Carol's Chickens

The anemones in our garden seem to get bigger and bigger each year.

The anemones are amazing

They nicely frame the corner of the chicken run

The chickens’ strip is looking lovely this year

The tomatoes are coming on

I have had an idea. I am already planning on hopefully getting some older seramas in September when my breeder says they usually stop selling and she usually has bigger girls available.

But I suddenly thought that I could get another black, game, girl from the breeder that I got Toffee and  Emerald from.  I know that there is no way another girl could be a replacement for Emerald but it would be lovely to see that wonderful colour back in my flock again and it might be company for Speckles.

Speckles looks so sad perching on her own at the back of the chicken shed. She doesn’t sit with the little girls like she did with Emerald. I know that they may not get on to start with but I feel that over time if they are the only two bigger girls amongst a flock of little girls I would hope that they would form an alliance.

I ran the idea by my husband first and once he had agreed that he was okay with it I rang the breeder. Luckily I keep all my breeder’s details just in case I ever need them again.

The breeder said that he had some girls and we have arranged for us to go and see him next Sunday. My husband asked me if I should consider more than one but I am going to stick to just getting one. I know of people that have successfully integrated one girl and mixing with smaller girls should make it easier on the newcomer.

If I got two or more they would be bonded because of coming in together and Speckles would still be left on her own. I hope that by bringing in just one they will settle together once they are used to each other.  After such a sad time recently it is giving me something to look forward to.

Emerald is the first of our girls that I have felt really reached old age. It took me ages to collate these photographs of her because they go back over five years. We think she was six years old or maybe even a bit more as she was an adult bird when we got her. She has always been a firm favourite. She was a beautiful girl with a gentle nature and is very much missed.

A young Emerald in the new chicken shed

Emerald and Toffee share a nest box

Toffee and Emerald came in together and were firm friends. We lost Toffee two years ago so Emerald has done really well. A lot of girls have come and gone during her time with us.

Emerald checks out the store cabinet

Emerald was a curious girl and she also knew that this is where the treats are kept.

Emerald getting ready to lay

Emerald had the most beautiful glossy emerald green and purple feathers, hence her name.

Emerald in the pellet bucket

This is one of the funniest photos of Emerald. It really shows off her game bird shape and her long neck.

Emerald and Speckles on the, inner, gate

Emerald and Speckles had a habit of greeting me on the inner gate whenever I was about to go in. This was a habit every summer when they were both egg laying but something they dropped the rest of the year.

Apricot watches Emerald having a dust bath

Emerald would really throw some shapes when she was dust bathing. This is her dead chicken pose.

Emerald about to lay her egg in the cat box

I put a cat box in the chicken shed as an extra temporary nest box when the entire flock were laying. Emerald had to try it out and laid her egg there a few times.

Emerald with a very red face

In summer when Emerald was laying her face and tiny comb would go a lovely red colour. In winter her face and comb were a pale grey, the same colour as her legs.

Emerald leading the way with the frozen peas

Although I have been giving the girls frozen peas recently this photo is from last summer. Emerald was always the first girl to try the frozen peas. I guess she has seen it all many times before.

Emerald looking magnificent

Emerald had a very distinct game bird shape.

Emerald sun bathing and showing her, now, white wing feathers

As the years went by Emerald’s, underneath, wing feathers gradually came in white.

Emerald and Speckles share a nest box

Once Emerald and Speckles became the only two bigger girls left they became firm friends and were inseparable.

The last photo of Emerald and Speckles perching together

This photo was taken the evening before she lost her battle with life. She has left a huge hole in the flock and will never be forgotten. Goodbye my sweet Emerald.

I have been struggling to write this post as it’s been so upsetting. Yesterday morning when the girls came out of the chicken shed Emerald stayed put. I thought it best to leave her be. There was a green splodge below her. She has been doing liquid green poops which I knew meant that something was badly wrong inside her.

Emerald stayed in the chicken shed

I kept checking in on her and just before nine o’clock I found her collapsed just inside the pop hole. The chicken shed had become too hot for her and she had obviously tried to leave. I picked her up and put her in the shade of the wooden shelter. I gave her a chopped grape but it was painstaking waiting for her to very slowly take a few bits.

I rang the vet to make an appointment to have her put to sleep. I couldn’t let her suffer any more. I got an appointment for three o’clock.

