Cetraria on Nostr: Tonight in #chicken drama: I've been trying to accomplish the final layer of flock ...
Tonight in #chicken drama:
I've been trying to accomplish the final layer of flock integration, removing the mesh in the roost area so I could get everyone to bed without navigating pecking order issues.
Tonight I forgot to open both sets of doors on the coop, heaven forfend. The bantams were all shouting loudly that there was an issue. In I come to inspect.
One cockerel is roosting on top of the nest box and screaming. One hen is whining at me quietly, as she does. One cockerel appears to be having a massive seizure, so I bend down to look closer, and just as I see that he's just mounting the biggest bantam, the whiny hen flies up in my face to land on my shoulder or head, whichever she can find first. Scares the ever-loving snot out of me.
But hey, at that point I could begin playing the game of placing one chicken on the roost while holding my hand on the big hens' chests to keep them from pecking the littles.
Dear gawd, why did I think this was a good idea? They were doing so well even though the mesh area had gotten so small. Chickens enjoy change even less than I do, which is an impressive level of recalcitrance. Now it's just a battle of wills.
I've been trying to accomplish the final layer of flock integration, removing the mesh in the roost area so I could get everyone to bed without navigating pecking order issues.
Tonight I forgot to open both sets of doors on the coop, heaven forfend. The bantams were all shouting loudly that there was an issue. In I come to inspect.
One cockerel is roosting on top of the nest box and screaming. One hen is whining at me quietly, as she does. One cockerel appears to be having a massive seizure, so I bend down to look closer, and just as I see that he's just mounting the biggest bantam, the whiny hen flies up in my face to land on my shoulder or head, whichever she can find first. Scares the ever-loving snot out of me.
But hey, at that point I could begin playing the game of placing one chicken on the roost while holding my hand on the big hens' chests to keep them from pecking the littles.
Dear gawd, why did I think this was a good idea? They were doing so well even though the mesh area had gotten so small. Chickens enjoy change even less than I do, which is an impressive level of recalcitrance. Now it's just a battle of wills.