Carol's Chickens

We have had a few frosts lately so my husband decided to dig up the allotment chard before the frosts got it. It had survived so far because the netting had protected it from the frost. By digging it up it would keep longer and we could give one plant at a time to the girls.

This kept the girls entertained all day and at the end of the day I picked up the bare stems. They love any kind of greens.

We have good friends and neighbours in both houses across the road from us and have regular get togethers. We have lived in this house for seventeen and a half years. The neighbours opposite on the right have lived here longer and on the left not so long.

The house opposite on the left had a huge walnut tree. It was so big that it filled both the large front gardens of the neighbours opposite. It completely blotted out our view of both houses. Every four or five years they had the tree lopped but afterwards it would regrow to an even bigger size. It has probably more than doubled in size since we have lived here.

About a week ago we got a whatsapp message from our neighbours opposite on the right. They said that this time the tree was being taken down. They said it was sad to lose an old tree but it had become unmanageable. The tree roots were lifting the tarmac on their drive and they said next door had very kindly said that it was time for the tree to go.

I have taken before and after photos of the tree in the past so hadn’t this time until I realised it was now going. By the time I took the first photo a chunk of the left hand side of the tree had already been removed, which had spread out to the left side of the hedge.

We have also seen the hedge opposite strimmed many times over the years and that too soon grows back bigger than before.

Yesterday our neighbour’s dad started to take a lot more out of the hedge than usual. We assume this is so that as well as reducing the height it will also reduce the width. It will of course start to green up again in the spring.

The view across the road is now quite different. We have said that we could now wave to each other from the windows. They also said they may now need some net curtains.

I felt that such a huge change would be good to be recorded to look back on. I can imagine us saying in future that we remember the giant walnut tree.

I always give the girls greens every day. Most of the time I give them spinach but in the summer they have any of the greens from the allotment that are either abundant or have gone to seed. Today they have spinach.

Snow went broody three days ago. She had laid eight eggs in thirteen days. This is less than usual for her but it’s probably because it’s late in the year and potentially the last chance to raise chicks, which of course is never going to happen, but she doesn’t know that. This means we now have no girls laying.

Snow isn’t a committed broody and after a few days of closing the nest boxes she comes through it. She may start laying again in a couple of weeks time because as a first year girl she could continue laying through the winter.

Sugar has now started dropping feathers. I am finding them below wherever she perches. This means that she is starting her moult and as she usually stops laying in October I don’t expect her to lay again until the spring.

Red is now eight months old and still showing no sign of coming into lay. I think this means she probably won’t start laying until the spring.

In other critter news I have seen the frog again on the path near the chicken run. On my way up it was sitting on the path in light rain. On my way back down it was further down the path and jumped into the undergrowth.

We have also seen slow worms frequently. We are still seeing all sizes from tiny to really long. It seems late in the year so conditions must be good for them. We obviously have a good breeding population as they are all sizes from tiny through to full grown.

I finished worming the girls four days ago and found no worms so that’s good. The girls are all looking good and are very harmonious. We have a lovely flock.

I worm the flock twice a year in March and September. I am a bit late this time. I have been waiting for Sugar to get through her broody spell before starting as she eats very little when broody. She came through it a few days ago and I started worming yesterday.

I use flubenvet mixed in dishes of mash for seven consecutive days. This has always worked well for me and makes it easy for each girl to get a share.

By the end of the day the dishes are always empty. So far I haven’t found any worms but it’s always best to be on the safe side. It’s also a good chance to get a couple of group photos.

Sugar has stopped laying after laying only five eggs in nine days. She hasn’t followed her normal broody pattern. She usually lays six eggs then is broody, staying in the nest box after laying and puffing herself up and when I lift her out of the nest box she is full of angry broody hormones.

This time Sugar laid five eggs then missed a day without going to the nest box. She lays every other day. The following day she went in the nest box for what I thought would be her sixth egg. Sugar didn’t lay egg number six but has been going in the nest box ever since.

Sugar doesn’t look broody though and there is none of her usual behavior. It is as if she is still waiting to lay her sixth egg. We have never seen her looking so not broody and yet she is spending most of her time in the nest box. When I lift her out she preens, eats, drinks and sometimes has a dust bath. It is without the usual frenzied speed. She then returns to the nest box.

Snow has come back into lay today after a two week break. It’s funny how the pattern continues with one girl stopping and one girl starting.

Snow’s torpedo shaped egg on the left, Sugar’s last egg in the middle and a medium shop bought egg on the right for size comparison.

I wonder if having a day of not laying after Sugar’s last egg has changed her behaviour so that she isn’t looking broody even though she is spending her time in the nest box. It is most odd.

I will continue lifting Sugar out for breaks before deciding if she needs to go in the broody crate to break her out of it. I am perching Sugar at bedtime.

Well done snow! It’s good to continue with some eggs even if they are rather tiny.

Snow, who was recently our only egg layer, went broody two days ago. She had laid thirteen eggs in three weeks. Today Sugar has come back in to lay after a three week break. Sugar will only lay six or seven eggs before going broody again but it may just take us up to Snow coming back into lay.

We seem to be following a pattern of one girl stops and one girl starts.

At this end of the year we are just happy to have any eggs at all. Well done Sugar!

Since I started spraying Autumn’s legs and feet every night with the “healthy legs and feet” spray she has healed nicely. She pecked two more small spots after that but now hasn’t pecked her legs for a week.

