Carol's Chickens

Today we went to the farm to collect some disposables, but mostly on my part, to visit the girls.

The farmer sent me a text message a couple of days ago to let me know that Honey and Topaz were enjoying the sun in the enclosed area outside the barn. It was very kind of her to let me know that they were okay.

Topaz and Honey were in the barn together

I had taken along some sunflower hearts and used them to encourage them out of the barn.

Honey was first out

Honey with the big girls

Honey comes over to see me

Topaz and Honey mix with the big girls

Topaz and Honey stick together

They face this bantam pekin together

The big girls didn’t seem to bother my two it was the other bantams that chased them round a bit.

I then went over to the orchard and found Dotty. She has a lovely red comb and wattles and her neck is fully feathered. She looked really great and seemed so big.

Dotty with a friend

Dotty is looking great

I called in to see the farmer. She said the plan was to keep all the hens and the cockerel in the enclosed part next to barn until my girls were settled but she said my old girls (Dotty and Pepper) had managed to get out each day with a few friends. I said that I hadn’t seen Pepper and she said that she is around somewhere. They like to get up in to the tree and under the bushes.

She said my two little girls were doing fine and Honey was first out of the barn in the morning. She said any time I needed to re home any girls she would always be happy to have them. Hopefully I won’t need to do this again but it so good to know that I have someone who can help me like this.

I was most worried about Honey but it turns out that she is having an easier time of it. I think Topaz probably tried to be bossy and got taken down a peg or two whereas Honey would just get out of the way.

I feel so happy now that I have seen them settling in.

After the emotional upheaval of the last few days I felt the need to celebrate my flock of six. I have spent time being with them today and without the top two girls the remaining six are getting along quietly.

I gave them a treat of fish this morning and they all got their share easily.

Some fish for my six girls

The six girls scratch together before bedtime

After the bedtime corn they always spend some time scratching together. This seems to be a ritual and I don’t know what they can possibly find but they always spend time scratching before bedtime.

I have decided to keep my flock at six from now on. I wonder if eight was too many to get along, in my set up, without a problem.

The pecking order has adjusted very subtly. Without the two top girls enforcing it all the time it has become more gentle. Butterscotch is now top hen but is not as aggressive as Topaz (no need to peck) she just runs at, or leans towards Toffee to show her her place. Toffee is a little more force full and aims a peck at Emerald’s back. Peaches and Barley are next and Speckles is at the bottom except that the odd thing is, as it has been since she arrived, Speckles is still above Toffee. Toffee is the only girl she can chase and Toffee is firmly above Emerald especially and Peaches and Barley without any fuss and yet she runs from Speckles.

I actually quite like this because they all have their place but Speckles although at the bottom of four of the girls does also have a girl below her so isn’t a hundred percent at the bottom.

Speckles jumps on me all the time, every time I go through the gate. Peaches and Barley jump on me half the time. Emerald now jumps on the inner, child gate, every time I go in and sometimes jumps on my arm. Toffee now tries to jump on me but so far only makes it to my arm and Butterscotch is the only one of my girls now that doesn’t attempt to jump on me. She is not the right build for such antics. The flock seems much more interactive with me at the moment.

I go through the gate and have all of the girls bouncing all over me apart from Butterscotch who never attempts to leave the ground and just mills around my feet.

I am feeling calmer and the flock feels calmer. We intend to visit the farm soon to see how Topaz and Honey are getting on. I think about them and hope they are okay. I know that my flock are better for not being plucked but they also seem to be more gentle with each other and more interactive with me too. I am certain that this was the right thing to do.

I am feeling sad today about re homing girls once more. I was quite tearful about it last night.

I decided that I needed to remind myself why I had to do this. I looked through photos of the girls when this was happening before.

Amber

This was Amber in May, two years ago. She has a lovely red comb and face and is giving me the chat like she always did but she looks dreadful with her plucked head and neck. I simply could not let this happen again.

The girls enjoy a broccoli stalk

This was Amber, left of Honey, in April last year the day before she died. The next morning I found her dead by the pop hole at first light. She had a great last day all over the broccoli stalk and was looking really good. It was an awful shock when she went so suddenly but she had enjoyed her last year without being plucked.

I just could not go back to those days. I am sure Topaz and Honey will be as happy on the farm as Pepper and Dotty and my little flock of six can keep their feathers. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

Mid morning today I went in to the girls and found some of Topaz’s tail feathers in their separated bit. My heart sank a bit more.

Topaz’s tail feathers

If I leave Topaz and Honey together Topaz is going to lose feathers but if I put Topaz back with the main girls Butterscotch will lose her pins before they open.

Butterscotch’s pin feathers are very tempting

I put a big dish of mash in the main flock’s side and a small dish of mash in the separated side as a treat and distraction. At lunch time both dishes were empty. I picked up the small dish from the separated side and put it on the wooden table while I secured the gate. In a nano second all the girls, apart from the slower Butterscotch, were up on the table to see what was in this dish. Not a lot, girls!

