Carol's Chickens

Poor Dotty is having a really hard moult. At first I felt the moult wasn’t having much effect on the girls but that was before Dotty suddenly lost loads of feathers at once including her tail. She looks much worse than the other girls and isn’t her usual self. She seems to have lost her confidence.

Usually when I dig for worms Dotty would get the lions share because she was so much faster than the other girls. Now when I dig for worms Dotty doesn’t get any as she hangs back with the bantys and is slow. Just when she needs them most she is missing out.

She is last to get to me when I have treats although once she gets there she gets stuck in but sometimes when I give the late afternoon corn she comes to me first before joining the others.

She was always jumping on my back but now looks like she wants to, her neck twisting to judge a jump, but doesn’t always seem to have the confidence. To help her out I stand next to her when she is on the coop roof and she steps across to me then back to the coop roof when she is ready. It’s heart warming that she wants that contact but also pulls at my heart strings that it’s not so easy and confidant as usual.

This was Dotty two weeks ago when she looked shabby but still had a tail.

Dotty still had a tail

Two days later her tail fell out leaving one remaining small feather. Two weeks later she is still hanging on to that last tail feather.

Dotty still has one remaining tail feather

The cold weather is changing the bedtime routine but again Dotty is reacting differently from the other girls. The bantys have been going in the coop before the automatic door closes for a couple of weeks now.

The colder dusk temperatures seem to have sparked a change in Pepper and Bluebell and they have now gone in the coop themselves for the last three nights.

Poor Dotty is alone on the coop roof at dusk waiting for me to lift her down and put her in. I feel the reason for this is, because she isn’t herself at the the moment, she goes up to the coop roof first and whereas the other girls were going to the coop roof but staying alert, she hunkers down into a snoozing position.

Now it’s turned colder Pepper and Bluebell do the pecking round the coop door ritual then go in. By now it’s too dark for Dotty to join them so she waits for me. I go in at dusk and as I approach the coop I talk gently so she knows it’s me and then stand next to the coop. Dotty shuffles over towards me as if she wants me to lift her down.

I do this as gently as I can but she squeaks and feels like a hedgehog and I know it must be uncomfortable for her. If only she would go in herself, I wouldn’t have to lift her down. Yet I feel that until she gets through the moult and is herself again she won’t go in herself. She seems to want me to put her in.

I am so looking forward to Dotty getting her feathers back and regaining her confidence. It will be so good to see her back to her normal self again.

I feel so sorry for Dotty as she is having the worst moult of all my girls. Dotty is looking more ragged and tatty by the minute and when I pick her up to put her in the coop at night she is as prickly as a hedgehog because of her new feathers coming through. I handle her as gently as I can and wonder why she doesn’t go in herself so that she doesn’t need to be picked up.

A very ragged Dotty looking very sorry for herself

Dotty’s loose chest feathers

Up until now the moult didn’t seem to be having much effect on the girls but now poor Dotty is not quite her usual self. She is grumpy with the bantys and is pecking at them if they get near her in much the same way as Bluebell does, whereas usually Dotty is very tolerant with them.

When I went to the store cabinet for their late afternoon corn she didn’t jump to the coop roof like she usually does. She is usually first to the coop roof then the cabinet and often has her beak inside the cabinet door as I get the corn out. She still rushed to the corn but couldn’t seem to be bothered with the usual jumping. I am not worried about her as she is eating well and her comb is red it’s just that she doesn’t have her usual bounce.

I am giving extra protein to help the girls through the moult and I am sure she will feel much better when her feathers are through.

The bantys are now going into the coop at bedtime. The big girls still go to coop roof but it’s as if they are ready for me to put them in. If Bluebell is on the storage cabinet she will jump to the coop roof so that I can lift her down. Dotty sidles across close to me to be lifted down and Pepper sometimes goes in on her own and sometimes looks like she is going in then changes her mind and jumps to the coop roof for me to lift her down. It’s as if the big girl’s want me to lift them from the coop roof and I wonder if this has now become a habit or if they will start to go in on their own as the weather gets colder.

As the little girls have started going in on their own I am still hopeful but only time will tell.

This morning I picked up lots of feathers from the coop once more but when I went back into the run mid morning I picked up five long tail feathers. It’s Dotty’s turn to lose her tail and she only had a couple of tail feathers remaining and looked quite ridiculous.

