Farewell to Flora, the Crazed Chicken

[thecatumbrella]

Flora has departed for her new home (not in the sky; she's an actual rehome). I'd like to take a moment to remember the good (and bad) times.

Flora was a cutie patootie chick that took forever to grow out her feathers. She was always one of my favorites, not only because of her adorable Cindy Crawford birthmark, but because she wouldn't take cheap shots at my hands while I cleaned the brooder.

As a young pullet, Flora mostly kept to herself. When we briefly tried to introduce some tiny chicks, Flora took exception to this. Her other friends were very welcoming, but Flora felt the chicks would do best six feet under. Was that a red flag? Perhaps. But you know, not everyone loves children.

Flora's life changed when she and her friends embarked on a perilous adventure... to my basement. To be treated for scaly leg mites. I remember "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates playing on the radio when it was her turn for a leg soak. I apologized to Flora, and explained that while this was my least favorite Hall & Oates song, I could not turn down the volume while holding her in the bucket for 10 minutes.

I don't believe she ever forgave me.

The next day, she started to bully her friend Willow. Now Willow is a Calico Cochin Bantam. Flora is a Mottled. In hindsight, I now realize that Willow looks like Daryl Hall, and Flora looks like John Oates. Maybe this is a coincidence, but I'm pretty sure the real Hall & Oates have restraining orders against each other. This is how I choose to explain Flora's downfall.

Thank you to everyone who tried to assist me with our bullying issue. We tried very hard, but each attempt to reintegrate seemed to go worse and worse. Her new home will not only be a free range environment (complete with a creek), but will have 30 new bantam heads to smack around.

Goodbye, Flora. I wish you well.

What I want
You've got and it might be hard to handle
But like a flame that burns the candle
The candle feeds the flame, yeah, yeah

 

[N F C]

Flora has departed for her new home (not in the sky; she's an actual rehome). I'd like to take a moment to remember the good (and bad) times.

Flora was a cutie patootie chick that took forever to grow out her feathers. She was always one of my favorites, not only because of her adorable Cindy Crawford birthmark, but because she wouldn't take cheap shots at my hands while I cleaned the brooder.

As a young pullet, Flora mostly kept to herself. When we briefly tried to introduce some tiny chicks, Flora took exception to this. Her other friends were very welcoming, but Flora felt the chicks would do best six feet under. Was that a red flag? Perhaps. But you know, not everyone loves children.

Flora's life changed when she and her friends embarked on a perilous adventure... to my basement. To be treated for scaly leg mites. I remember "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates playing on the radio when it was her turn for a leg soak. I apologized to Flora, and explained that while this was my least favorite Hall & Oates song, I could not turn down the volume while holding her in the bucket for 10 minutes.

I don't believe she ever forgave me.

The next day, she started to bully her friend Willow. Now Willow is a Calico Cochin Bantam. Flora is a Mottled. In hindsight, I now realize that Willow looks like Daryl Hall, and Flora looks like John Oates. Maybe this is a coincidence, but I'm pretty sure the real Hall & Oates have restraining orders against each other. This is how I choose to explain Flora's downfall.

Thank you to everyone who tried to assist me with our bullying issue. We tried very hard, but each attempt to reintegrate seemed to go worse and worse. Her new home will not only be a free range environment (complete with a creek), but will have 30 new bantam heads to smack around.

Goodbye, Flora. I wish you well.

What I want
You've got and it might be hard to handle
But like a flame that burns the candle
The candle feeds the flame, yeah, yeah

I'm not sure whether to or but that was an awesome story! Hope Flora's new home fits her well.

 

[SkyAJK]

Flora is beautiful little hen and such a lovely name.

I hope Flora happy in her new home and have good friends. Your story of Flora is so well nicely put.

I have an old troublesome girl in my flock so I feel for you and Flora.

I also have a 6 months old Japanese bantam looks like your Flora, she is naughty, but being the youngest in her flock, she got told off when she is naughty, still she try.

