Tilda (my special needs chook), Florence (Australorp), Custard (Sasso, Tilda's bully of a sister) and Milly (super spiteful Cream Legbar) are all moulting.
Tilda has been moulting for months. Florence has been moulting for several weeks, and looks like she's wearing a moth-eaten fur coat, which has seen better days. Milly has onluy recently joined the ranks of the deplumed, and at the moment it's mainly showing on her head.
Roobarb, sensible girl that she is, completed her moult ages ago.
I've been feeding them all extra protein, to help with the refeathering. I had an Ocado delivery the other da, and I let a stack of tuna in spring water fall into my virtual trolley.. and I opened a can for the Girls today.
I split it into two bowls. One small bowl for Tilda, who has trouble in the scrum even when she is at her peak, and the rest for the others to "share". I don't put it on the ground, I hold it, and offer it round. Florence, who possibly needs it more than most, has a neck like a giraffe; she seems to be able to contort hersef so that wherever the bowl is, it's within reach of her beak. The others aren't so flexible.
The LIttlees used to miss out a bit on these occasions, as they like to spend a moment inspecting potential food before they nibble it. By the time they would decide to give it a go, it would be gone.
I've noticed that in the last couple of days they tend to join in the scrum a bit more. Poppy, who is half Australorp, gets away with it because with a sideways glance she looks a bit like Florence. Lotti doesn't get away with it at all, but she still manages to get her beak in and grab a piece.
They all seemed to relish the tuna. No surprise really.
We had some mummy cuddles today. Lotti on one arm, Poppymanaging to get up on the other. Gorgeous girls. Tilda consented to a quick cuddle. No chance with the rest.
