Carol's Chickens

When poor Treacle was ill, her comb shrunk to half it’s size and was pale and grey. Since she has gone I have noticed how bright red and healthy the other girls combs are.

Dotty has taken the longest time to mature which I think was because she was born a month later in the year than the others. Now she has matured she has the brightest red comb and although she only started laying eggs nine days ago, she now lays the biggest eggs. Maybe this slower maturing has been good for her.

Pepper and Dotty are both dominiques but I think they are quite different from each other. Pepper is more squat, lower to the ground, Dotty is slightly taller, narrower and more upright. Dotty has the black mark on her beak which is becoming more noticeable, a good instant way to tell them apart.

Dotty’s bright red comb and wattles

Pepper’s comb

Pepper’s comb looks dirty but actually she has little spiky grey feathers around her comb and some are just sticking over her comb.

Dotty’s beak has a little black mark on it

Pepper’s comb and wattles

Bluebell has a floppy comb

Yesterday I cut down one of the bushes in the run. It was an ancient hebe that had been dying for years and had finely given up. I was going to dig it out but my husband suggested leaving the bottom branches to provide another perch for the girls. Up until now the girls didn’t seem to notice it, but today Bluebell discovered it could be used as a perch.

Bluebell finds a new perch

Now Bluebell has discovered a new perch it should only be a matter of time before the other girls find it!

Every time I go up to the chickens they crush themselves into the smallest corner of the run because it’s the nearest corner to me as I walk towards them.

The girls rush to the corner

Here is where they first greet me

They always look as if they think they could squeeze through here to get to me quicker. They then follow me up the path and wait with excitement by the gate, especially if I am holding white pots which they know means yogurt.

They get so excited and soon have yogurt all over their beaks and are covered in flecks of it.

Pepper has yogurt on her beak

Bluebell gets her beak in the yogurt

Dotty gets her beak in the yogurt

It’s not long before the pots are empty and you would be forgiven for thinking they had been licked clean. It’s amazing how a beak can get every last little drop of yogurt.

This morning the girls were all shouting as they all wanted to lay at once. Bluebell lays every day for about a week before taking a day off. Pepper lays for a couple of days then misses a day and hadn’t laid yesterday and Dotty laid her first eggs four days in a row then missed two days, so I knew they were all ready to lay.

I went and checked the nest box a few times but no eggs. When it was time for me to go out I went to check again, still no eggs in the nest box which I thought a bit odd. Then something caught my eye on the coop floor. I took the side panel off and to my surprise there were three eggs nestled together in the middle of the coop floor. When I picked them up I got a bigger surprise. Dotty’s egg was twice the size of the other two eggs. It looked like a duck egg! How on earth did she lay something that enormous!

Dotty’s giant egg

Dotty’s egg is on the right, Pepper’s in the middle and Bluebell’s on the left. I imagine this will probably have a double yolk and will post later if it does. Dotty is certainly making up for up starting her egg laying later than the other girls. No wonder she missed a couple of days. Dotty is full of surprises!

Since we lost Treacle, Pepper has taken her place as top hen. She is a good top hen as she is a mild character and doesn’t peck much. Pepper gets the biggest worms when I fork over the garden area and is always last to bed. As she has grown in confidence she has given Bluebell a quick peck when she gets in her way, to show her she is now top.

Bluebell goes to look in the coop many times a day, which she never did before we lost Treacle. I am sure she is still looking for her. The girls stick closer to me at the moment but they look healthy and there is harmony in the flock. When I give treats, I now put down one dish instead of two and there has been no squabbling.

I did consider whether to get another hen or perhaps a couple of bantams but realise it would be selfish as it would be for me not for the flock. It could upset the flock as it’s not always easy to add new members and as they are calm and happy now, I decided the best thing is to stay as we are. If we ever got down to two girls then I think I would add another two, but now think we should take time to enjoy these three girls after our recent upset.

I have thought over past events many times and know that I must stop dwelling on it as we will never know why Treacle became ill.

