There's always exceptions to the rule. Relocation of hens seems to upset them since they are creatures of habit & stress out in unfamiliar environments. They get suspicious if you change the location of their favorite waterer or feed port! They stress easier than they show us, poor things.
Oh don’t worry about Marty she came her just before Mr P, and when he showed up she put her stamp on him!

Heaven help ANYONE who tries to bother her man! 😆

Post in thread 'Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock'
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26218908
 
I've become suspect over the years of rehomed birds. Also, we rehomed a good laying hen that didn't lay well for the new owner! WTH?! is up w/ these hens? Like people they have minds of their own :idunno
I didn’t have the heart to tell the woman she was one of my best layers 🤭

Last year I tried everything to get Marty to up broody, I even tucked my phone playing chicks chirping under her while she was laying an egg.

Nope! Oh well. She sure has made herself at home a fit in well 🥰
 
I've become suspect over the years of rehomed birds. Also, we rehomed a good laying hen that didn't lay well for the new owner! WTH?! is up w/ these hens? Like people they have minds of their own :idunno
My silkies will be coming four next Spring, they have all really slowed down laying, and going broody.

I am ok with that. They can just enjoy themselves.
 
Broody Loop.
This Agathae thing. She is our most hardcore broody. For the past two months at least, she has been clucking like a broody. Recently she started screaming like a broody while flapping her wings. She also tried tidbitting the sourdough bread I gave them. She's mostly broody just without the egg sitting. She's crazy, I tell you. CRAZY!
 
I didn’t have the heart to tell the woman she was one of my best layers 🤭

Last year I tried everything to get Marty to up broody, I even tucked my phone playing chicks chirping under her while she was laying an egg.

Nope! Oh well. She sure has made herself at home a fit in well

🥰
Oh don’t worry about Marty she came her just before Mr P, and when he showed up she put her stamp on him!

Heaven help ANYONE who tries to bother her man! 😆

Post in thread 'Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock'
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26218908
Teehee!

It must be a chicken thing. Anytime we've added a bird to our existing flock the new bird (whether a hen or younger pullet) has tried taking over bullying or trying to become alpha ~ testing their position in an existing flock to bully first before an existing bird bullies her? exert power to avoid getting attacked? stress in a new environment? jealousy? dare we attach humanism to hens? Even the Silkie babies we recently added attempted challenging the adult hens. We threw up our hands to it's just a chicken thing & they sort it out!
6 Fluffies ~ butts are all we ever see!

We never had a roo to keep the peace between squabbling hormonal hens but one hen always took over an alpha role in a group. Our friends only had hens & their alpha hen would crow!

When we added 3 new Dom juveniles in 2017 they immediately acknowledged older Silkie Violet as alpha & chose out of the blue to protect her from a bigger 7.5-lb bully hen Char. Reminds me how your Marty chose to come to Mr P's defense. Or maybe distress screams automatically stirs heroism within a bird or two in the flock to protect :idunno?

If Violet screamed from one of Char's attacks the 3 Doms would put Char in her place! It was the first time we ever had birds that protected one another ~ so obviously we became partial to Dominiques for their heroism when called for as well as their calm temperaments & people-friendly outgoing unafraid demeanor.

In 13+ yrs every year seemed to change our backyard flock dynamics as birds were added, or died, or got rehomed. It's been an interesting roller coaster/circus 🎪 ride to say the least but fun!
 
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Broody Loop.
This Agathae thing. She is our most hardcore broody. For the past two months at least, she has been clucking like a broody. Recently she started screaming like a broody while flapping her wings. She also tried tidbitting the sourdough bread I gave them. She's mostly broody just without the egg sitting. She's crazy, I tell you. CRAZY!
Yup I have a few like that. Whisker’s sister Misty, has been going around BOK BOK BWAK, all summer. And a couple of the others also. Tippy and a couple of the Azurs even plucked their breast feathers!

Now Tippy I can see going broody being a mutt. But the Azur being Leghorn hybrids I just don’t see it happening!

Meanwhile Betty shows no interest in going broody! I would have bet money she would, her mama Curly goes broody all the time, and her Dada being a Polish, I think Polish also go broody. Just as well she doesn’t - no more babies! Ever! Too much heartache if Roos.
 
Teehee!

