Sorry to laugh but you racing the horses for eggs is quite a comical image - and i didn't even know horses ate eggs!
I don't think the boys are intentionally setting out to eat the eggs. Well, Russ as first didn't, but now I think he likes them. They see the egg as a toy. The will try to roll it around their stall a bit with their noses like a ball. Most times if I can catch them while they are rolling it the eggs are not broken, just have to mark them so I do not try to hatch the scrambled things. It is when they try to pick them up that the eggs get broke. Louis just makes a face and tries to spit out the egg and shell. Russ did at first, but after a few, he eats them. The gross part, having a horse trying to give you a kiss after he's ate a egg....:sick
 
It was not meant to be this way…
I decided that I would try and turn the Hooligans’ food obsession into a tool to try and tame them. They are still crazy freaked out by me.
So, my plan was to elevate the main food container as @bgmathteach suggested, but also let it run to empty and before refilling it to sit with my hand open and full of feed. Also part of the plan is to provide breakfast at a set time each day of feed in an open tray (egg carton) because they love exploring even if it is the same feed. That way I figure they will at least associate me with breakfast.
Good plan! Feeling proud of myself for figuring it out.
So feeder is empty and I bring a breakfast tray and sit with my hand open full of feed. Lulu even eats from my hand 🥰🥰
But this was not part of the plan!
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I always underestimate how good the Roadrunners are at flying. This is Minnie. She flew from the ground, up and over my head (I was seated on a tree stump) and landed right on the brooder perch.
The Hooligans were terrified.
They all crowded together in a corner peeping. Minnie sampled their food and water and then when Lulu made a break for it she delivered a peck on Lulu’s head.
At that point I was able to encourage her to leave the premises and fortunately Lulu didn’t fly out in her attempts to get away.
I don’t think the peck was too bad. More intended to discipline than kill. Lulu and the others seem fine - tucking into their breakfast of course! I am a nervous wreck and need a bit of a sit down in the chicken run to recover.
I am such a wimp!
:lau
 
The cochin girls are trying to drive me crazy. Between Holly going broody and choosing the nest in the coop as her spot and me moving the chicks outside the cochins have had to resort to using a different nest. 3 of them have taken to it with no problems. The other 3 are evil. If they can not lay where they want to then if I want to get their eggs I have to retrieve them from the middle of the horse stalls. It is fine if they choose Dirt's stall, he leaves them alone. Louis and Russ, eat them every chance they get. Their new favorite spot, in between Russ and Louis stall and the boys fight over who gets the egg. This morning, I rescued 2, yesterday they beat me to all 3.
I did not know that horses are eggs. Amazing
 
Happy Friday. The sun is out but yesterday was very heavy rain so there is lots of mud. There are even drowned worms just there for the taking ‘no digging required’!

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Free food. Mine love the stationary worms as well.
 
Princess gave me the impression that she was bullying Tina but maybe I'm being misled. The past few nights instead of princess being the furthest inside the coop for sleep I've witnessed little Tina has now been placed there. This melted my heart ...

Not a very good picture but there is my little one against the coop wall. They (princess and Tina) were snuggled up until the crazy slave took this picture then flexi photo bombed

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I don't think the boys are intentionally setting out to eat the eggs. Well, Russ as first didn't, but now I think he likes them. They see the egg as a toy. The will try to roll it around their stall a bit with their noses like a ball. Most times if I can catch them while they are rolling it the eggs are not broken, just have to mark them so I do not try to hatch the scrambled things. It is when they try to pick them up that the eggs get broke. Louis just makes a face and tries to spit out the egg and shell. Russ did at first, but after a few, he eats them. The gross part, having a horse trying to give you a kiss after he's ate a egg....:sick
Mr Ed with egg breath. :gig:lau:gig:lau:gig:lau
Watch out Wilbur!
 
I know your feeds are quite different down there… so many more options, can you find a non-vegetarian feed? That’s what I do to avoid excessive amounts of soy. I have to be more careful about the goats and cows trying to get into it, because of the animal proteins in it, but I far prefer the smell and texture over the locally available vegetarian ones.

I cheated on Tuesday m and didn’t pick up my usual brand, I got the vegetarian one… just to get me through until Monday, because I didn’t want to stress my mom out with yet another stop in town and figured the chickens wouldn’t really mind. Well the free Rangers on the shorter rations didn’t seem to mind much, but the two tractors I fed the vegetarian feed had mixed reactions. Barney’s girls tossed most of it out of the feeder and ate about half. Mr Marans ladies were far less impressed. They tossed it out of the feeders completely and hardly touched it. The tractor chickens get unlimited pellets because they have more limited access to forage. It could be a very long weekend…
Ya hate when they waste feed.... Oi boy...
 

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