My poor silkie Sooty.

First topic message reminder :

Sooty has lots most of her feathers. But its the wrong time of the year for her to molt. She has no mites. I dont believe Chloe, Meg or Alice, (my  isa browns) have picked on her as there is no trauma to her anywhere. & she is not running away from them. She is covered in new pin feathers so all is well, I just need to keep her warm and have a chat with her about the right time of year for a hard molt.  

Its really cold here now (top temp of only 12c? today. Also foggy today.) I took her out of the pen a few days ago. She is in the laundry keeping warm for now.

It seems she is going through a hard molt, as she is also off the lay which always happens during either a hard or soft molt. but its the wrong time of year & without feathers, there's nothing of her. She'll freeze outside day or night. Even I dont want to go out even with a jacket on.

My poor wittle chook!  
She looks completely disheveled & unloved.   

I just spent ages trying to figure out how moulting could possibly reflect on owners during the winter! Woops!

Now I get it. I also get why Dempsey's stupid - reflects on me!

Eleanor wrote:I just spent ages trying to figure out how moulting could possibly reflect on owners during the winter! Woops!

Now I get it. I also get why Dempsey's stupid - reflects on me!

        

Eleanor wrote:I just spent ages trying to figure out how moulting could possibly reflect on owners during the winter! Woops!

Now I get it. I also get why Dempsey's stupid - reflects on me!

You're funny! 

Why, thank you!

Hayley wrote:Mine moult in the winter too. Hens are weird.

Hayley, I know its a late reply but re reading I have a question....
What breed of chooks do you have? She's I silkie, but my isa browns haven't shed even 1 feather. How cold is it during their molt? Sorry to be a pain... just looking for info & to compare.

She is still inside, 1/2 feathered.

Cheers

Sooty is near full feathered again so if its not pouring rain & freezing cold she is back off home to the chook pen tomorrow.

Yeah....   I get my laundry & kitchen back! Woo hoo!
(Funny angle pic. Chilli is actually bigger than Sooty.)  

Chilli will miss her new little friend though. Chilli has been sitting with Sooty for hours, sharing her food, learning to eat lettuce, licking sooty. Though sooty isn't terribly fond of that. But she does follow chilli to the mat to sit in the sun together. They have become great little friends.   
Both her head & tail still have pin feathers as you can see but. She's good to go home now.
Seems my training Chilli to be nice to chooks has been a success. My work here is done. 

Doesn't she look cute? Sooty, that is - not that Chilli isn't cute as well!

That's a great photo!

Sooty is very precious to me. I lost her white sister (Cindy) last yr on the 5th day of over 45c. The weather broke the very next day. I was devastated. 

Generally I would not bring a chook inside but,  silkies are far more delicate with weather conditions than an Isa brown &I'm not loosing Sooty to the elements.

This is with her sister Cindy & Tyson checking out the new additions to the house.

That's sad. I've also read they're quite sensitive to heat.
When I moved to the farm I inherited a rooster, an Australorp. The cats didn't even notice him and after Xan got a mouthful of tail feathers, a smack and hard talking too, they all lived in peace. He free ranged and couldn't really be handled but he walked the fields with us and would come running like a Tyrannosaurus Rex when I called him for his feed in the mornings.
He was always 100% spot on for weather predictions. I knew from where he decided to roost what the weather would do. I made his wet/cold weather spot nice and cozy so he could be more comfortable.
I cried when he died. I got home and he was dead under the deck. No blood or marks that I could see. He'd been on his own for 2 years so I don't know what could have happened. He looked like he had decided to lay down and take a nap.

RIP Hoender.

He is just lovely.
People say they are just chooks but they have all got a real personality. 
Mine are treated no differently to the dogs in the respect that they are apart of the family. To this day I miss Cindy. She died in my hands as a tried in vain to curb heat stroke.

R.I.P  Hoender, may you & Cindy peck the grass & share the seeds. XXX

They have loads of personality. Mine was so amusing. He did not take nonsense. If one of the dogs came to close he would freeze, blow himself up and when they were in striking distance peck them.
They respected his personal space. Let me just add that he was quite large - his head came to my knee.
I would take Xan, Missy, Sheba and Spike for a walk with the 4 cats following and Hoender bringing up the rear. He'd walk 2/3km with us.
I miss him.

I've been considering getting a chick and raising it but for some reason I keep putting it off. I don't have time to keep chickens but having another rooster around the yard makes it feel more farm-y

Ohhhh, as soon as my girls hear my sliding door open.... tyrannosaurus rex is exactly how they run to me!
Chooks are a lot of work, they are messy little toads but... I'm ready for some more.
Alice is the boss of everything, (beware, attack chicken in the yard needs to be posted.)
Meg, (she is Switzerland. Couldn't give a rats bum about anything.  Even crows.. she just walks on by.)
Chloe, (let me out! There's snails, spiders &worms to find. It's all about her tummy.)
Sooty, I'll just wander around here, maybe abit there, blah blah. Call me if you have tuna or peas & corn!

We had a cat named "fanny" it means "bottom" in the US but I can assure you.... thats not what it means here! (he was a boy, really funny story, but too long for now.) Fanny used to follow us on walks... 2 rotties & me, sometimes my sister, to the shop. Tied up the dogs outside to come out & find fanny sitting with the rotties proud as punch! 
So.... whats everyone doing here then? We are waiting for... because....WHAT?

There are cars here! Cat under arm, hand grasping his paw. Home boys....post haste!

Lovely pics and stories! Has anybody's chickens (chooks ) ever caught mice?

I don't think mine have.  Though I wouldn't know if they had. It would be dead & eaten. Chooks certainly do catch & eat mice. If you've never had chooks... they can be far more aggressive & cruel than any cat. (Depending on the breed. Same as dogs. a cavalier is far more relaxed than a dobie, yet both are dogs) They kill by hitting the prey on a rock, log etc.

I have seen mine killing in this way if they find a spider, snail, cockroach, etc.

I have seen Jess chase down a mouse, not kill it, bring it inside to give to me & let it go inside as I was leaving for work. Arggggggh!
I couldnt catch the damn thing so I set jess on it. Sorry to the mouse gods but.... Jess is (was. She isnt fast enough anymore) a better mouser than any cat.