The new Buckeye side, ladies taking a dustbath...the one closest in the corner had to tell Shehnai to not step on her and back off, she's going to dustbathe right now. The Buff Orps are near them but on their side. Buff Orp Tedi had gone and retrieved Buckeye Hazel who had been back in their other end.
Once with them Hazel settled down on the litter and began pecking and dragging like she would dust bathe too.
Integration has been me opening up the gate for 2-3 hours in the middle and early afternoons. I do chores and hang out. Hazel is not happy during those times, but interestingly yesterday she did calm down some eventually. I got her up on my lap twice when things got intense for her, and then put her on a perch, she feels safer up there, or near my leg. She went and perched on the edge of a leaned pallet also. I worried about the edge of it, she's right on the corner, so maybe I should sand or plane it, or attach a towel.
Below, the best spot for Hazel to keep from Shehnai, the walker legs make it cramped and he can go around and through but rarely does, he can't maneuver well. With the Orps she's got bodyguards and he won't plow through them, but it's effective anyway, she's got multiple moves from in there.
Shehnai does not concentrate all his attentions on Hazel though. He would like to mate with everyone within reach and is tap dancing and side-stepping a lot, and he has his favorites, but he is more or less respecting it when he gets turned down, not running after her, if the lady in question sees his intentions in time to bok or move away. Surprise jump is his latest method, but now during midday he is definitely more mellow about it all. Today at 12:30 he approached Hazel from behind, she made one bok and he walked away. (Mornings and late days though...)
Shehnai makes a move. I was getting pics for Fluffy Butt Friday of two Buckeyes there on the perch. He jumped on (I think it's Tedi) by surprise just as I took the last pic:
Hazel mainly has to watch out for Buckeye Bea, who wants a spot above her in the pecking order so chases and pecks her. Hazel runs and screams when attacked. Shehnai twice came over when Bea jumped Hazel as soon as there was a ruckus. But it is over quickly, before he gets there, and he is not interfering much, unless his running helped end it. I did see him peck Bea lightly on the head once as she was leaving a skirmish though.
Bea "I-Wanna-Bea-Boss" Bea
Diane is also quite afraid, she gets harassed by the top two young Buckeyes too (Bea and Peaches). I'm afraid she is going to be close to the bottom if we have a successful integration. Probably above Lizbel and Olive, but that's all.
Tedi I think
Buff Orps Tedi and Annie however take no guff from either Bea or Peaches, and stare down and chase them.
Buckeyes Lizbel and Olive are like Switzerland and take no part in any of this. They retreat to a perch or a quiet spot and just hang out and watch.
Peaches on the left, Olive on the right. Lizbel on the floor in the back.
Shehnai is quite taken with Annie the Buff Orp, who seems to like him well enough. She avoids him mating her when she wants, by circling around him, yet often staying near him. Every so often he takes her by surprise. He tried to court her while she was getting her nestbox spot ready to lay in. He was dancing and moving sideways on her in there, she was peeping at him a lot and maybe wasn't pleased, I don't speak chicken, but for sure she wasn't growling and she was tolerating him.
He moved toward her and she moved off the spot and he started scratching out the nextbox hemp for her where she had been. Annie moved into the hole with her rump pushed high into the back corner & he stood still watching her. Then left her to chase Hazel, but kept looking back at the coop whenever we could hear her moving around in there. He mated her soon after she emerged.
I think he cut her comb a few days ago, I observed that it bled after he grabbed it while mating her and she was objecting strenuously. Then later I saw him grab it but not cause a cut. Today I observed him grabbing her by her side neck feathers. I don't think he's consistently doing that but maybe he's getting the hang of it.
He starts getting really randy late in the day and just doesn't stop going after the ladies at all, especially the Orps and Hazel, so to give Hazel and everyone a break and a chance to eat and drink before bed I close the gate when they appear to self-separate - the young Buckeye ladies decide to go to their feeder and start their evening routine, the Orps drive away any lone Buckeye straggler (who wants to join the others anyway). Shehnai follows but then goes back and forth between the runs and I close it when he's on the Buckeye side.