New feeding station

Yesterday I had been thinking about re homing Topaz and Honey on the farm where I had re homed Pepper and Dotty. I cried at the prospect of doing this again but after talking to my husband and Jackie about this I had decided to have a chat with the farmer. Both my husband and Jackie are in agreement that I must think of the rest of the flock and I can’t risk this habit spreading and ending up with a plucked flock once more.

If this happened I wouldn’t be able to add new girls and would be stuck with this problem. It is odd that Topaz and Honey were with the flock when this was happening last time and I wonder if it’s something remembered or some instinct from that time.

I tried calling the farmer yesterday but got no reply. After finding feathers from Topaz today I called again and left a message asking her to call me.

She called late this afternoon and was so lovely and said that it had worked out for Pepper and Dotty and she would be happy to do the same with these two girls. She said to bring them over straight away. She is going to keep them in her kitchen until dusk and then put them in the barn with her flock.

She will keep the flock in the barn for three days then let them all out together. She has always done it this way and says it works for her and worked well last time. As before she said that she will look after them to the best of her ability and I can visit them. She thought they were beautiful.

Topaz and Honey in the farmer’s kitchen

I did say something about hygiene and she said that she has had calves and all manner of farm animals in her kitchen.

My flock of six

When I gave out the pre bedtime corn my flock of six was lacking some colour and I felt so sad. I hate that I have had to do this again but I think it is the right thing for my flock.

Once settled Topaz and Honey will have a meadow to free range in and a cockerel to keep the flock in order. They will be reunited with Pepper and Dotty although I don’t know if they could possibly remember them.

Most of all though, my flock will get to keep their feathers and I can get back to enjoying them instead of stressing and getting tearful. I am sure this was the right thing to do.

Okay, I have just had a little weep but onwards and upwards.

While we were at Homebase getting some things for our upcoming sitting room make over I thought that I would buy another annual for my empty chicken bucket.

A new plant in my chicken bucket

I then spotted this pretty primula and couldn’t resist it.

A new primula

We have lots of primula in our garden. They do very well in this garden and self seed all over the place but I didn’t have one this colour. I am hoping this one will self seed and spread itself around the garden as it is so pretty.

This morning I went out at half past six to let Topaz and Honey out of the little coop. A few minutes later the automatic door opened on the main chicken shed.

Topaz was first out this morning

Honey coming out

Speckles seems to miss Honey and has spent parts of the day following Honey through the wire. I think Speckles would like to get in with them.

Speckles watching Honey through the wire

All the girls seem happy and Honey laid her egg at lunch time. At least she has the nest box to herself. Topaz appeared to be standing guard over her. She stood at the foot of the ramp and gave a shout when Honey laid her egg.

I thought it was going really well until late this afternoon when I caught Honey pulling a clump of feathers from Topaz’s behind and eating them. She then followed Topaz around trying to get to her again with me shouting “NO, NO, NO!”.

I feel really frustrated now. I don’t know what to do. If I leave them together Topaz will probably end up with a bare bottom. If I let Topaz back in with the main flock I am afraid Butterscotch will lose her pin feathers again.

Butterscotch

Butterscotch has pin feathers on her breast and her head. I really want them to have a chance to open before putting Topaz back.

I can’t split the run three ways because I would need another little coop and feeding station and the bottom, newer part, of the run doesn’t stay dry when it rains despite the roof panels. This is so upsetting.

I think I will have to leave Topaz with Honey until Butterscotch’s pin feathers open or she will lose them and I think a bare neck and head will be worse than a bare bottom. The problem is that because Butterscotch is now laying again her pins are opening really slowly. In fact it’s difficult to see if they are opening at all.

I just don’t know what to do for the best. This is why it would have been good if Topaz could have stayed with Jackie’s flock. It’s such a shame her girls made such a fuss. I felt so positive this morning and now I am back to feeling frustrated and upset again.

Over the last week we hadn’t seen Topaz pulling any feathers and the girl’s necks don’t appear to look any worse.

However we have seen Honey pulling feathers every day. I saw her pull a bunch of feathers from Peaches and Barley and she was eating them. Toffee was next to her and ate one too. By the time I caught up with them I only managed to pick one feather up. This decided me that it was time to separate Honey. I don’t want the other girls to pick up this habit.

My husband saw Honey pull feathers from Butterscotch’s breast a little later and that evening I saw Honey try to pull a tail feather from Butterscotch. She was actually hanging on to her tail until I separated them.

Yesterday I got the run set up ready for separation this morning. I have put a little coop/nest box in the separated side and a feeding station with water dish, pellet dish and a dish of grit and oyster shell.

This morning after their sunflower seeds I scooped up Honey and put her in the separated part. She wasn’t happy about it and I didn’t like doing it as I have never separated one girl on her own before.

I started the day with Honey being separated from the rest of the flock

A little later this morning my husband said that he had just seen Topaz pull some feathers from Butterscotch’s breast. That clinched it for me. They can both be separated together.

