This morning my husband saw Honey go into the nest box for the first time this year. I went to check on her with my camera in hand.
Honey was back out but Topaz had gone in. Whenever I check on a girl in the nest box the other girls come running to have a look too. They are so nosey or maybe just so interested in the nest box action. Peaches was first to look through the door and Speckles was on top. You can just see her toes at the top of the photo.
Peaches checks on Topaz
Now Speckles and Toffee want to see too and Emerald is on her way over at the back of this photo
Speckles and Peaches peer in at Topaz
Topaz doesn’t like all this attention and marches out of the nest box.
All the girls gather by the nest boxes except for Butterscotch
Butterscotch is her own girl and doesn’t feel the need to join in with all this. Butterscotch is only interested in the nest box if she needs to lay an egg or if she is broody.
The lovely Speckles
I couldn’t resist another close up of Speckles. Because she came to us at the end of July and had already started her moult I had never seen her with a red comb. There are three lovely red combs in this photo and I am sure that Peaches and Speckles will be laying soon as well as Barley who has laid two eggs so far.
Butterscotch seems to have even less head feathers
I am sure that Butterscotch has less feathers on her head today. She has grey under feathers where her orange crest feathers used to be. This is such a shame and I really hope it doesn’t go beyond this.
We have concluded that Honey is the culprit but we haven’t seen this happen yet and are basing this on a few facts. Butterscotch roosts next to Honey. Honey did pull feathers from Butterscotch’s back when we first had her and we have never seen any other girl pull feathers ever.
My husband wondered if she could be moulting them but I think it is unlikely that just her head feathers would go although she does lose some feathers each time she takes a break from laying. It has never left any gaps before though. It is a mystery because we just don’t see it happening and are really guessing.
I am really hoping this will stop at this stage and not end up with her having a bare head. All the girls are looking so good apart from this. I find this upsetting but I know from past experience that there is nothing I can do about it. I just have to hope that it passes without getting any worse.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I’m sure the other hens can gather enough feathers to make Buttercotch a wig for now…lol! 😀
The hens do like to watch each other sit in the box, but sometimes one hen will hog the box, and even poop in it. Speckles has even streaked her eggs sometimes! Naughty girl…
Just tonight the rooster and Peach would not come in. They were falling asleep outside, so I had to scoop them up and pop them into the coop. Thankfully they were drowsy, and the rooster wasn’t all goofy.
Have your girls ever tried to sleep outside of the coop?
Before we got the chicken shed we had a coop and because bantams like to perch high and the coop was low they used to go to the perches on the patio area and I used to lift them down and put them in the coop. We decided this wasn’t good and got the shed which has higher perches than the coop and now they go in at bedtime without my help.
Since we have had the shed the only time a girl hasn’t gone to bed is Butterscotch and the other night topaz, when they want to be in the nest box instead. They either think they need to lay (Topaz) or are broody (Butterscotch).
They could sleep in a nest box but I prefer to put them in the chicken shed. It’s also better if they are on a perch so they don’t sit in poop especially as Butterscotch has such fluffy bloomers.
All looking very good, Carol. Your husband might well be right about moulting – these silkies and half-silkies do seem to moult only bit by bit, and they do moult all feathers. You’ll see if there’s new growth on the way in a few days.
January was a wash-out for eggs here, and February started just the same. I was really excited the day we got 3, then dropped down again to one only. Yesterday, however, I was aghast when I collected – 7! Come at a nice time – I can give some to my father tomorrow, as he celebrates his 90th birthday.
I haven’t had a half silkie before so don’t know how the crest feathers moult. It would be good if this is the case and I will be inspecting for regrowth. Neither of us has seen any plucking despite checking on the girls more frequently so that may be the case. I can but hope.
We had 15 eggs from Butterscotch in January before she stopped again and 1 from Barley on the last day of January. We have had one from Barley the day before yesterday and other than that none despite all the nest box interest. I can tell they are getting ready though.
Well done on getting 7 in one day and Happy Birthday to your father for tomorrow.