I suddenly realised how many sprays I now have in my chicken store cabinet.

This seems ridiculous but I actually feel that they are all invaluable.

Storm is now moulting and I am finding lots of little black feathers in the chicken shed and the run. I think this means she is finished laying for this year. Both Storm and Gold stopped laying at the end of August last year so I think they are finished for now.

I think only Sugar will come back into lay as she finished laying at the end of October last year and she isn’t moulting yet but she only lays six to seven eggs before going broody so it won’t be many.

That leaves just Snow laying and possibly Red if she ever gets started.

I gave the girls a fish treat today as the extra protein is good for them while moulting.

Red has been dropping feathers ever she since she came to us. I can’t remember having a first year girl drop so many feathers before although she never looks any different. She is taking her time maturing.

Snow is giving us enough eggs for one breakfast a week but as long as the girls are happy and healthy I don’t mind.

I think at last Autumn is on the mend. I have been using another spray on her each evening. Once she is perched at bedtime it’s easy to lift her and spray her legs and feet. I have been using “healthy legs and feet”. It says it cleanses bacteria, fungi and all irritants. I have a huge amount of sprays in my store cabinet at the moment!

Autumn hasn’t pecked any new spots over the last few days and is healing. She is back to eating normally and dust bathing and walking better. It’s really difficult to get a photo of her feet because she is now so wary of me picking her up. This was the best I could get, while she was distracted by the spinach.

In other news Storm went broody three days ago. She had laid eight eggs in thirteen days. Luckily she gives up being broody after one day of being kept out of the nest box. Sugar is also through with being broody.

We are now back to just one egg layer, that being Snow, layer of the tiny torpedo shaped eggs. Snow is a month older than Red and has been laying for three months.

Red is now seven months old and still doesn’t look ready to start laying. I did a bit of research and it says that wyndottes are slow to mature and often late to start laying but are good layers when they start and sometimes lay through winter. Time will tell.

A few days ago I saw a frog in the garden.

I haven’t been able to identify it despite googling it. It was quite big, about three to four inches long. I only managed this one photo before it jumped away.

I was walking up to the chickens when it jumped in front of me and to my amazement it squeezed through the weld mesh into the chicken run. It looked too big to fit through the weld mesh.

It was trapped in a corner and soon had a semi circle of girls surrounding it. It made no attempt to go back through the weld mesh. I knew that I had to get it out as it might be toxic if the girls pecked it plus it would be harmed if they pecked it.

I put on a disposable glove and picked it up round it’s middle and made my way to the chicken gate as quickly as possible. It cried all the way. I hadn’t ever heard a frog cry before and didn’t even know they could cry. By the time I reached the chickens’ patio it was peeing a torrent of liquid. I felt so sorry for it as it was obviously terrified. I made it out and it jumped into the garden.

It stayed under the leaves so I went back with my husband and my camera. He managed to see it too and I got just this one photo before it jumped away.

It then disappeared so hopefully it was okay. If anyone knows what sort of frog it is I would love to know.

Edit

I have now found that it is a common frog. I think it was a young one by the way it was crying so I didn’t recognise it at first. It is brighter and doesn’t have the vertical stripes running down both sides of it’s back like the ones I found photos of. I didn’t realise common frogs were so big. It was very pretty.

Sugar went broody two days ago after laying seven eggs in eleven days. That’s one more than last time. She is back in the broody crate over night for two or three nights. Storm is still laying.

Snow came back into lay today after a break of just over two weeks. Once again one starts as one stops.

Snow’s egg is on the left, Storm’s egg is in the middle and a medium shop bought egg on the right for size comparison. Snow lays small, torpedo shaped, eggs. At least she shouldn’t have problems laying her eggs.

Autumn is back to eating normally and had a dust bath today. Her wounds are healing well but unfortunately she is still pecking new ones. I am worried that this has become a habit for her and she may never stop.

Both last year and this year two out of eight girls had scaly leg mite. Last year it was Dot and Sugar and this year it was Sugar and Autumn. Because Sugar has had it two years running her feet are really gnarled. But neither Dot or Sugar pecked at their feet whereas Autumn’s legs and feet didn’t look so bad and yet once she started pecking them she just seemed unable to stop.

I couldn’t get a close up because Autumn is now wary that I am going to pick her up and spray her. The dark patch on her left leg is healing but the two small red spots on her right leg are the ones she has pecked today.

I really don’t know where this is going to end with Autumn because she is pecking new spots nearly every day now.

I keep researching and every thing I read says that I am doing all the right things. There isn’t anything more that I can do and it’s a case of waiting to see how this goes.

I have been spraying the whole flock with another spray that I bought that is a preventative for scaly mite. I have been doing this every now and again. I don’t know how well it works but anything is worth a try. I am also putting vaseline on Sugar’s legs and feet from time to time to help the scales soften. I can’t do anything with Autumn’s legs except spray with the antimicrobal spray because she needs to be healed first.

We have also changed the perches recently. We have put in slightly wider ones because we have gone from seramas to bigger bantams. I researched that too and it says a one inch perch for seramas, a two inch perch for bantams and a four inch perch for standard chickens. We now have two inch perches. I also spray the brackets and perches with both red mite and scaly mite spray and spray the chicken shed for red mite regularly too.

For all of us chicken keepers these are things we have to do all the time along with twice a year worming too. I have felt that I had kept on top of these problems but Autumn’s pecking is a horrible new one to deal with. Once again I have to end with only time will tell.