Derperella, the (weird) Faverolles, & Friends

[Nambroth]

That's too bad about the evil Lorp. My BA, Matilida, is a lovely and very gentle girl. The lower hens in my mob also seem to have frequent aggressive episodes. It's like they're all desperately trying not to be the lowest.

I agree, they all seem to want to have at least one hen 'below' them. That said, I'm happy to say that the aggression is really quite minimal in my flock and consists mostly of disciplinary pecking or body language that says "back off".

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Things have been pretty much the same. Lorp is the resident Evil Queen (though not the top hen) and she is still unpleasant to a few of the girls, but nothing more than grumpy pecking when they are too close to her, or near some food she might like. She can boss around everyone except Moa and Trousers.

Moa, the top hen, continues to be a stern but gentle matron. She doesn't really boss anyone, but she is the undisputed top hen and will be the first to stop a fight. She used to body check Panic Pants when he got too rowdy with any of the hens.

There is a strange love/hate triangle amongst the lowest hens, but that has been happening since before I got Trousers. Derp hates Coho (randomly? They used to be best friends) and will peck her as hard as she can. Chickadee will go out of her way to peck Derp and push her away from Coho (strangely, as Derp and Chickadee used to be close!). Coho lords over Chickadee, but is kindly toward her, and I catch Coho and Chickadee doing that weird staring match that is a dominance struggle. It always ends in them delicately nibbling at each other's beaks, and Coho is still the kind boss of Chickadee.

I've noticed in my flock that there is neither a 'top hen' nor a 'bottom hen'. There are three hens at the top of my flock; Cubby, Olive, and Pace. Pace outranks Cub, Cub outranks Olive, Olive outranks Pace. No one really messes with those three. Meanwhile, the pullets are collectively at the bottom of the rankings for the most part. Of the adults, though, Wynne and Mako the twin whitish Easter-eggers interchangeably outrank one another and some of the barred Rocks from time to time as well, but are typically chased by the pullets (except Frou'f, who is a big baby and can't stand up for herself unless one of her broodmates offends her). ...And the rest of the girls are just as mixed up and confusing.


I'm glad Trousers is working out so well with you, Fud Lady! I have a straight run Cochin bantam on order for this spring--I'm hoping if I end up with a boy that he's like Trousers (...or at least better than my past roos have been)!

 

[kitmarlowescot2]

Good to hear that Trousers is a good rooster and continuing to be a gentleman. Will he or Moa get between hens that are fighting ? Because that is how I have heard that a rooster will stop hens from fighting. Also I hope his other brothers have gotten homes, and have not ended up in freezer camp.

 

[Nambroth]

Good to hear that Trousers is a good rooster and continuing to be a gentleman. Will he or Moa get between hens that are fighting ? Because that is how I have heard that a rooster will stop hens from fighting. Also I hope his other brothers have gotten homes, and have not ended up in freezer camp.

There really haven't been any fights that last longer than a second... usually, somehen gets too close to another, and there is a peck, and a yelp, and it's over. Back when Panic Pants used to chase the hens and latch on, Moa would RUN over and body check him off of the hen he was harassing.

I do think that Trousers' brothers found homes!

 

[kitmarlowescot2]

Well if they are like him in nature, they deserve it. They are the kind of roosters that should be allowed to reproduce.

 

[NovaAman]

My cockerel Roger Jr (silkie) has decided that he's top hen... Well, of his hen. LOL. I have a bantam cochin/ee and she's been living in the garage with my silkies and my splash bantam cochin cockerel. Anyway, every one was out dust bathing today, and Skeeter the hen, she was enjoying herself, Roger was off around the corner. Some of the faverolle hens were with her bathing also, minding their own, and Roger comes around the corner, sees these girls practically burying Skeeter in their dust bath, and she's fine, just fine, but Roger thinks different, He chased them girls off and then stood guard over Skeeter until she was done. Funniest thing I have seen in a while. I actually have it on video... Need to upload to youtube or viveo in order to share...

 

[CinnamonQueen]

My cockerel Roger Jr (silkie) has decided that he's top hen... Well, of his hen. LOL. I have a bantam cochin/ee and she's been living in the garage with my silkies and my splash bantam cochin cockerel. Anyway, every one was out dust bathing today, and Skeeter the hen, she was enjoying herself, Roger was off around the corner. Some of the faverolle hens were with her bathing also, minding their own, and Roger comes around the corner, sees these girls practically burying Skeeter in their dust bath, and she's fine, just fine, but Roger thinks different, He chased them girls off and then stood guard over Skeeter until she was done. Funniest thing I have seen in a while. I actually have it on video... Need to upload to youtube or viveo in order to share...

Haha. LOL! Even roosters do funny things to impress girls.

 

[NovaAman]

Ok... I don't understand why my video play back and audio playback are not synced... they are on my computer, but not when I uploaded. Oh well.. But in the first minute and a half or so, Roger Jr comes and he is just fine until he realises that his girl has joined the others in a dust bath, and he clears the other 3 girls out, Loralie (Fav), Skatter (Cochin bantamxEE) and Little Pretty (Fav x LtBrahma). About 3 mins in, is Florus my sam fav roo and when we go in the coop, its Beulah(sam fav) standing on the egde of the coop who is being the trouble maker. Fiametta (blue sam fav hen) is in the nest box, and Criptoe was the hen I was trying to see if I could tick off... She's a NH. My head roo, that I said hey big guy too, he's a Faverolle x Silkie, thats Rod Stewart.

 

[NovaAman]

Hope you don't mind Nambroth that I posted the vid. I just thought the clearing of the girls was funny.

 

[froggiesheins]

Hope you don't mind Nambroth that I posted the vid. I just thought the clearing of the girls was funny.

I thought the "tour" of your digs and seeing your birdies in action was fun... BUT whats that white stuff on the ground?????