The bantys had new tail feathers growing in behind the tail feathers that fell out but Dotty doesn’t. I had read that even chickens of the same breed can moult in quite a different pattern and this is certainly true of Pepper and Dotty. When I pick up Pepper, I can feel the pin feathers coming through but there are no obvious missing feathers and she doesn’t appear to have lost any tail feathers. Maybe Pepper will lose her tail later.

Dotty in comparison is noticeably losing feathers and her tail has fallen out as quickly as the bantys did.

For comparison this is Pepper who still has her tail

Dotty only has a few tail feathers left

What a sorry sight Dotty is and when I went back in at lunch time she had only one remaining tail feather, just like Honey before her.

Dotty now has only one tail feather left

You can see Amber in the background with her tail already regrowing whereas Dotty just has fluffy feathers.

Poor Dotty, without her tail, she has an oven ready chicken shape. It’s amazing what a difference their tail makes to their shape. I do hope it grows back soon.

This morning there were loads of feathers in the coop again. Dotty’s chest is a mass of loose feathers and she looks like a gust of wind could blow them away.

Dotty has lots of loose feathers

A close up of Dotty

Dotty seems to be moulting more completely than the other girls. As this is my first experience of the moulting process, I am trying to document it so that I can look back at it in the future.

Bluebell doesn’t look too bad.

Bluebell’s only bare spot is her neck and that was due to the earlier plucking. It’s a shame the feathers don’t seem to be coming back in yet.

Pepper doesn’t look too bad either

Pepper didn’t noticeably seem to lose her chest feathers but I could feel the stiff pin feathers on her chest when I picked her up at bedtime. She just has a ragged tail and bare bottom. She has pin feathers there but they seem to be taking ages to come through.

Honey and Amber

Honey is on the left and Amber on the right. They don’t look to bad either apart from missing tails which I’ve got quite used to now.

Dotty and Pepper together

Dotty is on the left and Pepper on the right. I thought this would give a comparison on their differing looks. Dotty’s lobes are much bigger than Pepper’s and her face is quite different.

Close up of Amber

Close up of Honey

Honey does make me smile, she always looks a bit comical, so much so that I couldn’t resist putting on another photo of her.

Honey standing a bit more upright

Honey is the more shy one of the two little girls so I don’t often get close up photos of her. She tends to back away from the camera but as she walked past me I just kept clicking.

This is a comprehensive account of the girls first moult and I can’t wait to have follow up photos of the girls fully feathered.

Yesterday we had to go out to do a delivery at four o’clock and got back just after five o’clock. Before we left I propped the coop door open with the doorstop to give the little girls more time to go in if they wanted to.

On our return I took my torch to check on the girls. Both the bantys were in the coop and settled in their usual spot on the edge of the nest box. The three big girls were huddled together on the coop roof. I lifted down Bluebell as she was nearest me, then Pepper. Dotty who was furthest away then shuffled across to get closer to me. This made lifting her down easy and it seemed as if she was ready to be put in. Why don’t they just go in on their own!

Over the last few days there have been loads of dominique feathers in the coup each morning and quite a few in the run. I think they are coming from Dotty. Pepper has been back to laying every other day for the last three weeks and apart from missing feathers on her bottom and a ragged tail, she is quite well feathered, so I think she has finished her moult. Dotty on the other hand hasn’t laid for ten days now and is looking really tatty. Every move she makes has more feathers fluttering from her and she looks really tatty under her wings.

This morning was cold and slightly frosty so I decided to give the girls some warm mash. It ensures they start the day with their pellets, they see it as a treat and it gave me a chance to take some photos of their feathers.

Tatty Dotty

I put in two dishes of mash so that they could all get a share and they were perfectly behaved, with the big girls at one dish and the little girls at the other. It looked as if I had told them which dish was for who but we all know they never take any notice of what they are told!

You can see that Pepper on the left, is just a bit ragged, whereas Dotty on the right is really tatty under her wings.

The bantys with a dish of mash

I think the bantys heads are looking much better as they are losing the white patches. I have got used to seeing them without tails now.

In the afternoon we gave the girls a bag of leaves that my husband had swept up after Mondays strong winds. They had lots of fun with them and spent all afternoon scattering them and picking out any bugs.

Scratching in the leaves

The girls are all head down in the leaves

When I went back later in the afternoon the leaves were well and truly scattered.

The leaves are scattered

Pepper is in the foreground and Dotty behind her. Again you can see how tatty she is under her wings but at least she has feathers on her head now and they are also coming back in on her neck at last.

