Esther and Winnie~ Emerald ~ Momma Time~ UH-OH Egg Overload P46

[barg]

23 & 15 Weeks /Esther and Winnie ~Fluff to Feathers~ Happy Flock? Hardly!
I finally figured out that Emerald is the third layer;
That only leaves Hazel still to start, until the younger ones get older that is.
I am late getting this weeks pics up, and will try to get some tomarrow
For the most part, they still look like they did last week, just a little bit bigger. hehe

 

[thndrdancr]

How are the obstacles in the run working out?

Are we the only ones that read each others posts now?

sigh....

Jill

 

[barg]

It seems that way, except when you post something where I can argue with people.

The obsticles help but have not solved the situation.
They do slow down the big girls, unfortunatly there are times when the big girls are spread out and the younger ones have no where to run to.

Iv'e gone back and forth on how much time they spend together, today they knocked down the seperator before I woke up and they ended up together all day.

They still show no signs of becoming friends but in a couple weeks or so, Winnie is going to start to mature, I hope that changes things.

Btw I took another look at esther today and I think she has white earlobes, it is really hard to tell with all the feathers she has around that area, but there is definatly a white patch there.

 

[thndrdancr]

I wonder why my hen's earlobes are so "out there"? I never thought it unusual becuz I havent really seen anything different until I started looking more closely at other's pictures after you asked about it.
Red's are noticeable too, but not quite so much as Fussy's. She didnt develop them until maturity, she just was mostly kind of covered with feathers and had maybe a very small area that one really didnt notice.

 

[barg]

Well thats a good point, Esther is not mature yet so thats probably making it more difficult, but she also has the muffs that completely cover her earlobes in thick feathers.
All of my other chickens earlobes can easily be seen, I imagine that Fussy's stand out because of their color, hard to tell without seeing them first hand though.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
Like humans, they get saggier as they get older.

I just released my 16, 5-week old chicks from the brooder coop to free range today and boy there were feathers flying when the old birds saw they could eat the chick feed! Chicks scattered all over the yard with big birds gobbling up the feed. They must be able to tell it has higher protein levels.

Barg, your chicks are spoiled! They get personal attention and effort towards integration and it's been like 6 weeks of trying!!! My chicks would disown me if they knew how much attention yours get!

 

[barg]

The dynamics of the flock right now basically goes like this:
The older ones mostly ignore the younger ones, but occasionally have a desire to show them whose boss.
The younger ones are terrified of the older ones but have learned that they are safe when they are far enough away from the older ones.

When one of the older ones approaches one of the younger ones, what I have seen is that, they don't really care about them one way or another but, the younger ones get nervous, move away and in so doing, they say" hey I’m vulnerable, look at me, I'm afraid of you"
The older ones become aware of the younger ones because of their behavior and they respond with" ok, I guess I need to peck you" and they do.
This of coarse causes the younger ones to flee and as they run into the rest of the flock, they are pecked as they go by, and sometimes they are briefly chased.

Beyond this, there are a couple times of day when the older ones decide that they don't want the younger ones around, specifically, at bed time and when they want to go in the coop to lay an egg; at these times they seem to seek out the younger ones to drive them away.

As I said, I'm hoping that when Winnies adult hormones start to kick in, this dynamic will change, but if anyone wants to make a suggestion in the mean time, feel free.

 

[Smoky73]

I have been following this story since the beginning and find it fascinating!

I have a similar experience with my 4 Ameraucana pullets, though somewhat different. My birds were brooded in the house and then moved outside with a bunch of bantam chicks. They did well.
When they got to big to be in safely with my silkies and Dutch babies, I decided to move them over with the adult Dutch bantams, consisting of 4 Dutch bantam cockerels and about 12 Dutch hens. (Oh and 1 Standard BLRW who was also being intergrated previously).
It has been several weeks and the Ameraucanas are twice the size of the Dutch bantams, but, they bantams pick on the Ameraucanas mercilessly. I have water outside and inside during the summer, so they can get water easily, but I do not feed outside. The Dutch bantams are apparently keeping the Ameraucanas from coming in at night, and most of the day, though I have seen them inside on rare occasions. I have had to start leaving a bowl of feed outside to be sure they were eating but the bantams get to eat first. It is clear that they will not accept the Ameraucanas or the wyandotte (though the wyandotte is above the ameraucanas. They peck on them and the ameraucanas stay as far away as possible and I see the Dutch as knowing they can peck at them so they do. I will eventually have to move the Ameraucanas in with the standard girls, though I hat eto see what the large girls will do to them if the bantams are beating them up. The only thing that makes me feel better about them moving to the standard pen is that 1) the girls have been able to see the standards through the wire now for two weeks and 2) they are black like the older Ameraucanas so shouldnt be such a shock to the older ones.
Seems that a different feather pattern draws the birds attention to them. If they are all the same color or breed, they intergrate a lot better.
I found this out when I moved a buff and a splash silkie roo in with splash silkie roos. The juvenile buff got beat on but the splash did not.

I just want them to all get along!!!!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Well, one thing I've learned from following this thread is that I am sure going to think twice before getting any more chicks or chickens. I have five happy co-habitating BOs now, and feel I should quit while I'm still lucky.

I'd sooner have hubby build another coop & run than go through what Barg has been through. Best of lucky to Esther, Winnie and all the hens of the world who just try to get along in the only chicken way they know.

 

[thndrdancr]

I think the dynamic is wrong as well. If you were to have introduced FOUR more, that I am sure would have gone better. Or if you had three and bought three more.
I am going to have an extremely difficult time, was hoping I would get at least two full size to hatch, so introducing them would not be so tough and I would have at least two + midget, so Fussy and Red would have been outnumbered.
The way it is, Lily might have to go it alone, I dont think there is any way in the world I can introduce a bantam showgirl without my hens going nuts wanting to "see what that fluff is". I think to begin with, I will separate Fussy and Red, and put the younguns in with Fussy, since she is such a needy thing, I think she would accept them sooner than Red would.
This is down the road, probably 12 weeks or so, I would guess. Silkies scare me since they can get that good peck on the noggin and be gone or brain damaged so quickly. I dont think she is working with a full deck anyhow.

Oh the joy....