When I returned at lunch time after I had done my deliveries I went to check on her. I felt so sorry for her. She had made it out of the shelter and was between two dust bathing girls. They had absolutely covered her in dust and she didn’t have the strength to shake it off. She looked so sad. I set her down on the patio area and gently brushed the dust off of her with my hands. I then put her back in the shelter and offered her the chopped grape once more. She only had a couple of bits and refused to have any water.

I explained to the vet that Emerald was elderly, was moulting and had been showered with dust by her flock mates.  I thought that she would think I had her in terrible condition.

She was very good and did a thorough examination of Emerald. She said that her heart was actually strong but that she was struggling with her breathing. She felt her all over and said that she had a large, hard, lump, behind her abdomen. She asked when she had last laid and I said at the end of  May, when she started moulting, which was usual for her.

The vet said that it felt like a tumour and would be pressing against her organs which would have weakened her. She agreed that Emerald needed to be put to sleep and said she would look after her, that it would be quick and painless.

I struggled to leave her and stroked her for a last time as the tears started to pour. I felt better about it being a tumour because I knew that there was nothing I could have done for her and I have read that elderly hens often have tumours at the end of their life.

I felt glad that I had managed to get her to old age and yet I still felt more upset than any other girl I’ve lost. She has been my all time favourite for such a long time. She was so beautiful and had such a lovely nature. I will miss her so much.

At bedtime I expected Speckles to go into the chicken shed without Emerald being there but instead she was outside on their favourite perch. I felt that she was waiting for Emerald. I lifted her down and steered her towards the chicken shed. The chicks had gone in and were in their usual heap in the corner so I lifted them to the perch.

I put the chicks on their perch

To my surprise Speckles perched with Cinnamon and Dandelion. She has never done this before. It seemed like she didn’t want to perch alone.

Speckles perches with the little girls

I swept the patio area and then checked in again and she was still next to the little girls. The perch width is smaller so probably less comfortable for Speckles but she clearly didn’t want to be alone so I left her there.

I will be doing a tribute to my lovely Emerald but it may take me a few days. I have a lot more years of photos to look through for her and she deserves a proper send off.

I said to my mum (on the phone) and Sophie (by e-mail) that writing these posts is actually very difficult to do because it makes me cry all over again and I have to write through a blur of tears and with a lump in my throat but I owe it to her memory to do this.

Goodbye my lovely Emerald.

Yesterday afternoon when I found that Emerald was struggling I thought that it was just that the heat had got too much for her. I thought a good nights rest would see her back to normal but this morning I realised that that wasn’t so at all.

Emerald this morning

When I gave out the morning sunflower seeds Emerald flopped to the patio and even when I sprinkled them in front of her she wasn’t interested.

I bought her in to the bathroom so that I could give her some food without competition. I made a dish of mash and topped it with sunflower hearts and chopped grape.

I let her roam the bathroom

Emerald ended up sitting on the bathroom floor

I decided that sitting on a hard floor couldn’t be comfortable for her so I decided to take her back out. I put her in the chicken shed with door held open and her treats by her.

I put her back in the chicken shed

It soon felt hot in the chicken shed and I decided to move her to her favourite shady corner by the shelter with her dishes.

I felt encouraged that she was eating the chopped grape

Meanwhile the three amigos have found their way across the patio area at last

In other news, Blue crowed for the first time, yesterday afternoon.

As Emerald moved around I kept following her with the dish of treats

She settled in the shelter so I moved the treats there

She looked hot so I soaked the shelter and the soil inside the shelter and either side of it outside.

Emerald returned to her favourite corner again

I had dampened the ground and the tapas dish has a slice of melon topped with chopped grapes. She was pecking at the melon and eating the bits of grape.

At the end of the day she was back in the shelter

This is absolutely heart breaking. She is my oldest girl and has always been a favourite of mine since we got her.

I knew she had been feeling her age as she had slowed down and was sitting and dozing a lot during the day. She has also been coming out of the chicken shed about half an hour later than the other girls each morning.

She has been heavily moulting too and I think the heat wave on top has just been too much for her.

I know that once more I have a terrible decision to make. I can’t let her suffer but every time she eats some grape I feel a flicker of hope. I keep wondering if she starts eating again could she bounce back and yet I know that she cannot survive on chopped grape alone but I can’t bear to give up on her just yet.

