We have a little bantam frizzle . . . thing . . . who passes for a hen but doesn't lay many eggs and goes broody and molts when she is bored. For her own protection, she is kept in a cage inside the coop from which she emerges only to eat and drink. She never goes outside.
Oddly enough, she is a very happy little chicken. She just doesn't care about anything. Her nicknames have included - Rosie the Adorable Mutinated Sponge, Rosie the Recluse, It, and recently Auntie Rosie.
The only other bantam in the coop is a silkie hen. These two get along well, although the silkie is dominant. In June, Chippy, the silkie, hatched out five eggs of her own. She lost one, but the others she moved into Rosie's cage uninvited. Rosie is not a mean hen, but she does not like chicks, they dig up her nests and generally disturb her peace. However, since Chippy is the dominant hen, on top of her being broody with chicks, Rosie had no choice but to deal with it.
Things went well, while the chicks were still young. Rosie got along with them, shared their food, and only pecked them when momma wasn't looking. Unfortunately, three of these little monsters turned out to be cockerels. At around four months, Rosie had to be closed up in her cage, without the roosters or anyone else. She has been like this ever since.
About two months ago, another hen named Edgy went broody in our coop. Edgy was very persistent and, following the death of one of our older hens, she was rewarded with five, mail-order chicks. She and the chicks were kept in a large dog kennel until it became obvious that momma hen would go crazy if she did not get more space soon. We did not want to let her run around in the main coop, but she did need more space.
So she moved in with Auntie Rosie.
Rosie and this new momma hen have never really cared that the other existed up until now. Now, with five new little monsters in her cage and a new broody momma, Rosie once again has to eat when momma isn't looking and dodge little fluffballs with legs. She absolutely hates this intrusion on her space, but she is going to have to deal with it until the babies are old enough to leave momma. Until then, she has some excitement in her reclusive existance that will serve to drive her crazy and amuse us.
Edited to add: I don't think I mentioned this, but Rosie gets along well with Edgy and her chicks. I just went out to pick her up, and she huddled herself into the momma/chicks group.
Oddly enough, she is a very happy little chicken. She just doesn't care about anything. Her nicknames have included - Rosie the Adorable Mutinated Sponge, Rosie the Recluse, It, and recently Auntie Rosie.
The only other bantam in the coop is a silkie hen. These two get along well, although the silkie is dominant. In June, Chippy, the silkie, hatched out five eggs of her own. She lost one, but the others she moved into Rosie's cage uninvited. Rosie is not a mean hen, but she does not like chicks, they dig up her nests and generally disturb her peace. However, since Chippy is the dominant hen, on top of her being broody with chicks, Rosie had no choice but to deal with it.
Things went well, while the chicks were still young. Rosie got along with them, shared their food, and only pecked them when momma wasn't looking. Unfortunately, three of these little monsters turned out to be cockerels. At around four months, Rosie had to be closed up in her cage, without the roosters or anyone else. She has been like this ever since.
About two months ago, another hen named Edgy went broody in our coop. Edgy was very persistent and, following the death of one of our older hens, she was rewarded with five, mail-order chicks. She and the chicks were kept in a large dog kennel until it became obvious that momma hen would go crazy if she did not get more space soon. We did not want to let her run around in the main coop, but she did need more space.
So she moved in with Auntie Rosie.
Rosie and this new momma hen have never really cared that the other existed up until now. Now, with five new little monsters in her cage and a new broody momma, Rosie once again has to eat when momma isn't looking and dodge little fluffballs with legs. She absolutely hates this intrusion on her space, but she is going to have to deal with it until the babies are old enough to leave momma. Until then, she has some excitement in her reclusive existance that will serve to drive her crazy and amuse us.
Edited to add: I don't think I mentioned this, but Rosie gets along well with Edgy and her chicks. I just went out to pick her up, and she huddled herself into the momma/chicks group.
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