Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Got them Eating out of my Hand

It took a little trial error but I have identified a food the are will to risk contact with me over, BLUBERRIES.

Forget those mealy worms, their price is higher, fruit.

Odd thing, I can touch Phyllis but she won't eat out of my hand yet. No worries, I will wear her down.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yes, the new flock pecking order is the following:

1. Sansa
2. Sydney
3. Phyllis D

@BY Bob how can you tell? I have been trying to learn from you and everyone on this thread but I still can’t figure out the order since I lost Scary.
She was definitely last. Biggest but kind of ‘slow’ and just followed everyone else. Since I am down to three they roost in a different order most nights. They throw the odd peck but only when getting in each other’s space ( eg sharing a cucumber). If I had to guess I would say Diana is top hen. But I am really not sure.

 

[RoyalChick]

Got them Eating out of my Hand

It took a little trial error but I have identified a food the are will to risk contact with me over, BLUBERRIES.

Forget those mealy worms, their price is higher, fruit.

Odd thing, I can touch Phyllis but she won't eat out of my hand yet. No worries, I will wear her down.

Yummy!

 

[Ribh]

Yes, the new flock pecking order is the following:

1. Sansa
2. Sydney
3. Phyllis D

Why am I not surprised? I think you will find Sydney makes a great second. At the risk of generalisations & ruffling Shadrach's feathers I've found my BRs to be a really calm stabalising influence in the flock. I can see already you'r well on the way to winning her heart!

 

[WhoDatChick]

Got them Eating out of my Hand

It took a little trial error but I have identified a food the are will to risk contact with me over, BLUBERRIES.

Forget those mealy worms, their price is higher, fruit.

Odd thing, I can touch Phyllis but she won't eat out of my hand yet. No worries, I will wear her down.

So sweet!!

 

[BY Bob]

@BY Bob how can you tell? I have been trying to learn from you and everyone on this thread but I still can’t figure out the order since I lost Scary.
She was definitely last. Biggest but kind of ‘slow’ and just followed everyone else. Since I am down to three they roost in a different order most nights. They throw the odd peck but only when getting in each other’s space ( eg sharing a cucumber). If I had to guess I would say Diana is top hen. But I am really not sure.

It is so funny. There are little cues you look for. With that it seems pretty easy, at least it has been for me.

The best thing is to watch when feeding individual pieces of food. Who is allowed to peck whom will be on display. If you have one hen that pecks the other 2, then she is usually alpha. If you have one that pecks no one but skitters in and out, that is the bottom. The other is in the middle.

If we were to go back to when I had 4, Lilly pecked everyone, Hattie did and does not do a lot of pecking. But Maleficent would get her goat taking too much food and then Hattie would peck her. At first Auroa was ahead of Maleficent. It was very obvious when Maleficent started pecking her. It was a big change.

Roosting position is not great in my opinion for uncovering pecking order. Many times Hattie gets the best spot and just puts up with Lilly's nonsense. When I check I might think that the order is Hattie, Lilly, Aurora. That is just not so.

Thr newbies pecking order may or may not survive the integration. I know this, there were a couple of times today where Sydney gave Sansa a look like "that's enough". It may not stay as it is.

 

[ValerieJ]

Got them Eating out of my Hand

It took a little trial error but I have identified a food the are will to risk contact with me over, BLUBERRIES.

Forget those mealy worms, their price is higher, fruit.

Odd thing, I can touch Phyllis but she won't eat out of my hand yet. No worries, I will wear her down.

That is so sweet! I love when they will eat out of my hand. My Surly will eat berries out of my hand, but she growls at me the whole time.

 

[Ribh]

Sydney is very cool. I think her and I are going to be very close. She has this smooth unruffled vibe about her. I like that.

See! See! I believe I told you. Now aren't you glad you listened to me?

 

[RoyalChick]

It is so funny. There are little cues you look for. With that it seems pretty easy, at least it has been for me.

The best thing is to watch when feeding individual pieces of food. Who is allowed to peck whom will be on display. If you have one hen that pecks the other 2, then she is usually alpha. If you have one that pecks no one but skitters in and out, that is the bottom. The other is in the middle.

Roosting position is not great in my opinion for uncovering pecking order. Many times Hattie gets the best spot and just puts up with Lilly's nonsense. When I check I might think that the order is Hattie, Lilly, Aurora. That is just not so.

Hmmm. I will have to watch more closely - and now I have cameras on them I can do that all the time. Honestly very little pecking and what there is seems to be pretty evenly given and received. But I am obviously not being observant enough so this is my homework assignment!
The reason I guess it might be Diana is not because of any pecking, but she seems to be the one with the most initiative. So she is the one who decides that it is time to go to the back run with all the leaves (they have to go through a little corridor to get there at the moment) and the other two follow her. And she is the one who decides when it is time to go back to the little run area in front of the temporary coop.
On the other hand, Maggie doesn't always follow her lead because she LOVES people - so if there is any human around she will opt to ignore Diana in order to greet the human (all sorts of random delivery guys are her best friends!).
It is a puzzle but I will solve it somehow!

 

[BY Bob]

See! See! I believe I told you. Now aren't you glad you listened to me?

I bow before the superior intellect.

I should always listen to you.

You are right thought. She's been a real sweetheart so far. Representing the land down under quite well.