I checked on her again before our evening meal. She was on the bottom rung of the ladder. It was so sad because Emerald and Speckles have always tried to sleep outside and would be on any of the high perches. I have never liked the idea of them sleeping outside and always moved them to the chicken shed later in the evening. I had decided that tonight I would let them sleep out as it would be cooler.

After dinner I checked again and was surprised to see that she had made it to the perch at the top of the ladder. Again a flicker of hope.

The two bigger girls at bedtime in one of their usual positions

I was pleased to find that the chicks had made their own way into the chicken shed. They were heaped in the corner and once again I lifted them to the perch.

I returned to check on the two bigger girls later in the evening. I was shocked to find that Speckles had abandoned Emerald and had gone to perch in the chicken shed. This has never happened before. They have always been inseparable. It was so sad and really told me the truth about Emerald’s condition. With a lump in my throat I picked Emerald up and took her to the chicken shed. I placed her next to Speckles. No way would I let her sleep out on her own.

I can hardly bear to see what the morning will bring.

I have never been a football fan although my husband is. I watch England matches during the world cup and my husband watches every match. He records those that are on while we are working and watches them later.

I started by watching the second half of the early England matches but watched all of the last one and found myself looking forward to Saturday’s match! I bought some beers and the ingredients for a barbecue and settled in to watch the match. We were euphoric by the end of the first half. It really felt like we were in with a chance this time.

During half time I went up to check on the chooks. I have been giving them frozen peas every afternoon since I first posted it here when the weather became ridiculously hot.

It immediately became apparent that Emerald was in trouble. She has been suffering from the heat the most. She is elderly, she is moulting and she has black plumage. This is the worst combination in the heat. Mostly she sits in the shade but she was on the patio area with her beak wide open and her wings held aloft. Then she wobbled and stumbled and looked like she could barely stay on her feet. I was alarmed.

I realised that frozen peas were not enough. I think she had spent her time sitting in the shade and probably had not been eating or drinking enough. I added an ice cube to the now warm peas but she wasn’t interested. I decided to make some mash with cold water and added a couple of ice cubes to it. I then added chopped grapes to the top of it and put it in front of Emerald.

Emerald started to eat the chopped grape and then a bit of the mash. I knew that the second half would have started by now and I thought that it would be just my luck to miss a goal but I felt that Emerald’s welfare depended on me and that was more important. I coaxed her to eat the grape by dropping it in front of her. She gradually ate some grape and drank the pooled water around the ice cubes and then some of the sloppy, chilled, mash. She started to look better. Crisis averted.

I went back inside to find that England had indeed scored a second goal. Never mind, I could see it on the many repeats. I watched the end of the match and we won, hurrah!

I have realised that I must give Emerald some extra T.L.C. From now on she will have mash with ice cubes every day and chopped grapes on top. I must make sure she eats and drinks enough during this heat wave.

What a lot of drama for one day. The next thing was to see what the chicks would do at bedtime.

At nine o’clock when they usually go in I went to check on them. Cinnamon and Dandelion were next to each other on the left perch. The chicks were hovering at the edge of the patio area. It was if they knew that this was the way they needed to go but it was as if the patio was a taboo area and it would take courage to cross it.

I herded them across the patio area and through the pop hole which was actually quite easy. Once inside the pop hole they set about digging in the shavings which was what they used to do when they went into the little coop.

They are through the pop hole

I checked back a little later and they were heaped in the corner.

They settle in the corner

A little after half past nine the pop hole had closed and I had got the bigger girls in. I decided to try to perch the chicks again. I know it will take a bit of time for them to perch on their own but at the moment while it’s so hot I think they will be cooler on the perch than heaped in the corner.

I settled the chicks on the perch once more

I swept the patio area to give them a few minutes to settle and then looked back in. They were still perched albeit in a tight huddle. It’s a work in progress but it’s going in the right direction. Phew, what a day!

For two evenings I left the bin bag on Dandelion’s perch and she perched next to Cinnamon as I had hoped she would.

Dandelion and Cinnamon perch together

The chicks in their box

Meanwhile the chicks were sleeping like this. I had to give up trying to get them to perch because, as they grew to fill the box, it made it impossible to pick them out of the box without a major disturbance to them.

This could have been a waste of time but it will now come in handy next summer for Blue to perch here when the automatic door opens at five in the morning. It wouldn’t be good for the neighbours to have a cockerel crowing at five in the morning and I could delay letting him out until seven instead.

I decided that I would remove the box the following day so that the chicks would be easier to pick up in the evening.

