The current status of the flock

Of my flock of six there are three girls laying at the moment which is quite surprising. Peaches and Barley are still laying although it’s a little less often than earlier in the year and Butterscotch is back to laying every day until she lays late afternoon then she misses a day then lays at first light again just as she has always done.

Emerald appears to have finished her moult but Toffee’s moult has been slower and she is still losing an occasional feather.

Speckles moult was fast with handfuls of feathers in the run and she has completely lost her confidence with it. She used to jump to the gate and then my shoulder or back every morning before the corn and every evening before the seeds. When Butterscotch was broody Speckles would remain on my back while I lifted Butterscotch from the nest box.

Since she started heavily losing feathers she stopped doing this and hangs back behind the others. Sometimes I go in with the seeds in the evening and the girls come running but she is still at the other end of the run until I call her. She joins at the back of the group then while they scratch afterwards she will retreat under the table.

It’s odd how some of the girls massively lose confidence when they moult. Emerald was just the same but it’s more noticeable with Speckles because she no longer jumps on me. I wonder if she will start doing it again when she is through the moult. I used to drape a cardigan over my shoulders while it’s been hot to protect my bare back from her claws and now I don’t need to do this any more. I miss her closeness though.

Meanwhile Butterscotch is looking the most back to normal that she has in six months. I have been dreading having no eggs this winter but David (fellow chicken keeper and regular comenter) raised the interesting fact that as she has mini moults and constantly lays then takes breaks to go broody that there is a possibility that she could continue to lay over winter as do some of his silkies.

This would be amazing because this would otherwise be our first winter with no eggs at all. Year one our first girls had just started laying, that was Treacle, Bluebell and Pepper. Year two Bluebell and Dotty (who didn’t start until four months behind the other girls) still laid through the winter. Year three Peaches and Barley had just started laying. Year four Butterscotch laid through what was her first winter. So now year five it’s a case of having to wait and see. It’s an interesting thought though, thank you David.

So now for the latest photos of the girls.

Speckles has a white patch on her head where she has lost the black tipped feathers

Apart from having only a single tail feather she doesn’t look too bad

Toffee

Toffee is looking good despite still losing a few feathers

Emerald

Emerald is looking good

Butterscotch is getting her crest back

Our twinnies are still looking good

Barley is trying to get her egg laid

Peaches is looking for Barley

So that is the state of play with the flock at the moment. I am just enjoying the eggs while they are still coming and it is good to have the moult a few at a time rather than all at once.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Butterscotch over the winter.