Molting is not a pretty time for chickens. My Faverolles (hatchery quality) usually have a very slow molt so while there are feathers everywhere, they usually just look a little disheveled. Except for one hen that in the last couple molts has lost all her neck feathers at once. It is very disconcerting to walk into the coop and it looks like the chicken has been strangled. She is fine, though, and now the feathers are coming back in.
I checked my cameras in the chicken coop and was shocked to see all five hens in the coop! The new Black Star chickens have both finally accepted the roost. They took the prime corner spot, which sent Seashell off to the nest box, but she isn’t broody, so I’m not concerned.
Molting has begun, and egg laying has stopped. They are all older hens as well, so we may have seen the last of the eggs until Spring (maybe).
When it is hot, Mr Tom, my neighbor’s cat, likes to lay in wet patches of grass. I had just watered the crossvine outside the corner of the coop, and he took it as an invitation. Two hens went over to say hi and remind him to watch his manners. He was unconcerned.
I have been expecting Magic the hen to shuffle off this mortal coil for probably around two years. She would injure her leg and not be able to get up on the roost, loose weight because it was hard to get around, heal because she had taken weight off the injury, then fatten up again. She repeated the cycle probably a dozen times over those two years. She was the head of the Faverolles, and the most vocal for treats when she was feeling well. She passed away while we were traveling and our friend watching the animals was faced with dealing with her body (they did great). Because of course she would go when I wasn’t there.
We are down to five hens: three Faverolles and two Black Stars.
My friend let my kids and I come pick peaches from her yard again this year. So many peaches. We sorted and washed, and laid them out to dry on the counter and covered them with mesh to keep the bugs off.
I peeled the peaches with a peeler (blanching is frustrating and hot), and sliced them off the stone by cutting wedges and popping them off as I cut. The sliced peaches went into freezer bags for future use. I boiled the skins and obtained a beautifully colored liquid.
We shared some peaches with the chickens, who loved them so much that I needed to put out one for each chicken so there weren’t squabbles.
Critters and Craft 