While I was doing my end of day chores leading up to bedtime a local gardener arrived to prune some branches from next doors huge tree which was overhanging our garden and blocking light. The girls didn’t like the sound of the chainsaw so I stayed in with them to calm them. It was getting towards dusk and Honey decided to take herself into the coop to bed.

The big girls went on to the coop roof and Amber tried to join them. She would get a peck from either Bluebell or Pepper and only Dotty took no notice of her. Eventually she gave up and went into the coop. The door had started closing so I propped it open with my doorstop.

I lifted down Dotty then Bluebell. Pepper jumped down and made her own way in and I closed the door. Is this progress! We will see what tomorrow evening brings.

There has been a storm warning for days now, telling us that last night and this morning most of the country would be hit by heavy rain and winds of up to ninety miles an hour.

Yesterday (Sunday) turned into a bright day with blue sky and some sun, after a night of rain, the lull before the storm! We decided that while it was nice we should clear the vegetable plot before the storm hit. I picked the last few runner beans for a small portion with our Sunday roast and my husband cleared away the bean plants. We have been digging up potatoes as we need them but he dug up the last half row of potatoes and we were quite pleased with the size of them.

A bowl full of potatoes

Once my husband had cleared the veg plot he laid the remaining chicken wire we had in the shed over the plot and secured it with tiles (left over from our loft conversion years ago, but you never know when they will come in useful). He laid a row of tiles over the remaining space. The reason for this is that once the veg plot is cleared the neighbourhood cats use it as a toilet and we are hoping this will protect it.

The cleared and covered veg plot

We took down the patio table and chairs, the umbrella and the hanging baskets. We checked the chicken run and felt it was all quite secure. Last year over winter we put clear plastic sheeting over the top of the garden part of the run. This used to make a lot of noise when the wind tugged at it. This year we wanted to make a better job of it and put the plastic sheeting inside the run under the chicken wire. We secured it with lots of wooden batons and felt much happier about it being able to withstand the coming wind.

The clocks had gone back an hour the night before so as the automatic door closer had been closing at about half past six, I was expecting it to close at about half past five. I was in with the girls doing my last clean up chores at half past four when it suddenly got very overcast and started to rain. The door started to shut at quarter to five and I propped it open with my door stop.

With a storm coming I decided it would be best to get the girls in as soon as possible. Honey went in on her own and the big girls jumped to coop roof. I lifted them down and put them in the coop. Amber wanted to go in on her own but every time she tried to enter the coop Bluebell would peck her and  Amber would back off. This is frustrating because I would worry if that if they all started to go in on their own and Bluebell went in before one of the bantys she would stop them going in and the door may close leaving them trapped outside. It’s just as well we never go anywhere and I am always here to check that they are all safely inside.

I kept reaching in and forcing Bluebell back and eventually Amber went in. I shut the door to the sound of a banty squeal. I feel so sorry for the little girls as I knew this was Bluebell giving Amber a last peck before they settled. All went quiet and I left them at five o’clock and went back inside through the rain.

Being a light sleeper I spent the night waking and listening but there was only the sound of the rain. At half past six in the morning the wind hit us. We could hear the roar and as it was just getting light we looked out and the trees were all swaying but everything seemed okay. At quarter to seven I went out to the girls. They didn’t seem bothered and by seven o’clock when I had finished my morning chores all became calm. The wind storm had only lasted half an hour and there was no damage. I was so pleased that the run and the plastic cover had withstood the storm.

Later as I went out to do my deliveries there were a few small trees down but only blocking half the road so I was able to get through okay. There was quite a bit of debris but I feel we got off pretty lightly.

Today I went out to the girls at half past four and again the automatic door started to shut before five o’clock. I propped it open and watched the girls. They all went to the coop roof then the storage cabinet. They all did a lot of neck stretching and looking and I felt that I  could read their minds. They can’t understand where the little chair and the big perch have gone. They would go back and forth from the coop roof to the cabinet and were looking and stretching and at one point Bluebell jumped on to my shoulder which she hasn’t done for ages.

Amber went into the coop first this time and I decided to put Bluebell in last so that she wouldn’t stop Honey going in. I lifted down Dotty and Pepper and put them in. Amber didn’t look like she would go in on her own so I lifted her down and put her in then put Bluebell in last. At five o’clock they were all in and I shut the door. I am beginning to wonder if they will ever  go in on their own again.

I am so pleased that we have survived the storm unscathed and will continue to help the girls to bed until they (if ever) decide to do it themselves. As long as they are happy that is good enough for me.

