled. What I think happens is that she feels unwell so she stops eating and being so small she very quickly gets weak. I hand fed her some chopped grapes and sunflower seeds as she was too slow to compete with the other girls. She ate them and within half an hour she had perked up again. I think the food really gives her a boost.

I gave the girls mash the next morning (with limestone flour) to make sure that Amber was still eating. She seemed better but not quite her usual self.

This morning I expected to find her egg as it was two days later and she seemed back to herself again. There was no egg in the nest box or coop but when I poop picked the run I found what looked like a bit of congealed egg yolk. I think she must have laid a soft shelled egg and it had been eaten.

I gave the girls some scrambled egg this morning with limestone flour added and Amber tucked in as usual. The crisis has passed once again.

Amber looks much better as she tucks into some scrambled egg

I know that it takes between twenty four and twenty six hours for an egg to start it’s journey and reach the point of being laid. Amber always starts to look really ill forty eight hours before laying her egg. I just can’t understand what it is that makes her feel so unwell before the egg has even started it’s journey.

I do fear that Amber may not live a long life but in between these episodes she is perfectly normal. She is such a lovely little character and I keep hoping she will grow out of this but sadly that seems unlikely. I always feel so helpless but hand feeding her does seem to keep her strength up.

The girls tuck into the scrambled egg except for Sparkle who is off to the nest box

Amber has a beak full of scrambled egg

Sparkle never shows any interest in what I put in the white dishes. She pecks at apple and grapes and greens but doesn’t seem to want to get involved with the bustle around the dishes. Sparkle seems to be a bit of a loner, she is a quiet girl with a mild temperament and keeps herself to herself.

I really hope Amber will be okay now but I think in our hearts we know that this will probably keep recurring.

I have to add a footnote to this post. I was wrong about the soft shelled egg. Perhaps it was a bit of squashed corn I found not egg yolk. I just went to give the girls their afternoon apple and Amber was missing so I looked in the nest box. As luck would have it just at that moment she stood up and there was her warm, damp, egg. The shell is normal so it makes it even more difficult to know why she has such a struggle with it.

She is now happily pecking at apple and looking back to normal.

This afternoon five girls were enjoying a lovely dust bathing session.

Five girls dust bathing

Having a lovely time

Amber is not with them because she wants to lay her egg.

Amber wants to lay her egg but can’t decide which nest box to use

This morning Honey was in the nest box when Sparkle wanted to lay. Sparkle eventually went and laid her egg in the little coop on the right. This is the first time she has even looked in there so I am quite pleased as now she knows she can lay in there it should make it easier in future.

Shortly after this both Dotty and Pepper wanted to lay at the same time. They were both shouting about it. Dotty took possession of the coop on the right and for the first time Pepper went in the coop on the left. She deemed it unsuitable and after going in it a couple of times she rejected it and continued to shout her displeasure.

I checked back a little later and both Dotty’s and Pepper’s eggs were side by side in the coop on the right.

I wondered if they don’t like the other coop because of the way it faces perhaps making it too light. I decided to turn it so now the two coops are back to back and the ramp now faces the fence. You can see the new position in the photo above with Amber.

It remains to be seen if this will work. At the moment we have five girls laying as Topaz hasn’t started yet. I feel when we have six girls laying we will need all three nest boxes to be in use.

My husband says even if we had six nest boxes they would still all fight over one. It will be interesting to see how long it is before any of the girls lays in the new one.

Today it started to rain quite heavily and when I checked on the girls they were all stood together by the bush looking like a really united flock.

The girls are all hanging out together

It does look a bit as if Sparkle has been sent to Coventry though, with her face to the fence.

They dispersed as I got close to them

As I got close to them they all began to move away but it was good to see them looking so together.

Sparkle also laid an egg today in the nest box of the main coop. I was really pleased about this on two counts. Firstly she hadn’t laid for eight days, since she had scratched her throat, so I felt this showed she is really back to normal. Secondly it means she knows where the nest box is and I have a faint hope that she may go into the coop at bedtime tonight.

