Am going to read Shad’s article again (been a long time), but the @RebeccaBoyd post(s), can anybody find that / them? I do recall reading it, but can’t find it now, my searches are not turning up anything.
I still like Shehnai for his name, and I’ve been calling him that, teaching him that name all this time, since he was a chick (Hindi word, sort of pronounced shay-NAH-ee, or sheh-NAH-ee. I first heard it in the Rolling Stones songs Streefighting Man and Paint It Black. The Buckeyes honks sound a lot like one).
He has never been keen on being handled, from Day One he was very evasive and fast, totally wasn’t into even standing on my hand, unusually so for a chick or even compared to the other Buckeye chicks (Buckeyes are more wary than Orpingtons, but Picabo, Isabel and Beedles would stand on my hand no problem. Beedles was always wanting to stay on my hand, hard to get her off!). I’ve worked on not reaching too fast near any of them a lot, and getting them to be comfortable being very close to me, inspecting and standing on my legs without fear. Now they have calmed a lot from the early frenzy chick stage and are practically underfoot and all in and behind me when I’m crouching doing something.
But I haven’t really been handling them much, it seemed to need a slower approach, and integration has made it more difficult, with Bigs around. I’ve now been lightly brushing against them with my hand or arm, while reaching somewhere else, or sometimes when they go by me when I’m crouching, to get them used to my touch. They all will eat from my hands readily of course. Two days ago I looked at one’s vent, letting her stand in place on my leg but keeping her there, which works well for Bigs Buckeye Hazel, who gets very nervous & trembles when being held.
I did move the Littles in a sort of emergency handling, when they were freaking out more than I thought they would with the work of the tractor excavator 15 feet away. I think it was the back and forward motion, not the engine, that was the problem I didn’t foresee. Plus they had been herded back down to the covered run from the area I first had them (rhododendron) by the Bigs (who then went back up). They were huddling and also trying to get away somewhere so I picked them up one by one and carried them back up to the rhododendron, where they were much happier. Shehnai was the most upset of them all, also I moved him last, which in hindsight was a mistake. Besides the tractor, he was all upset about being alone and was calling a pitiful bokking sort of egg song to find the group, and that became a wail as I carried him, and went on wailing for a good five seconds after he was put down on the ground with everybody else. I got the familiar yellow feeder (had since they were chicks) and put it up there, opened the top and topped up the sides, and he settled down as they all ate. I sat with them awhile. Then after the excavating was done I did chores around them and spent a long quiet calm time sitting too, the next day also. I could see some trust needed to be regained, which took a couple of days.
A tour guide complained that they've totally messed up their schedule because it's impossible to get the tourists back on the bus when there are cows to pet.
are a huge worry!
