Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Desertvalleychickens]

Well I am asking myself that. I want to try and make things darker to see if I can get Babs to take a break from her daily egg laying. Trying to make the shortest days even shorter!

My old hen Stripe used to do that too, and she was 4 years old then!

 

[SimpleJenn]

A crown for Princess @Marie2020


And thirsty Thursday pic, this one is just goofy

 

[ManueB]

You are so gracious! And I wouldn’t worry about those mistakes- you 100% read as a native English speaker.
I’m raising my son bilingual as well (I speak French, but it is very clearly “second language” level because it sucks), but so far he sounds fluent. Thanks to tv? Anyways at 3 he’s already becoming frustrated at words that don’t translate into both languages!

I think it's great that you are raising your son to learn another language so young ! Yes sometimes younger children will struggle with differences, and differentiating both languages, but I really believe it's worth it.
I learned english when I was in 8th grade, we spent a year in the US and I went to a public school in NY (PS84..still remember that from 35 years ago ), and back in France I attended an international school. It's so much easier to learn a language when you are a child ! I was nearly bilingual in my teens as I spoke english with most of my friends. But then I never got to practice as an adult, except for a three year period when my job required me to. Unfortunately it's something you loose after a while. BYC has been very helpful for my writing, but I never actually speak anymore.
(On the other hand, my younger brother, who was only 5 when we were in NY and 11 when we spent another year in Berkeley, totally refused to learn english as he was very unhappy with moving..he attended a french school.. but then later on he did a PHD in physics and became more fluent in english than I was as he had to speak it daily for three years...)

That was interesting. Happened to look out my window and saw a chicken bopping along outside the run. Just as I was headed out the phone rang. A neighbor had called my husband because he saw a chicken loose.

Sure enough, it was Meanie. She's my only girl to ever get out of the run before. I don't know how she did it this time, since I closed up the hole. But the run has never been predator proof...or determined hen proof.

I managed to trick her into the small coop...and Tres, on the other side of the fence, was acting quite annoyed she was there.

I guess I'll try to catch her tonight when she's sleeping and move her back to the main coop. But I am a bit concerned. I've not had chickens long enough to know what to do when the pecking order changes so dramatically.

As others have said, you can't really intervene. It's the not so fun part of chicken relationships. But considering how things have gone in your flock and that Meanie was so mean, maybe you should try to check her once in a while, to make sure she doesn't get wounded. If it's from the cockerel, typically he will grab her comb or grab her feathers to hold once he’s on her back. I realise she is very skittish, but maybe you can look without grabbing her, or check once she is asleep (not easy if she’s hiding).
She could also just be reacting like this because Tres tried to mate her for the first time. Not all hens can put a cockerel in his place, and not all hens switch easily from one male to another. Some of mine were terrified when the two cockerels I had this summer began charging them to mate.
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A Merle serie for Thirsty Thursday

She always has to step in at some point..

But then she went back to that

 

[featherhead007]

What! Okay, it was @featherhead007 !

I don’t wake up that early! Wasn’t me!

 

[featherhead007]

I don’t wake up that early! Wasn’t me!

I can prove my innocence. I was with Coco all night. She’ll testify in open court if necessary!

 

[RoyalChick]

Interesting. Remind me, is this Bab's first winter.

Yes and no.
She hatched August 2022 and I got her at Christmas 2022. She laid her first egg February 7, 2023.
And she has laid almost every day since her first egg.

 

[featherhead007]

If fuentemoon makes it this far.. congratulations !

 

[BY Bob]

@Lilion this is very well said. I would observe and try to take this into account.

As others have said, you can't really intervene. It's the not so fun part of chicken relationships. But considering how things have gone in your flock and that Meanie was so mean, maybe you should try to check her once in a while, to make sure she doesn't get wounded. If it's from the cockerel, typically he will grab her comb or grab her feathers to hold once he’s on her back. I realise she is very skittish, but maybe you can look without grabbing her, or check once she is asleep (not easy if she’s hiding).
She could also just be reacting like this because Tres tried to mate her for the first time. Not all hens can put a cockerel in his place, and not all hens switch easily from one male to another. Some of mine were terrified when the two cockerels I had this summer began charging them to mate.

 

[featherhead007]

They didn’t have my size.

 

[BY Bob]

Yes and no.
She hatched August 2022 and I got her at Christmas 2022. She laid her first egg February 7, 2023.
And she has laid almost every day since her first egg.

So this is really her first winter. If she hasn't stopped by now she likely won't. In a week the days will start getting longer again. I feel this is not unusual for a hen her age. The best thing would be if she went broody in the spring and took a break.

How much more darkness are you hoping to create? Frankly, I don't think it will matter. If this amount of daylight hasn't stopped her I don't think any less would make a difference. She will keep laying