Wishing Flora happy settle in your new home and make new friends.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Flora has departed for her new home (not in the sky; she's an actual rehome). I'd like to take a moment to remember the good (and bad) times.

Flora was a cutie patootie chick that took forever to grow out her feathers. She was always one of my favorites, not only because of her adorable Cindy Crawford birthmark, but because she wouldn't take cheap shots at my hands while I cleaned the brooder.

As a young pullet, Flora mostly kept to herself. When we briefly tried to introduce some tiny chicks, Flora took exception to this. Her other friends were very welcoming, but Flora felt the chicks would do best six feet under. Was that a red flag? Perhaps. But you know, not everyone loves children.

Flora's life changed when she and her friends embarked on a perilous adventure... to my basement. To be treated for scaly leg mites. I remember "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates playing on the radio when it was her turn for a leg soak. I apologized to Flora, and explained that while this was my least favorite Hall & Oates song, I could not turn down the volume while holding her in the bucket for 10 minutes.

I don't believe she ever forgave me.

The next day, she started to bully her friend Willow. Now Willow is a Calico Cochin Bantam. Flora is a Mottled. In hindsight, I now realize that Willow looks like Daryl Hall, and Flora looks like John Oates. Maybe this is a coincidence, but I'm pretty sure the real Hall & Oates have restraining orders against each other. This is how I choose to explain Flora's downfall.

Thank you to everyone who tried to assist me with our bullying issue. We tried very hard, but each attempt to reintegrate seemed to go worse and worse. Her new home will not only be a free range environment (complete with a creek), but will have 30 new bantam heads to smack around.

Goodbye, Flora. I wish you well.

What I want
You've got and it might be hard to handle
But like a flame that burns the candle
The candle feeds the flame, yeah, yeah

Farewell, Flora!

I will say that if anyone tried to hold my legs in some liquid or another while having to listen to “You Make My Dreams Come True,” I’d have been plenty bitter, too.

Note: this might well have been different if it were “Sara Smile” or “One on One.” Maybe.

Edit to add: the proper spelling of the loathsome song might be “You Make-a My Dreams Come True - Woo-hoo, Woo, hoo hoo hoo.” Turrible.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I have an old troublesome girl in my flock so I feel for you and Flora.

I'd love to hear about it, if you're willing. We seem to be a magnet for bullies. I can learn a lot from others' experiences.

I will say that if anyone tried to hold my legs in some liquid or another while having to listen to “You Make My Dreams Come True,” I’d have been plenty bitter, too.

I truly appreciate that you can empathize. I like your choices. I'm always partial to "I Can't Go For That" and "Out of Touch".

 

[SkyAJK]

I'd love to hear about it, if you're willing. We seem to be a magnet for bullies. I can learn a lot from others' experiences.

I got her my Plymouth Rock hen Apple when she was 1.5 - 2 years of age. The owner told me she did not play nice with the flock so off she goes.

I was not aware of chicken bullying at the time so off I got her. Apple is physically the largest hen in my flock. She pooped liquid & had swinging droping crop. I spoke to her previous owner about her condition and learned that this person got her just for 2 weeks and sold her off so I am her 3rd owner.

I did everything I know how and still her condition remained. She joined our flock and we had a rooster then. She bully some other hens, the rooster told her off, so it was managed by our rooster, even he did not like Apple, he did not bother with her at all.

Once our rooster gone, Apple was rampaging full on, she stood at the coop's door stop anyone enter the coop, she kicked other out of the nestbox while they were laying eggs, jumped on other hen mating them like a rooster. This caused a lot of stress for my flock and me. It was hard work trying to fix this problem.

I removed Apple from the flock on short term, long term, had her in the flock but in a divided area, and repeatedly doing all that. I put her in another flock of 2 hens, Apple stopped them from getting food, water etc.. I was about to put on her the chicken pinless peepers as there was no other option. Rehoming her was not an option as we are her 3rd home & she had health condition liquid poop & swinging dropping crop.