Dotty has laid four days in a row before taking a day off  which is really good as a new layer. Yesterday she had been going in and out of the nest box in the late afternoon. When I went in to do my evening sweep up I opened the nest box to see if she had laid yet. There was no egg but Dotty jumped into the nest box from outside of the coop and settled down so I gently closed the lid. I resumed my sweeping up and a few moments later she emerged from the coop. I looked in the nest box again and sure enough there was her egg, all toasty warm. She had a quick feed and drink before going in to bed.

I still really miss Treacle, it is strange not seeing her rush to greet me and I miss her big brown splash of colour when I go up to the girls. I have to remember to give a quarter less when I dish out the treats and in the morning my clean up is noticeably quicker with a quarter less poop to pick up, but there is harmony in the flock at the moment and I am determined to enjoy these girls and do the very best for them that I can.

After losing Treacle, I felt I needed to spend more time with the three girls. I suddenly realised how healthy and vibrant they look. They have bright red combs, fluffy bottoms and are very active. Maybe while trying to build up Treacle, I got these girls to their peak. It also made me realise that whatever was wrong was in Treacle, because these girls couldn’t look more healthy.

Dotty

Bluebell and Pepper

It was the first sunny day in while so after sweeping the shavings from under the coop, I threw them out into the patch of sun with a few grapes, to give the girls some fun scratching.

Pepper

Unfortunately I couldn’t catch Pepper facing me, but she is a huge ball of fluffy feathers.

Fluffy bottoms

I think the girls are missing Treacle as I have noticed changes in their behaviour. This morning when I cleaned out the coop all three girls kept coming in the coop. At first I thought that they surely couldn’t all want to lay at once. Then I realised that they seem to want to stick close to me. They would go in through the coop door and out the side panel where I was kneeling while cleaning. They stuck by me the whole time where as they usually wander off into the garden area.

Later when I went in and stood by the coop they all jumped onto the coop roof and were milling around me. By this time Bluebell and Pepper had laid an egg but they still all three kept going into the coop. I think that because they can’t find Treacle, and she spent time on her last day in the nest box, they are looking in there for her. Bluebell who was closest to her was going in the most.

Bluebell keeps looking in the coop

Bluebell never usually goes in the coop if she doesn’t need to lay. I think this is a time of adjustment for us all.

While doing my weekly clean and sweeping out the shavings from underneath the coop I went through them to see if my earring may have dropped under the coop but no sign of it, so it looks like Dotty definitely ate it!

By late afternoon, after much scratching about in the nest box, Dotty laid her third egg in a row, giving us a three egg day! Way to go Dotty!

Unlike the other girl’s Dotty laid her second egg the day after her first. There was a lot of egg laying noise going on and I went to take a look at Dotty on the nest but Bluebell was determined to get in on the act too.

Bluebell seems to want to join Dotty in the nest box

Bluebell watches Dotty in the nest box

I thought that Bluebell wanted to lay as well but then I saw what was causing her interest. Bluebell had already laid and her egg was laying beside Dotty. I took the egg away and calm settled.

Dotty about to lay her second egg

Bluebell finally left Dotty to get on with it and when I went back a little later, there was Dotty’s second egg. It wasn’t quite as long as yesterdays but still paler than Pepper’s with little white specks on it. I think I will probably continue to be able to tell Pepper’s and Dotty’s eggs apart. Well done Dotty! Dotty started her egg laying, by laying two days in a row, maybe she is trying to make up for lost time. It will be interesting to see she lays another one tomorrow.

The morning after losing our lovely Treacle, Dotty surprised us with her first egg. I had began to think this day would never come. My “time warp” baby has finally grown up at nine months old. Her egg is paler and longer and more pointed than Pepper’s and a good size for a first egg,

Dotty’s first egg

There is  a little smear of blood on the tip.

