Bad Luck Bantams

[thecatumbrella]

~ LIKELY FINAL UPDATE ~​

Well, it's been fun (not), but all tiny bossy flocks must come to an end.

Hornet woke up this morning and decided Clover, her beloved and gentle sidekick, was instead her mortal enemy. We have a theory that it was caused by Poppy's reluctance to let Hornet share a feeder with her. I do have multiple feeders in the run, but if you know chickens, you know that they want to do EXACTLY what their friends are doing. None of this go-behind-the-visual-block-to-eat-at-the-second-feeder crap. Hornet would like to eat at the port immediately next to Poppy's head. Poppy then pecks her, demoting Hornet to eat the few shards of crumble that fall to her feet, like a peasant.

So she's taking it out on Clover. It's so bad, that Hornet was attacking her INSIDE A CAT CARRIER for the 30 second trip to our basement (construction up the hill has resumed, of course). Thankfully, I had my partition wall at the ready.

Hornet will go to the same bantam free-range home as Flora on Sunday. I refuse to rehome a bird with bully tendencies into a confinement situation. That's just passing the issue on, IMO. And as much as I'd like to hold onto Poppy and Clover, I don't feel confident they could survive the winter as a duo. Besides, what if one passes? Clover's not exactly a healthy bird, and I'd hate to end up with someone all alone until spring. Rehoming feels like the responsible thing to do.

I took the afternoon to sort through a gagillion responses on FB, but think I've found a home that's slightly better than mine. Large covered run that's not overstocked. A REAL coop. A rooster to keep all the brats in check. They'll be leaving on Thursday, so I'll enjoy my time with them until then.

Also, Dandelion update! She's been fully integrated with her new flock and is doing well.

I'd like to end with something profound, like what the lesson is in all this. I'm drawing a bit of a blank, but I'll go with this: chickens are a crapshoot. It doesn't matter how much you plan your run, the breeds you get for temperament, or how you think things will play out. You need to be ready for anything and be willing to adapt.

Thank you again to everyone that took the time to read or leave a comment. You're very much appreciated.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

~ LIKELY FINAL UPDATE ~​

Well, it's been fun (not), but all tiny bossy flocks must come to an end.

Hornet woke up this morning and decided Clover, her beloved and gentle sidekick, was instead her mortal enemy. We have a theory that it was caused by Poppy's reluctance to let Hornet share a feeder with her. I do have multiple feeders in the run, but if you know chickens, you know that they want to do EXACTLY what their friends are doing. None of this go-behind-the-visual-block-to-eat-at-the-second-feeder crap. Hornet would like to eat at the port immediately next to Poppy's head. Poppy then pecks her, demoting Hornet to eat the few shards of crumble that fall to her feet, like a peasant.

So she's taking it out on Clover. It's so bad, that Hornet was attacking her INSIDE A CAT CARRIER for the 30 second trip to our basement (construction up the hill has resumed, of course). Thankfully, I had my partition wall at the ready.

View attachment 4219709

Hornet will go to the same bantam free-range home as Flora on Sunday. I refuse to rehome a bird with bully tendencies into a confinement situation. That's just passing the issue on, IMO. And as much as I'd like to hold onto Poppy and Clover, I don't feel confident they could survive the winter as a duo. Besides, what if one passes? Clover's not exactly a healthy bird, and I'd hate to end up with someone all alone until spring. Rehoming feels like the responsible thing to do.

I took the afternoon to sort through a gagillion responses on FB, but think I've found a home that's slightly better than mine. Large covered run that's not overstocked. A REAL coop. A rooster to keep all the brats in check. They'll be leaving on Thursday, so I'll enjoy my time with them until then.

Also, Dandelion update! She's been fully integrated with her new flock and is doing well.

View attachment 4219715

I'd like to end with something profound, like what the lesson is in all this. I'm drawing a bit of a blank, but I'll go with this: chickens are a crapshoot. It doesn't matter how much you plan your run, the breeds you get for temperament, or how you think things will play out. You need to be ready for anything and be willing to adapt.

Thank you again to everyone that took the time to read or leave a comment. You're very much appreciated.

Oh, no, I’m so sorry. But good for you for trying to get them in the best possible settings.

Please don’t be a stranger!I’m hoping to read your wonderful posts again one day.

 

[AnneGirlGG]

I'm so sorry for all you're going through. You did everything you could possibly do to keep your flock happy and peaceful. And when that didn't work, you made the selfless decision to rehome. You're an amazing!

 

[thecatumbrella]

~ REHOME UPDATE ~​

Poppy and Clover have begun to explore their new home once the rest of the flock goes to bed. They'll go through see-no-touch for the next week or so before attempting integration. I could tell they were feeling very anxious as a twosome, so I'm happy they'll be part of a larger flock going into winter. It's a happy ending for all the bad luck bantams.

Take care, everyone.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

~ REHOME UPDATE ~​

Poppy and Clover have begun to explore their new home once the rest of the flock goes to bed. They'll go through see-no-touch for the next week or so before attempting integration. I could tell they were feeling very anxious as a twosome, so I'm happy they'll be part of a larger flock going into winter. It's a happy ending for all the bad luck bantams.

Take care, everyone.

View attachment 4223078

Don’t be a stranger!

 

[AnneGirlGG]

We'll miss your flock stories, and we hope you'll still come say hello!