An hour before bedtime Amber and Topaz were both in the nest box together. Amber has been looking like she wants to lay for the last few days and Topaz has been looking she wants to lay for quite a few days more. It’s funny that they have shared the nest box for the last couple of nights and have settled in there together tonight. They are both top of their banty pairs and seem quite comfortable together.

Topaz and Amber in the nest box together

Topaz always moves away when I try to take a photo but they had been sat side by side.

Sparkle as usual settled on the coop roof, I gently stroked her and she allowed it.

Sparkle let me gently stroke her

This is progress. They are getting used to me.

I went back at dusk and Topaz and Amber were settled side by side in the nest box. Pepper and Dotty were on the coop roof and Sparkle and Honey were on the storage cabinet.

I didn’t try to influence the girls tonight but just accepted them settling where they wanted and then quickly lifted them all in and closed the door. It took four seconds to put four girls in so if that’s what it takes, so be it. I think I may just have to accept that I will continue to lift them to bed each night. They are getting along and that is the most important thing.

After spending all day in and out of the nest box yesterday Topaz seemed to have given up on it today. That was until about an hour before bedtime when she decided to sit in the nest box again. This was annoying because I knew she was unlikely to lay at this time of day but once again Sparkle didn’t have Topaz to show her where to go at bedtime and Sparkle does seem to be a bit dim.

I decided maybe it would be best to move Topaz out of the nest box.

I moved Topaz from the nest box

Meanwhile Sparkle had settled on the coop roof again. On the bottom left of the photo above is the cockerel door stop which I use to hold the door open while I get the girls in.

Sparkle had once again settled on the coop roof

Dotty and Pepper joined her

Sparkle moved across to the storage cabinet for the first time

She decided to settle here

Topaz after I put her out of the coop

Topaz set about preening

Once I put Topaz out she set about preening and I lifted Sparkle down to join her. They both wandered around for a little while then Topaz returned to the nest box.

Sparkle then returned to the coop roof so I picked her up and put her in the coop and closed the door. The other bantys then came to the coop roof so I put them in the coop too and closed the door.

The big girls settled on the coop roof and I left them there for a while, it would be half an hour before the automatic door would close if I hadn’t disconnected it temporarily. I thought it might be best to leave all the bantys in the coop a little early and add the big girls at dusk. I don’t want the new girls to get into the habit of settling on the coop roof instead of going in. I don’t know if this will make any difference but thought it worth a try.

At dusk I added the big girls to the coop and reconnected the automatic door opener and closer and then peaked in again. Exactly the same as last night, Amber and Topaz were in the nest box, Pepper, Dotty and Honey on the perch and Sparkle on the floor in front of them.

It remains to be seen what happens tomorrow night. At least they can all come out together at first light which is about six o’clock at the moment.

I think Topaz is getting ready to start laying. She has been doing what I call “practising” for the last week. This involves going into the nest box and turning around to create a nest a couple of times per day.

Yesterday though, she did this for the entire afternoon, sitting for spells then giving up. She looked in all three nest boxes but her chosen one was the nest box in the main coop, much to the annoyance of Honey, when she wanted to lay her egg in there.

Topaz would chase Honey out and sit for a while before giving up. By late afternoon Topaz gave up and it had obviously tired her out as she went to snooze by the bush with her head under her wing.

Honey immediately took her place in the nest box and got her egg laid.

While all this was taking place Sparkle went for her snooze on the branch perch which is her favourite place in the afternoons. She too had her head under her wing and looked like a ball.

Sparkle having a snooze

The feather pecking is still happening unfortunately and I saw Dotty try to peck a feather from Topaz’s bottom. Topaz rounded on her and gave her a peck. Topaz then pecked her away every time Dotty got close to her. I felt pleased at this as it may stop this behaviour or at least keep Topaz from being pecked.

Later in the day I saw Dotty and Pepper try to do the same to Sparkle who being so mild mannered didn’t defend herself. I gave both Dotty and Pepper a squirt from the water spray. I think the fluffy bottoms are proving to be too tempting.