Dotty’s egg is on the right, Pepper’s is in the middle and Bluebell’s on the left

Dotty’s first egg is s good size

I think Dotty ate my earring yesterday. She loves to jump on my shoulder and I know that chickens are attracted to shiny things. She has often taken a peck at my earring but I usually just try to hide it under my hair. Yesterday she took a peck and I put my hand up and found the earring back, but the gold stud had gone. I searched for it and couldn’t find it so think she must have swallowed it. The worrying thing is that the stem of the earring is quite sharp. My husband said not to worry too much as they swallow sharp bits of grit. She seems absolutely fine. I have read on another blog of someone else having this happen.

Pepper has also taken to jumping on my back whenever she can. She always looked like she wanted to jump on me but couldn’t find the courage and she can’t jump from the ground to my shoulder like Dotty as she is a plumper chook but if I sit on my little chair she will now jump on my lap and if I go to the nest box or the store cabinet she is straight on my back. I am not sure why they like to do this but I don’t mind as I like the interaction. I do have to make sure I am not wearing anything good to visit them though or I end up with a muddy back. I have an old fleece which I wear for the chickens and sometimes have them two at a time on my back. They are funny girls. I am looking forward to the summer when I can sit with them on my lap in the evenings again.

Yesterday I lost my lovely Treacle. I cried buckets yesterday and was too upset to write this straight away. In the morning we syringed her medicine into her beak and then some sugar water. I made her a mash of pellets, tuna, yogurt, tomato and sprinkled sunflower hearts and dried meal worms on top and offered it to her but she wouldn’t attempt it. Later I offered her maggots but again she showed no interest al all.

She went to stand under the bush. Later she went and sat in the nest box which is something she never does. Pepper was very cross as she wanted to lay her egg so I picked Treacle up and took her indoors to sit on my lap for about half an hour. She kept closing her eyes and her beak would open which I know is a sign of stress. I stroked her and talked to her while the tears streamed.

I put her back in the nest box and a few minutes later she went out to the water. She would drink water and just remain standing by the water for a long time. Her poops were now bright yellow and green, a bad sign. She then went back to stand under the bush, then returned to the nest box.

I knew that she had given up and that if she wouldn’t eat there was no chance of her getting better. I couldn’t let her suffer any more so I rang the vet to see if I could take her to be put to sleep. I agonised over this all day and if I thought she would die in her sleep over night, I would have left her but I knew she could go on just drinking water for several days like this. With the other girls doing all the chicken things and her only standing doing nothing, she has no quality of life.

My husband drove me to the vet so that I could have Treacle on my lap for the half hour journey. I stroked and talked to her the whole way while raining tears.

The vet was very kind (my usual vet was on his day off), he felt her and said she was very weak. He said she may have a crop problem but we will never really know what was wrong with her. I held her while he gave her the injection and she went very quickly. He let me hold her until I was ready then laid her down and tucked her head under her wing.

My husband said he found it all very upsetting too but that I was very good with her and that it was the right thing to do. It is so frustrating not knowing what was wrong with her or why this happened.

I never thought I would get so attached but at fifty two years old this is the first time in my adult life that I have had pets and I think once your children are grown up, pets become your babies.

Treacle was the first one to sit on my lap or shoulder and when she was in what I think of as the teenage stage, she would follow me around and jump on my back when ever she could. Even a few weeks ago she would jump on my lap despite me keep picking her up for what ever reason. When she was standing in the coop yesterday she would still come to the coop door when she heard me open their gate. She was my most interactive girl.

Treacle was ten months old and had been laying for two months before she suddenly stopped at the first signs of her illness. She laid forty three eggs in total during a Sixty seven day period. She laid lovely dark brown eggs.

I am ending with some photos of her as a tribute to our beautiful Treacle.

Treacle likes to be stroked

Treacle gently nuzzles my arm

Treacle also likes to get on eye level

Treacle on my shoulder

Treacle on the coop roof

Treacle is about to lay her first egg

Treacle on the umbrella

Treacle’s comb and wattles

Giving Treacle a bath

This photo was a week ago before I first took her to the vet. In the following week she went down hill so fast. I didn’t take any photos at the end because I was too upset but her comb looked very different from this picture. It had shrivelled to half the size and gone very grey.