Last year the girls started going into the coup at bedtime around the middle of September. At the moment they are still roosting on the high perch and I lift them down each evening and shut them in the coop. On a few cold days the bantys have gone in the coop themselves but the big girls haven’t.

I thought about what is different this year to last year and there are quite a few differences. It hasn’t been as cold as last year and recently has been exceptionally warm for this late in the year. Last winter we still had Treacle and as top hen she made sure everyone went into the coop at the beginning of the cooler weather. Now Pepper is top hen and seems to like staying out.

Another difference is that there is a high perch which they like to roost on. We put in the high perch as a place the bantys could escape to when the big girls were bullying them. They never used it as an escape though and during the day I have never seen any of the girls use the high perch. They use the branch perch in the garden part of the run. They only ever use the high perch at bedtime so I think it must feel like a safe place to roost. The answer therefore, seems to be, to remove the high perch.

Today we have taken the high perch away and I removed my little chair that hung under the roof and stored it in the shed for now. I want to see if this will cause the girls to decide that going in the coop will be a better option. It may take a few evenings but I am hopeful that it may just change their bedtime routine.

At dusk it was complete chaos and confusion. Honey was the first to go to the coop roof then the cabinet.

Honey is first to the top of the store cabinet

I love those comedy feet with her crossed legs and a look of confusion!

The three big girls go to the coop roof

You can see Honey in the background looking for the little chair which is where the bantys liked to sit.

Bluebell on the cabinet

Bluebell is next across to the cabinet and is also looking for the little chair, she also liked to sit there, to stop the bantys sitting there! You can see the hook where the chair used to hang.

Honey decides to go into the coop

There is a lot of jumping back and forth from the cabinet to the coop roof and Honey gives up and goes into the coop.

Dotty is looking for the high perch

Dotty spent a bit of time looking for the high perch and you could almost read their minds saying “where has the chair gone?”, “where has the perch disappeared to?”.

Back to the coop roof

Pepper, Bluebell and Amber were back on the coop roof. At this point Dotty didn’t seem to know what to do next and suddenly launched herself from the cabinet to my shoulder.

At this point I decided it was time to put the girls in. I put Dotty in, then Pepper. Amber jumped down and went in by herself. I put Bluebell in and Pepper came back out. I waited a few minutes and Pepper went back in.

I knew the first evening was going to be confusing. I just hope when they realise that this is how it is now they will start going in, especially if it turns colder as it is forecast to do soon. They don’t like change but hopefully will get used to it soon.

Yesterday Honey lost most of her tail during the morning. When I went back in at lunch time the first thing I saw was a long, dark, banty tail feather. I looked for Honey and sure enough, there she was with no tail. Her tail is even shorter and scruffier than Ambers. In half a day she has gone from having a tail, to one remaining tail feather, to no tail at all.

This morning Honey had one remaining tail feather

Honey with no tail

A scruffy looking Honey

Two little girls without tails

Amber is on the left with her tail starting to grow back and Honey is on the right with no tail at all. The bantys without their tails remind me of quails (okay, I just made a rhyme, but there is no other way to say it)! They do look sorry little girls at the moment but I am sure it won’t be long before they are back to their former glory.

I had only just finished my post on Amber losing her tail when I went back into the girls and found several more banty tail feathers. I then saw that Honey has only one remaining tail feather. The feathers are coming out so fast!

Honey with only one remaining tail feather

These little girls are losing feathers right in front of me and changing their looks in an instant!

As the moult continues I am picking up long, dark, banty tail feathers and I suddenly realised that Amber has lost her tail. Honey’s tail is getting thinner too.

Amber has lost her tail

What a scruffy little girl Amber is at the moment. She now has a short tail so I assume these are the new feathers and will gradually get longer.

Honey’s tail

Honey still has her tail but I am still picking up tail feathers so I don’t think it will be long before she loses hers too. I am amazed at the volume of banty feathers I have picked up and yet they have no bare patches, they just look dishevelled.

The little girls haven’t laid any eggs for a month now. What surprises me is that Pepper and Dotty are still laying every other day and Bluebell still lays every day with only one day off, on average every five days. She has never taken more than one day off and when she misses a day she always lays at first light the next day. Yesterday was only the second time that we had no eggs and Bluebell was back in the nest box at first light this morning.

Another change that has taken place is that Pepper has returned to laying in the nest box instead of the little coop. After laying only in the little coop and getting very agitated and vocal if someone else was in there when she wanted to go in, she has suddenly switched back to the nest box. I wonder if it is because it is colder now but who knows what goes on in their little chicken brains!