By chance, I put my oldest hen in with this small flock, and Apple started to calm down a bit, and I starting to notice that she has stopped doing the rooster mating, and often followed the older hen about. She stopped having liquid poop, and her crop had pulled up, it was no longer dragging swinging about. I really don't know what was/were that resulted in this change. My older hen is very quiet, but Apple somehow changed since she joined this flock.

This is not the end of Apple's troublesome behaviour, she is still chasing other from food, but rarely. It was such hard work managing Apple, if I could bring myself to soup her, I would have done it a long time ago. She has been with us over a year now.

 

[SkyAJK]

Here is my naughty bantam - Agent L, she looks similar to your Flora there. She is also very naughty, but her mother and auntie on the background there put her in place. She is repeatedly trying, fighting with her mother, beat up her sister and sometimes have a go at pecking at my dogs, she definitely is tired of living.

At the moment, she is being the youngest and heavily managed by her auntie and mother, I hope that I do not have to step in.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I got her my Plymouth Rock hen Apple when she was 1.5 - 2 years of age. The owner told me she did not play nice with the flock so off she goes.

I was not aware of chicken bullying at the time so off I got her. Apple is physically the largest hen in my flock. She pooped liquid & had swinging droping crop. I spoke to her previous owner about her condition and learned that this person got her just for 2 weeks and sold her off so I am her 3rd owner.

I did everything I know how and still her condition remained. She joined our flock and we had a rooster then. She bully some other hens, the rooster told her off, so it was managed by our rooster, even he did not like Apple, he did not bother with her at all.

Once our rooster gone, Apple was rampaging full on, she stood at the coop's door stop anyone enter the coop, she kicked other out of the nestbox while they were laying eggs, jumped on other hen mating them like a rooster. This caused a lot of stress for my flock and me. It was hard work trying to fix this problem.

I removed Apple from the flock on short term, long term, had her in the flock but in a divided area, and repeatedly doing all that. I put her in another flock of 2 hens, Apple stopped them from getting food, water etc.. I was about to put on her the chicken pinless peepers as there was no other option. Rehoming her was not an option as we are her 3rd home & she had health condition liquid poop & swinging dropping crop.

By chance, I put my oldest hen in with this small flock, and Apple started to calm down a bit, and I starting to notice that she has stopped doing the rooster mating, and often followed the older hen about. She stopped having liquid poop, and her crop had pulled up, it was no longer dragging swinging about. I really don't know what was/were that resulted in this change. My older hen is very quiet, but Apple somehow changed since she joined this flock.

This is not the end of Apple's troublesome behaviour, she is still chasing other from food, but rarely. It was such hard work managing Apple, if I could bring myself to soup her, I would have done it a long time ago. She has been with us over a year now.

I am in awe of your commitment to Apple! I don't think I could have done it, though I understand feeling bad that she was sickly on top of everything else. That's so curious how she calmed down with an older friend. Maybe that relaxed energy rubbed off on her somehow!

Agent L 100% looks like a troublemaker with her little red face! Flora would always flush red before going on a rampage.

 

[SkyAJK]

I am in awe of your commitment to Apple! I don't think I could have done it, though I understand feeling bad that she was sickly on top of everything else. That's so curious how she calmed down with an older friend. Maybe that relaxed energy rubbed off on her somehow!

Agent L 100% looks like a troublemaker with her little red face! Flora would always flush red before going on a rampage.

I was just doing what I do as I have no other option with my Apple hen. As you stated might be the calmness in the older hen rub on her. I am graceful that Apple is improving and I can only hope this is permanent.

Interesting you noticed the red face, you are right, my Agent L's face turns red whenever she is making trouble.

Raising chickens is forever evolving.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Update: Flora loves her new home and has already made friends with a few of the roos. She is quite the looker, and you know how much guys like crazy chicks.