Later in the day Dotty got close to Topaz and Topaz got hold of her neck feathers to warn her she will be taking no nonsense from her. Dotty sprinted from her and jumped straight to my shoulder. I had to laugh. I don’t mind Topaz sticking up for herself if it at least stops Topaz getting plucked, but it is amusing how Dotty sought the safety of my shoulder. What a baby, but sweet!

Early evening I checked the girls again and Topaz was back in the nest box (she really is trying to get that first egg out, poor girl) and Sparkle was on the main coop roof.

Sparkle sat on the coop roof

Sparkle does like to perch.

Sparkle’s portrait

This gave me the chance to get good portraits of Sparkle both side on and head on.

Amber joined Sparkle on the coop roof

Pepper joined Sparkle on the coop roof

I decided to leave the girls and return at dusk. This is what I found.

At bedtime there were four girls on the coop roof.

Honey was on the storage cabinet and Topaz was still in the nest box. I think Topaz was probably in the nest box because she is still in “trying to lay the first egg” mode. I think Sparkle had the instinct to perch up as her little coop was no longer in its usual place.

I lifted Honey from the storage cabinet and popped her in the coop. I then lifted the girls from the coop roof in order of the nearest to me first and popped them all in. There was no protest from Sparkle when it was her turn. It was easy enough but I did imagine a conversation between the girls going something like this – “we always perch up here at bedtime and then we get lifted down and put in the coop, it’s the way we do things around here”.

I couldn’t resist once again peeking in through the nest box with my torch pointed at the ground. Amber was with Topaz in the nest box. Pepper, Dotty and Honey were on the usual perch and Sparkle was on the floor in front of them just like last night.

Some success but some continuing habits!

I give the girls bio live yogurt every now and again as it’s good for their digestive system. Today I thought I would introduce it to the new girls.

Topaz tries the yogurt and Sparkle in the background is last to arrive as usual

Sparkle looks at the girls eating the yogurt

She drinks some water instead

Sparkle leaves without trying the yogurt

Topaz likes the yogurt

Sparkle is always last to investigate anything, my husband thinks she is a bit dim! She is last up when treats are on offer and sometimes doesn’t even try anything new.

I gave the girls some scrambled egg a few days ago which is the old girls very favourite thing of all but Sparkle didn’t try it. Today Topaz tried the yogurt but Sparkle didn’t even go up to the dish. She doesn’t seem at all inquisitive which is unusual for a chicken. Sparkle is a very laid back girl.

Yesterday I decided it was time to get all the girls sleeping in one coop. Topaz has investigated the main coop and tried out the nest box but Sparkle has shown no interest in even looking in the door. Sparkle is much less inquisitive.

I decided that at dusk I would lift the new girls out of their little coop and put them in the main coop. I hope that once they have had a night in there they will return to it at bedtime the next night.

At dusk I lifted Sparkle from the little coop and put her in the main coop. I then put one of the other little girls in with her and shut the door. Next I lifted Topaz from the little coop and put her in and the other little banty followed her in. I shut the door and decided to let the four bantys settle before putting the big girls in.

All was quiet and about ten minutes later I put the big girls in the coop and closed the door.

With a torch pointed at the ground I opened the nest box and had a peek in. The big girls were on their usual perch with one of the original bantys and Topaz next to them on the perch. The other original banty was in the nest box (they often sleep in the nest box) and Sparkle was settled on the floor in front of the perch. This is where Bluebell used to sleep. All was quite and still.

The next thing I did was to move the little coop into it’s new position next to the other little coop. It is going to become a third nest box. I thought that now we have six girls it would be good to have three nest boxes. The position it is in is a spot the girls don’t use so it’s not taking up any valuable space.

During the day I had already removed the food and water bowl out of the area where the the little coop was in readiness for this next move.

I hope that tonight when the new girls realize that their little coop is no longer in it’s usual spot, they will automatically go to bed in the big coop. So far everything has gone really easily and it remains to be seen tonight, if this stage is as easy. If this works we will have full integration.

I thought I would photograph the new coops position this morning and straight away Honey and Amber went to check it out.

The new coop in its new position

Honey and Amber are first to check it out

They both go inside to investigate

They both approve of the new coop

So far so good. I just need to see how tonight goes now.