This morning it was so sad to be greeted by three girls instead of four. I opened up the nest box and there was what I thought was Pepper’s egg. I then remembered that Pepper laid an egg at lunch time yesterday and only usually lays every other day. I picked it up and realised it was paler and longer than Pepper’s eggs and had a little streak of blood on it. It suddenly dawned on me that it was Dotty’s first egg. Ironic how the circle of life goes on! My husband had said that Dotty was going “boc boc” yesterday for the first time. With all the worry over Treacle I had missed the sign. Dotty is nine months old and all grown up at last. I am saving the photo of her first egg for my next post.

After the girls had their breakfast, Dotty went and stood under the bush looking really sad. At first I thought there was something wrong with her or that it was the shock of her first egg, then I realised she was standing where Treacle had stood for the last few days. Dotty was looking for Treacle. Suddenly all three girls in a row explored every corner of the garden area then went to the patio area, they all trooped in a line behind the coop, under the nest box, to the side of the cabinet, to every corner. I realised they were looking for Treacle and it made my cry all over again.

I am sure they miss her too. Goodbye sweet Treacle.

This morning we had to syringe Treacle’s medicine into her beak again. Tomorrow morning after we have done this we will syringe some sugar water into her beak as well to see if we can give her a boost. She has only eaten little amounts of tomato, grape and tuna when picked up and won’t compete with the other girls for food on the ground. I have bought some more maggots to try her with tomorrow. My main concern is that she is not eating enough to build up her strength. She has been preening a little and did have a drink of water before going to bed.

My friend Jackie (who has chickens too) visited us today to give me another pair of eyes on Treacle. She said that she didn’t seem in any pain so thinks I am right to hang on for a bit. I don’t want Treacle to suffer but don’t want to give up if there is any chance of recovery.

We did discuss whether she had a sight problem as she flicks her head and sometimes doesn’t seem to see food items but my husband pointed out that sometimes she goes straight for her favoured food items in a dish held in front of her so he thinks she does see okay. I think we are clutching at all sorts of straws at the moment and will have to play it by ear over the next few days.

Treacle’s first day after her second injection didn’t go as well as last time. This morning at first light I took the syringe with her medicine in and a dish of tuna separately, so as not to waste the medicine if she wouldn’t eat the tuna. I picked her up and offered her the tuna and was disappointed that refused to touch it.

A little later we syringed the medicine into her beak once more. I then gave the girls the last of the maggots and this was the only time all day that Treacle joined in with the feeding. Other than that she only ate a few little bits of tomato and grapes. She is slow and just stands in the garden area most of the day, showing little interest in anything.

At bed time I sat in with them and the only thing Treacle went to was the grit. She looked up at me with such a sad look that it broke my heart. I noticed that her comb, which lost it’s redness, when she fist became ill, had shrunk some more and now looked quite grey. The other three girls have lovely red combs.

My only hope now is that today she is still suffering from the stress of yesterday, having anaesthetic and another larger injection, and that after another nights rest she may feel  a little better. I know that I am probably kidding myself though.

I know that if she is not better tomorrow, I will soon have a decision to make because I can’t let her suffer. I have been very tearful while struggling with this. I never knew this was going to be so heartbreaking.

I had never handled a chicken before getting these girls eight months ago but recently with Treacle I have picked her up, carried her round, had her sat on my lap, sometimes for long periods in the vets waiting room, bathed her and hand fed her. I have had the most intimate moments with Treacle. When I held her while the vet examined her she was calm but when he took her for her x-ray she squawked at him. She looks up at me and makes sad little noises and I know she wants me to help her, but I feel so helpless!

I am willing her to get better with all my strength, but I know I have done everything I can for her and if she doesn’t improve over the next few days then she probably won’t.  I feel so upset right now.

Treacle was the first to sit on my lap and used to jump on my back at every chance she got. She has been a good top hen and stopped Dotty from bullying. The flock dynamics will not be the same if she goes. I have loved having her sat on my lap for a bit of attention. I am finding this so hard but must wait to see what tomorrow brings and hope for an improvement.