Last night I waited to see if Dandelion would continue to perch with Cinnamon or would revert back to her original perch. I know how difficult it is to break chicken habits and thought it would probably be fifty fifty.

I popped up to see where she had perched and was elated to find her next to Cinnamon. Hurrah! what a good girl. After only two nights she had got the hang of it. I was so pleased with her.

Dandelion had perched next to Cinnamon again

I left it until half past nine, when the automatic door had closed, before trying to move the chicks. I picked up Blue first and placed him on the right hand perch. I then picked up Sienna and placed her next to Blue. I then picked up little Jasmine and added her to the perch. I took one quick photo and then left them to settle.

I put the chicks on the perch in the chicken shed

I popped back ten minutes later to check that they were still on the perch before locking up for the night. They had moved closer together and looked so sweet in a tight little line. They looked really settled.

This will be so much better for the chicks. It will be cooler than sleeping in their box and they won’t be on top of any poop.

I am so pleased with how easy this has been. The next step is to train the chicks to go here by themselves. Today I will remove their little coop. I will clean it out and return it to the patio area as a nest box once more.

Tonight I plan on herding the chicks towards the pop hole and I will see if they jump up to the perch on their own. If not I will help them. I think this may take a little longer but I am confident that they will soon get the hang of it.

Yesterday I left the run open all day and didn’t close it at the end of the day as I usually do. I think the chicks are ready to be with the flock full time now.

I have finally got the chicks eating growers pellets instead of chick crumb. I have solved the problem of two lots of pellets for now. I have set up two feeding stations for the chicks. One is still in the original spot and one at the end of the run. I have sat their small dish on another paving slab so that the pellets don’t end up in the dirt and they have a water bottle there too. This now seems to be their preferred feeding spot.

They don’t come up to the patio yet so they don’t eat from the bigger girls, bigger dish, of layers pellets. Occasionally the bigger girls eat from the chicks’ dish but the novelty of that is wearing off too so for now both lots are eating from their own dishes.

The next thing to move on will be getting the chicks to sleep in the chicken shed. I am getting prepared for this.

At the moment I am trying to change Dandelion’s bedtime habit. The two bigger girls always perch on the back perch. Cinnamon perches on the left perch where she used to be next to Freckles but is now on her own. Dandelion perches on the right perch where she has always perched since we first got the original three amigos and before we lost Apricot which also left Dandelion perching on her own.

For the past two nights I have hung a black bin bag over Dandelion’s perch and she has perched next to Cinnamon.

This is how I have blocked Dandelion’s perch on the right hand side

Tonight I am going to leave the bin bag off and see if Dandelion still perches with Cinnamon. Once I get her perching there it will leave the right hand perch free for the chicks in the same way that it was when we had the first three amigos. This worked well back then so I hope it will work again this time.

Look at Blue’s red comb and wattles

I don’t think there is any doubt now that Blue is a cockerel even though he is yet to crow.

The new three amigos

I had a chat with my lovely neighbour over the fence a few days ago and explained the situation to her. Yesterday evening she popped in to see us about something else and I took her up to show her the chicks. She said that even though she knows little about chickens she could see how different he is from the other two chicks.

She didn’t seem too worried and we all agreed that we just hope he will be a fairly quiet boy. As I have said before we will cross our bridges as we get to them.

I have been putting the two flocks together every afternoon. I open up the escape holes near the patio area and at the end of the run by the ladder. I have also put another water bottle at the end of the run as while it is so hot I want to be sure that the chicks are always near water. I also add another dish of chick crumb.

Getting the correct food isn’t an issue at the moment as the chicks will only eat crumb. The bigger girls help themselves to some crumb as it’s a novelty but I don’t think that matters. It has been going really well. Dandelion and Cinnamon chase the chicks at times but they are easily able to run away.

I think that Dandelion has taken top place out of these two now that Freckles has gone and it’s Cinnamon who does the most chasing which is always typical of the bottom the girl.

Jasmine has made it up to the high branch perch

Meanwhile the main flock chill together

The chicks have found the small shelter

I am really pleased with how it is progressing and on a completely different note:

I am ready to cook the first runner beans of the year

I have picked one helping of broad beans, one helping of dwarf beans and three helpings of runner beans. I am also picking courgettes thick and fast. As well as what we have eaten I have cooked many portions for the freezer. I have cooked some with cheese sauce and some with garlic and sun dried tomato puree.

