Sorry about the picture quality, the light was fading.
Tribe 2 at roost time. The thing that I wanted to point out is that the chicks do not get bothered by the roosters and only occasionally get a warning peck from the other hens.
Both roosters will let the chicks eat from the same bowl as they do. That all stops at some point.
View attachment 2027938


Once Punch or Mag has gone in the others will follow.
View attachment 2027940
Bracket and chicks waiting.
View attachment 2027941
Lock, the pullet on the left is the most junior and the last allowed in. If she goes in first she'' get kicked out when the seniors go in. This puts her in the tree climbing risk list. She knows it's time to roost but has to wait for a coop place.
View attachment 2027942

I have seen similar behavior here with Aurora run out of she would go in too soon. I expect I will see it again very soon with some different hens. .
 
There are a number of articles and threads about what makes a good rooster. I've read a lot of stuff about being respectful to his keeper, whatever that means and then comes a general comment about looking after his hens and not being mean to them; not very enlightening imo.
Punch, as I've mentioned is a shower of shite in some crucial areas. I've also mentioned the Punch's father Harold was a very good rooster.
I've come to get them into their coops and lock up some evenings and both Punch, and led on Mag, will be trying to pick a fight with Notch somewhere and their hens will be by the coop, unprotected and reluctant to go to roost. this is dangerous. I get lots of dusk hawk strikes here and of course, as the light fails, so does the chicken ability to see a predator. Cover in the event of a strike is sparse locally.
Harold would always check the coop and come back out allowing the hens to roost if he wasn't ready to roost himself. He also didn't wander from his tribe at dusk, or much at all come to that.
 
19F75060-9230-4CD1-AEAC-F50E8226D716.jpeg


My happy place. The double lap sit by Bridge (top hen and last one remaining from original four) and Dorothy, top ranked pullet. I’m still amazed the pullets will lsp sit even though they were raised by Cashew instead if me.
 
Sorry about the picture quality, the light was fading.
Tribe 2 at roost time. The thing that I wanted to point out is that the chicks do not get bothered by the roosters and only occasionally get a warning peck from the other hens.
Both roosters will let the chicks eat from the same bowl as they do. That all stops at some point.
View attachment 2027938


Once Punch or Mag has gone in the others will follow.
View attachment 2027940
Bracket and chicks waiting.
View attachment 2027941
Lock, the pullet on the left is the most junior and the last allowed in. If she goes in first she'' get kicked out when the seniors go in. This puts her in the tree climbing risk list. She knows it's time to roost but has to wait for a coop place.
View attachment 2027942
When I checked the roosting last night everyone was where they should be so now I'm thinking the odd behaviour I was seeing with the new girls was a combination of new home plus unstable pecking order ~ though I am still a little confused. I would have said Aiofe [youngest of the Campines] was last in the pecking order but it was Mhari [2nd Araucana] who was last in the coop.
 
When I checked the roosting last night everyone was where they should be so now I'm thinking the odd behaviour I was seeing with the new girls was a combination of new home plus unstable pecking order ~ though I am still a little confused. I would have said Aiofe [youngest of the Campines] was last in the pecking order but it was Mhari [2nd Araucana] who was last in the coop.
Buttercup chases off Ester and Minnie (pullets) every night at roosting time if they’re free ranging, so they’re slways last in the coop.
 
Buttercup chases off Ester and Minnie (pullets) every night at roosting time if they’re free ranging, so they’re slways last in the coop.
I haven't fully integrated my new girls yet so this is only the situation amongst my new girls. I have 1 mature hen but all the others are @ POL.
 
When I checked the roosting last night everyone was where they should be so now I'm thinking the odd behaviour I was seeing with the new girls was a combination of new home plus unstable pecking order ~ though I am still a little confused. I would have said Aiofe [youngest of the Campines] was last in the pecking order but it was Mhari [2nd Araucana] who was last in the coop.
Buttercup chases off Ester and Minnie (pullets) every night at roosting time if they’re free ranging, so they’re always last in the coop.
I haven't fully integrated my new girls yet so this is only the situation amongst my new girls. I have 1 mature hen but all the others are @ POL.
Got it!
I haven't fully integrated my new girls yet so this is only the situation amongst my new girls. I have 1 mature hen but all the others are @ POL.
Got it!
 

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