Sweet Chicken Story (update!)

I am new to chickens and got started about mid-June with 6 hens. Our 2 Wyandottes, 2 Buff Orps, and 2 Polish cresteds were the new family pets. My girls, ages 6 and 9 absolutely loved them, these birds were held every day. We raised them in a rubbermaid on top of the coffee table in the living room, then moved them to the brooder outside on the porch. One of the Buff Orpingtons, her name is Goldie (original, huh?), was everyone's favorite. She loved to be held and you never had to 'catch' her, she would walk right into your outstretched hand and dangle her legs when you scooped her up....she loved to be held. Anyway, there was trouble brewing in this idyllic chicken story....in short, we had a dog break into the brooder coop and.... this is a sweet story so I'm not going to speak much more about that. Goldie was the only survivor. It was very traumatic but seemed fateful that our favorite had survived, albeit with a broken foot. We have nursed Goldie back to health over the last several weeks. We got some more chickens and are now the victims of chicken math, lol, with a couple more than planned. It started with getting two more that were several weeks younger than Goldie (the thought was that Goldie was despondent and needed some company). Well, that didn't work out quite as planned, Goldie did indeed quit acting despondent....her tail feathers perked up, she got up and started moving around more....but it was to kick tail on the new 'companions'. So we had to separate them. As the weeks went by, the new additions were getting a little big for the rubbermaid and Goldie's foot was healing well, so I threw together a quickcoop out of a packing crate I found (big coop still in progress). The same day I found an ad on Craigslist for some chickens about the same age as Goldie, so the girls and I went to have a 'look'.....and came back home with five more chickens (I don't know exactly how that happened). We set them all loose free ranging in the backyard (got rid of the offending dog), and they have all gotten along famously. Goldie was a little bossy at first but now there is very little squabbling.

I know, you're saying "get to the point, what sweet story"? Well, the routine now is for the flock to roost in the quickcoop, and Goldie roosts inside the house in her rubbermaid (actually on a 2x4 laid across the sides). Ever since the massacre, Goldie lost her trusting nature and wouldn't dangle her legs while sitting on your hand. Goldie behaved like the other chickens with some "BOK, BOK, BOK" and wing flapping protests when you pick her up. So back to the roost routine...the last 6 days I go sit outside at dusk and all the hens except Goldie walk up the ramp into the coop, Goldie stays down on the ground and waits for me to 'catch' her and take her inside. The 'catch' part is kinda funny, she's not REALLY hard to catch like my older new additions to the flock, but she doesn't exactly make it easy. Okay, okay....I'm getting to the point. Last night after bringing Goldie inside, she sat in my lap and watched TV with me for a long tim. The attached picture is Goldie sitting in my lap last night. This evening I went outside to watch them into the coop and shut things down, Instead of 'catching' Goldie, I sort of ignored her and went and sat on the porch step and just waited. Goldie walked around slowly getting closer to me...then I called to her and put my hand down low to the ground.....and Goldie walked right up to my hand and sat down in it!!! I carried her inside the house but this time, she was dangling her legs again just like she used to! And now when I pick her up no Bok, Bokking or wing flapping! She is a very sweet chicken.

All is well.

Ok, that was a nice story.

That is soo sweet!!

Awwwwww! I love Buff Orpingtons. They are the sweetest breed on earth. We have 3. We started with 4 but a predator got our sweet Lily.
Yes, Goldie will become a best friend for certain!!

~Kelly~
✿My Country Chronicles Blog✿

Thank you very much. Yet another reason why BYC is an awesome site....I was feeling a little strange being so attached to my chickens, but there is safety in number....I'm in good company here.

Quote:
You are definitely not alone!! We love our chickens so much. They are very loved and we are extremely attached! ❤❤

~Kelly~
✿My Country Chronicles Blog✿

That is a cute story

P.S. (LOL)

Well, this story continues....Goldie has been doing fine same routine. EXCEPT.... this past week she's been getting very close to laying. I could tell b/c she's been 'squatting' the last couple weeks, combs been nice and red, and the past week hopping down from her roost in the morning to the rubbermaid box and arranging the shavings into a 'nest'. I got her a nice box to give her some privacy but she didn't like that....stuck with the bottom of the rubbermaid. But she would still go outside and free-range everyday. I was getting a little anxious and worried, looking outside everywhere for an egg and not finding any....I read those posts about eggs getting stuck in hens and killing them so I was scared I have to admit. Well, the last two mornings this "night time house chicken" goes outside in the morning, then after feeding and doing chicken stuff for about an hour outside, she came up to the glass door and started PECKING ON THE GLASS! So we let her in and she got down in her box (rubbermaid box with roost board stretched across it) and sat on the 'nest' for an hour. So then I was REALLY paranoid when after an hour she started BOK BOK BOKKING to let me know it was time to free-range outside again.....NO EGG. Same routine this morning. Gets off the roost, goes outside and then pecks on door in an hour and comes back inside and gets in her box. After about an hour of 'nesting', more bok bokking to be let outside. And that's when I noticed.....FIRST EGG!!!!!!!!! This chicken story just keeps getting better and better. What an adventure this has been for our family!!