We will be eating produce from the freezer long after the vegetables in the plot are over.

I have mentioned before of our efforts to stop any damp coming in to the chicken shed. It’s not a problem at the moment of course while it is hot and dry but that is also the ideal time to try to do something about it.

My husband has been trying to come up with ideas to solve the problem. The problem is that the corner of the chicken shed is flanked by our back wall and next door’s fence and therefore gets no sun. When it rains the water sits there and it seems that the wood at the bottom of the chicken shed sucks up the water. This leaves a damp patch inside in that corner. As it is beneath the deep layer of shavings it’s not a problem to the girls but our worry is that the wood may rot and become a week spot.

My husband decided to paint the chicken shed with a product called – fence life plus. It offers five year protection. The wood colours were named medium and dark oak, I would say orange or chocolate brown, neither of which appealed to me. We decided to look at colours instead and I chose sage which was quite a subtle, pastel, colour.

My husband also drilled some more soak away holes in the concrete and decided to paint the concrete with garage floor paint. For this we chose a colour called slate. He hopes all these measures will help the water run off rather than sit there and soak up through the wood.

Starting to paint the chicken shed

Top board to test colour and then the side first.

Giving it a second coat

The chicken shed has now had four coats

The concrete is painted with garage floor paint

I will be fixing the weld mesh back to the bottom couple of feet of the shed for extra protection.

Now it’s a case of wait and see next time we have heavy rain if it works. Hopefully it’s got to help.

Sadly I had to make the decision to have Freckles put to sleep on Saturday. I had pulled a soft shelled egg from her vent and cleaned her up but she didn’t recover and I couldn’t let her suffer any longer.

I often think if anyone reads my history of chicken keeping it may be enough to put them off of chicken keeping and if anybody reads my history with seramas it would definitely put them off. I try so hard to give my girls the best life I can but I do believe that I have been unlucky with my breeders.

Before I do a tribute to Freckles I will just recap and it doesn’t make good reading.

My seramas

31/8/16 I bought home Caramel and Pebbles from my first breeder. They were her last two girls as she was giving up breeding them. 20/9/16 I had to have Caramel put to sleep as she had a really advanced case of mycoplasma and this had now brought this to my flock. We had her for three weeks.

17/12/16 I had to have Pebbles put to sleep for the same reason. We had her for four months.

I found another breeder and brought home Rusty and Freckles on 25/9/16.

From this breeder I brought home Cinnamon, Dandelion and Apricot on 25/2/17.

On 30/9/16 we lost Rusty at home after her second prolapse. We had her for a year.

On 9/4/18 we lost Apricot overnight just as she would have been coming in to lay. We had her for one year and one month.

On 30/6/18 I had to have Freckles put to sleep after constantly laying soft shelled eggs and getting one stuck partly inside her. We had her for one year and nine months which is our longest serama so far.

Dandelion has also had some soft shelled eggs and a slight prolapse but so far has bounced back. She laid her second, good shelled egg, today, after her prolapse.

Cinnamon is the only one not suffer this but right from when we first had her she has always almost turned herself inside out when she poops. We thought she would be the most likely to prolapse but we now think that it’s been her saving grace. We think that she has strengthened her muscles and that is why she is doing okay. My son said it’s a bit like pelvic floor exercises, he has a year old son which is why he would know this!

We have had Dandelion and Cinnamon for one year and four months. Dandelion is like the cat with nine lives and has had many moments when we thought we would lose her but she has managed to come back each time.

We have now found a third breeder and brought home three chicks, Blue, Sienna and Jasmine on 20/5/18. We have had them for five months. We hope these will prove to be healthy although we strongly suspect that Blue is a cockerel but that is a different story.

Freckles

Rusty and Freckles when we first got them

Rusty and Freckles as chicks

These two were inseparable and Freckles was top serama from the start and remained that way until she left us.

Freckles tail feathers are amazing

This was Freckles with her new tail feathers after her moult hence the pale comb.

Freckles squatting

Freckles would drop into a squat when I came up behind her or touched her back. She squatted more than any of the other girls and it made it really easy to pick her up.

Freckles looks amazing

Freckles when broody

Freckles when I lift her out of the nest box when broody

Freckles would go broody regularly and her tail would rise up over her back. I would take her from the nest box and she would sit for a while until I moved her on.

Freckles portrait

Freckles was a lovely looking girl. She will be sadly missed.