It must be a chicken thing. Anytime we've added a bird to our existing flock the new bird (whether a hen or younger pullet) has tried taking over bullying or trying to become alpha ~ testing their position in an existing flock to bully first before an existing bird bullies her? exert power to avoid getting attacked? stress in a new environment? jealousy? dare we attach humanism to hens? Even the Silkie babies we recently added attempted challenging the adult hens. We threw up our hands to it's just a chicken thing & they sort it out!
6 Fluffies ~ butts are all we ever see!

We never had a roo to keep the peace between squabbling hormonal hens but one hen always took over an alpha role in a group. Our friends only had hens & their alpha hen would crow!

When we added 3 new Dom juveniles in 2017 they immediately acknowledged older Silkie Violet as alpha & chose out of the blue to protect her from a bigger 7.5-lb bully hen Char. Reminds me how your Marty chose to come to Mr P's defense. Or maybe distress screams automatically stirs heroism within a bird or two in the flock to protect :idunno?

If Violet screamed from one of Char's attacks the 3 Doms would put Char in her place! It was the first time we ever had birds that protected one another ~ so obviously we became partial to Dominiques for their heroism when called for as well as their calm temperaments & people-friendly outgoing unafraid demeanor.

In 13+ yrs every year seemed to change our backyard flock dynamics as birds were added, or died, or got rehomed. It's been an interesting roller coaster/circus 🎪 ride to say the least but fun!
I find I don’t really have a linear hierarchy of who’s the boss. Penelope was queen and is still high up but I have found she mostly ignores everyone now. She is very elderly.

With the rest of the hens, it’s funny how one hen will boss someone of them but them in turn get bosses by someone else. And so forth. It’s rather circular. But the big ‘boss mares’ would be Raven, Penelope, Blanche and Fluffy one of my Silkies.

But again just because Raven lords it over some doesn’t mean she in turn isn’t bossed around. It’s very hilarious watching them all!

The Roos - Bert and Mr P do not get harassed by the hens, but the younger cockerels do (Rosario, Mr Little Chicken) - Clyde the silkie steers clear of the big birds and will run and hide with me if he is being picked on.

Shirley/Shorty has not crowed yet so not sure what to think there. I keep hoping he’s a she 😞 those beautiful feathered legs are just too wonderful. Even the barred pattern is lovely 😢😢😢 but I must face the fact I will have to deal with him, same as Rosario.

Not sure what to do with Bert; I have no takers for him - just a couple creeps who want ‘males’ - likley for cock fighting. I told them take a hike. If he is to go to freezer camp I will do it myself and bury him with Larry. He won’t be sent someplace we’re some one abuses him😡
 
I find I don’t really have a linear hierarchy of who’s the boss. Penelope was queen and is still high up but I have found she mostly ignores everyone now. She is very elderly.

With the rest of the hens, it’s funny how one hen will boss someone of them but them in turn get bosses by someone else. And so forth. It’s rather circular. But the big ‘boss mares’ would be Raven, Penelope, Blanche and Fluffy one of my Silkies.

But again just because Raven lords it over some doesn’t mean she in turn isn’t bossed around. It’s very hilarious watching them all!

The Roos - Bert and Mr P do not get harassed by the hens, but the younger cockerels do (Rosario, Mr Little Chicken) - Clyde the silkie steers clear of the big birds and will run and hide with me if he is being picked on.

Shirley/Shorty has not crowed yet so not sure what to think there. I keep hoping he’s a she 😞 those beautiful feathered legs are just too wonderful. Even the barred pattern is lovely 😢😢😢 but I must face the fact I will have to deal with him, same as Rosario.

Not sure what to do with Bert; I have no takers for him - just a couple creeps who want ‘males’ - likley for cock fighting. I told them take a hike. If he is to go to freezer camp I will do it myself and bury him with Larry. He won’t be sent someplace we’re some one abuses him😡
Very sorry you are having so much trouble. :hugs
 
Fluffy Butt Friday

A couple fluffy silkie bums

Clyde
EDFC3B0A-6399-4EFA-AC7A-F709B7B46BD9.jpeg


Georgie
DDC9F649-00CB-4A86-9A8F-3D550B612D8A.jpeg


And a skinny bantam bum
80A7E277-DA7E-4324-9DE7-EE61609B24AC.jpeg
 

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