Topaz and Honey are now separated from the rest of the flock

I know there is a chance that they may pluck each other but it seems that Butterscotch is the main target for both of them. I think that is because she is still moulting a bit at a time, so long after the other girls have finished, her loose feathers and pin feathers are just too tempting.

At least this will give her a chance for her pin feathers to open and Topaz and Honey will be company for each other which makes me feel better about the separation.

Butterscotch is looking really shabby

Barley laid her egg first thing this morning followed a little later by Emerald. Butterscotch went in to lay her egg and a bit later Toffee wanted to lay. She got quite agitated because there is now one less big nest box and she doesn’t like the little ones.

Eventually she must have got desperate and decided she would have to share with Butterscotch.

Toffee goes into the nest box with Butterscotch

She laid her egg straight away and a few minutes later Butterscotch got her egg laid too.

Topaz doesn’t seem bothered by being on the other side but Honey misses being able to run to me. Every time I go to either gate into their part she is there. It makes it difficult for me to get in without her getting out.

When I went in to do the lunch time pick up and give the girls some apple my husband distracted her with a dandelion leaf while I slipped through the gate.

Later in the afternoon I washed all the dishes and filled the water bowls with fresh water. While doing this Honey slipped past me through the gate. I decided to finish what I was doing and then deal with getting her back in. In the end the fact that she wants to be with me made it simple. I opened the gate to come back out and she slipped back in. Once I was back in the main run I could almost see her wondering how that had happened!

I gave them the bedtime corn which is easy enough to throw through both sides of the run and the girls on both sides scratched happily afterwards as usual.

I checked on them at quarter past seven and the main flock were in the chicken shed while Topaz and Honey were still out.

Like last time the girls have left a gap where Topaz and Honey would usually be.

To my surprise at half past seven Topaz went in followed by Honey.

Topaz and Honey put themselves to bed

I crept in and closed the door. I couldn’t believe it had been that easy. What a long way we have come from the days when the girls wouldn’t put themselves to bed.

The first day has gone really well and I think both flocks are happy enough with their space. I think they will be quite happy like this for a while and and am I hopeful that this will work. It’s been a good first day.

Peaches and Barley are so together. They share a dust bath while practically laying on each other. They even share a nest box and lay their eggs together. You will rarely ever see them not together. It does make me smile. This was the pair of them at the food dish yesterday.

Peaches and Barley feeding together

I love how Peaches has to stand in the food dish

In perfect sync

You couldn’t get two girls more in sync than this. They are such a cute pair.

I must admit that I am enjoying my girls, after their shorter than expected, stay away from home but I am keeping a close eye on them. I haven’t actually seen Topaz pull any feathers since she has been back here but Emerald’s white patch on her neck seems more obvious.

I have seen Honey pull a feather from Butterscotch but I think her loose moulting feathers are quite tempting.  For now I am going to watch them and take action if it escalates but leave them be if it seems to be slowing up.

Maybe even a short break has helped. Topaz and Honey were first to bed last night after the bedtime corn as if they were rushing to get in before they got taken away again.

Emerald has a new trick. She now jumps on the inner (child) gate every time I open the outer gate.

Emeralds new trick

Even with her head down you can see a white spot now, which is why I think it may be a little worse than before, but it’s hard to be sure.

Topaz’s comb is healing nicely

There is just a little dark spot by her left eye where her comb was bleeding but it has healed really well and she never looked bothered by it at all.

Honey’s neck looks just the same, I don’t think it has got any worse

Emerald preening

I was trying to get a photo of Emerald’s neck but ended up with this shot instead.

Butterscotch’s neck

Butterscotch’s neck looks worse but that may be partly down to her moulting again. She has some pins on her neck and head but it’s just a case of whether she can keep them long enough for them to open.

I was struggling to get Emerald to look up so that I could get a shot of her neck. My husband came into the run to help me. Speckles now jumps on me every time I go through the gate and very often Peaches or Barley will join her. Toffee has just taking to jumping at me too but often drops down not making it to my shoulder. Yesterday I held out my arm for her and she perched on it briefly. I am amazed as Toffee has always been very shy.

Speckles on my shoulder

Speckles and peaches on my shoulders

How cute are these girls!

Emerald’s neck

It is quite difficult to get a photo of Emerald’s neck but I hope this will serve to tell if it gets any worse. If things just stayed as they are now I would be happy. I just don’t want this to get any worse or for any of the other girls to copy.

It was another five egg day today. Speckles, Peaches, Barley, Honey and Emerald all laid today. Toffee laid yesterday and only Topaz and Butterscotch are not laying at the moment. I gave six eggs to our next door neighbours yesterday for the first time this year.

It is lovely having plenty of eggs once more. Thank you girls! I am hoping that things may run smoothly for a while and settle down once more but you never know what is round the corner.

We have a function to cater tomorrow for forty people. They are having a fork buffet and deserts. My husband made a bird decoration from an apple to garnish one of the dishes.

Apple bird

Little bird

Edible bird decoration

Isn’t this little feller cute!