I think that sparkle is pretty much back to normal. She hasn’t resumed laying eggs and I’m not sure she will this season but she is moving a bit quicker than she has been. She is dust bathing and she is eating pellets. She has a red comb and wattles, fluffy and intact feathers and when I pick her up she feels robust and a good weight.
I am happy that we have weathered the storm with Sparkle and she is going to be fine now.
Emerald is in full moult and is looking more shabby than she did last year. Her face has also now become as pale as it was last year. Toffee has also started to moult as I am finding her feathers in the run and she last laid an egg ten days ago. She still looks good at the moment though.
We are now down to three girls laying. Sparkle hasn’t laid since she was unwell, Topaz is perpetually broody so doesn’t lay, Emerald and Toffee are both moulting so not laying leaving Honey, Peaches and Barley still laying. Having seven girls and only having three laying at this time of year is a bit disappointing but as long as they are all healthy that is the most important thing to me.
I have a theory on the game girls although I am only guessing really. When I researched the breed it said they were not good egg layers. I wonder if that is because of a short season rather than their egg laying ability.
I got them In June last year so have now had them for one complete year. Last summer Emerald had only laid one egg while we had her and Toffee had laid five. I know the farm I got them from kept them as they make good broodies so they may well have had a broody summer.
This year since they have been with me they haven’t gone broody and have laid well. Emerald has laid thirty nine eggs and Toffee has laid forty eggs. I was surprised when I counted how close their tally was. Maybe that is enough for them and so they have come to the end of their season and started their moult. Maybe game girls moult earlier as they started their moult in June and July last year.
One thing I can say is that I love these game girls and if their egg laying season is short so be it. They have already exceeded my expectations by not going broody. Topaz on the other hand laid six eggs last year and eight eggs this year and is perpetually broody and bad tempered with it. She is a beautiful girl but the least lovable because of her nature.
I photographed each girl today to demonstrate their condition.
Poor Emerald is looking very shabby
Toffee looks okay apart from a slightly ragged tail
Topaz looks great as usual but has her usual mean look in her eye
Sparkle actually looks really good
Honey looks good but always has sad eyes, Amber had much happier and prettier looking eyes
Peaches and Barley look great
Peaches on my back
Peaches and Barley still like to jump on me whenever they can. As I was photographing the girls Peaches jumped on me and I handed the camera to my husband who was stood at the gate. Unfortunately I look terrible as usual as I was trying to move my hair from my face but Peaches looks great.
In the better ones of me Peaches had turned her head away so I decided to go with this one. I am quite used to walking round with Peaches or Barley or sometimes both on my back. I still find it amusing that they like to do this although they often leave my cloths with muddy or dusty footprints. A small price to pay for the fun of this behaviour.
So all in all I think the flock are doing pretty well considering. I am sure they will throw some more drama my way soon.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I think sparkle looks the best of the lot.
As I have 5 eggs a day from 6 girls I think I am lucky. Swapping mine for Vegetable plants etc helps.
I would be happy with 3 laying and sure that will come in the winter.
Bonny is not laying and although not old at 3 has always had problems every so often but seems content of late.
Her comb has shriveled down to almost nothing does any one know why this is ?
I am really pleased with Sparkle now and you are right she actually looks in the best condition.
From seven girls, three of them laying, I am now down to one or two eggs a day which as we often eat them two each at a time is not really enough for us. It’s rather like winter already but can’t be helped.
Bonnie’s comb may be shrivelled because she is at the end of her egg laying season for this year, maybe? Not sure, just a guess.
Nice update, Carol – thank you. Sparkle does look good and I’d be surprised if she did not come back into lay – unless the ‘early moult bug’ is catching! It is frustrating to think that the ‘times of plenty’ may be over for this year in terms of egg production, but leghorns are not normally broody, so Peaches and Barley should have a good season. April was the peak month for eggs for us so far, with May blighted by persistent broodiness. The two broodies on eggs are sitting tight; my son is keen to try and ‘candle’ the eggs but my father, at 89, is insistent that ‘you want nothing mucking about with eggs in incubation’. I’ll go with the advice of the older man, I think!
Peaches and Barley are good egg layers and Honey lays about three a week. The game girls only laid for three months though which seems rather short. April was also my peak with a hundred eggs.
Keep me posted when your eggs hatch.
Doesn’t it hurt when they jump on your back?
They are so light that it doesn’t hurt and usually I am more covered but that was a very warm day. However Barley, Peaches and Emerald are so cheeky that when I give corn as a treat they will jump on my arms to try to get to the tub before I throw it out. When they then jump down they do sometimes scratch my arms. I always wash with soap straight away. I try not to let them do this when I have bare arms but they are so quick. I have had them jump on my head too. It’s lucky that they are small and light. Mostly it just makes me laugh. I did once put a photo on my blog of a chicken on my head and most people thought it hilarious.
My Pekins who I’ve had since they were 10 weeks jump on me like that and sometimes even stand on my head. I like it except when they poo on me!
I’ve had Peaches and Barley from six weeks old which is why I think they behave like this. You are quite right that sometimes this means you get pooped on. One time my youngest son and his girlfriend were visiting the chooks and Peaches and Barley were on my back or shoulders and they asked if they ever pooped on me. I said they didn’t and at that moment (I think because they weren’t used to visitors then) they pooped down my back. Other than that it has only been very occasionally that they have caught me. Another chicken owner (Lisa) once said to me that if you love chickens you have to deal with poop and if you have the relationship where they jump on you regularly you have to expect to get pooped on occasionally. She is right, luckily it’s not often but poop is all part of keeping chickens and I actually think the interaction of having then jump on you is just a great part of the bond between you.