I am constantly grateful for Hansel, and he really is something special. Yesterday he jumped up onto my lap, leaned in as close to my chest as he could until I wrapped my arm around him. Then he laid his head on my shoulder and fell asleep while I stroked his back. I had his full weight resting on my arm and he was OUT. And yet as soon as as he heard even a hint of distress from one of the other birds in the flock he was down in a flash to protect them, herding the girls towards safety while keeping a wary eye on the sky. Who ever expects to have an experience like that with a rooster?
As I mentioned above though, this breed really struggles with the heat out here. I've already brought my Biel flock into the house to hang out in my bathroom to cool down so I don't lose anymore to heat stroke, and this is after providing misters, cool moist ground, a flowing stream of cool water, frozen water bottles, and even air conditioning in their coop.
