I worm the girls, the recommended, twice yearly. I do this in March and September. I add flubenvet powder to four little dishes of mash. All the girls love mash so they all get their fair share. However this year I have had so many broody girls recently that I kept delaying this.
Six days ago Smoke finally came out of her broody spell after just over four weeks. On the same day Ebony went broody. Five days ago Marmite came out of her broody spell after just over three weeks. Four days ago Flame went broody.
At this point I decided to start worming. I didn’t want to do it while the little girls were broody as if I took them out for a break I didn’t feel that they would compete with the other girls for the mash. The bigger girls are much more able to compete to get to the mash.
At this point I also closed the nest boxes. Only Cinnamon and Jasmine are laying an occasional egg at the moment and they are happy to lay in a corner of the chicken shed. The little girls are moulting and there are little feathers all around the run each day and in the chicken shed in the mornings.
Salmon and Smoke seem to be dropping the most feathers. I think that eggs will soon stop altogether.
Once I closed the nest boxes Ebony and Flame continued to sit, on the top of the nest boxes, but perched up at bedtime. Now, a few days later, they too seem to be coming out of their broodiness.
While worming the girls it’s a good opportunity to photograph the whole flock together. They look pretty good considering how many feathers I am picking up.
Worming the girls
They all get some mash with flubenvet
A great way to photograph the whole flock
My lovely flock together
I imagine that Ebony and Flame will probably moult too now that they are through being broody. Speckles has been dropping feathers too but as her moult has been gradual this year she has never looked much different. The same goes for the little girls.
There are a few pins showing but they all look pretty good. I think I may have to start buying eggs now. I haven’t found any worms which is a good sign. As long as the girls stay healthy I am happy.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
They’re all looking really good! xx
Thank you. I am finding heaps of grey “Smoke” feathers and yet she doesn’t look any different at the moment. Some of the girls have feathers wafting from them with every movement. xx
Nice pictures of all the girls.
I do love getting them all in shot. They are a pretty flock.
They are looking good, considering it’s moulting season. I’ve had the same strange phenomenon this year with Converse as you had with Ebony: moult started, laying stopped, then laying re-started, minus tail feathers!
How odd, I am not alone then. I am picking up heaps of feathers now. Salmon and Marmite are looking tatty now. We are only getting an occasional egg from Cinnamon and Jasmine. Cinnamon seems to have stopped moulting and Jasmine is the only one who doesn’t seem to be moulting at all.