Once with them Hazel settled down on the litter and began pecking and dragging like she would dust bathe too.
Integration has been me opening up the gate for 2-3 hours in the middle and early afternoons. I do chores and hang out. Hazel is not happy during those times, but interestingly yesterday she did calm down some eventually. I got her up on my lap twice when things got intense for her, and then put her on a perch, she feels safer up there, or near my leg. She went and perched on the edge of a leaned pallet also. I worried about the edge of it, she's right on the corner, so maybe I should sand or plane it, or attach a towel.
Below, the best spot for Hazel to keep from Shehnai, the walker legs make it cramped and he can go around and through but rarely does, he can't maneuver well. With the Orps she's got bodyguards and he won't plow through them, but it's effective anyway, she's got multiple moves from in there.
Shehnai does not concentrate all his attentions on Hazel though. He would like to mate with everyone within reach and is tap dancing and side-stepping a lot, and he has his favorites, but he is more or less respecting it when he gets turned down, not running after her, if the lady in question sees his intentions in time to bok or move away. Surprise jump is his latest method, but now during midday he is definitely more mellow about it all. Today at 12:30 he approached Hazel from behind, she made one bok and he walked away. (Mornings and late days though...)
Shehnai makes a move. I was getting pics for Fluffy Butt Friday of two Buckeyes there on the perch. He jumped on (I think it's Tedi) by surprise just as I took the last pic:
Hazel mainly has to watch out for Buckeye Bea, who wants a spot above her in the pecking order so chases and pecks her. Hazel runs and screams when attacked. Shehnai twice came over when Bea jumped Hazel as soon as there was a ruckus. But it is over quickly, before he gets there, and he is not interfering much, unless his running helped end it. I did see him peck Bea lightly on the head once as she was leaving a skirmish though.
Bea "I-Wanna-Bea-Boss" Bea
Diane is also quite afraid, she gets harassed by the top two young Buckeyes too (Bea and Peaches). I'm afraid she is going to be close to the bottom if we have a successful integration. Probably above Lizbel and Olive, but that's all.
Tedi I think
Buff Orps Tedi and Annie however take no guff from either Bea or Peaches, and stare down and chase them.
Buckeyes Lizbel and Olive are like Switzerland and take no part in any of this. They retreat to a perch or a quiet spot and just hang out and watch.
Peaches on the left, Olive on the right. Lizbel on the floor in the back.
Shehnai is quite taken with Annie the Buff Orp, who seems to like him well enough. She avoids him mating her when she wants, by circling around him, yet often staying near him. Every so often he takes her by surprise. He tried to court her while she was getting her nestbox spot ready to lay in. He was dancing and moving sideways on her in there, she was peeping at him a lot and maybe wasn't pleased, I don't speak chicken, but for sure she wasn't growling and she was tolerating him.
He moved toward her and she moved off the spot and he started scratching out the nextbox hemp for her where she had been. Annie moved into the hole with her rump pushed high into the back corner & he stood still watching her. Then left her to chase Hazel, but kept looking back at the coop whenever we could hear her moving around in there. He mated her soon after she emerged.
I think he cut her comb a few days ago, I observed that it bled after he grabbed it while mating her and she was objecting strenuously. Then later I saw him grab it but not cause a cut. Today I observed him grabbing her by her side neck feathers. I don't think he's consistently doing that but maybe he's getting the hang of it.
He starts getting really randy late in the day and just doesn't stop going after the ladies at all, especially the Orps and Hazel, so to give Hazel and everyone a break and a chance to eat and drink before bed I close the gate when they appear to self-separate - the young Buckeye ladies decide to go to their feeder and start their evening routine, the Orps drive away any lone Buckeye straggler (who wants to join the others anyway). Shehnai follows but then goes back and forth between the runs and I close it when he's on the Buckeye side.
Not here - still have a solid groundcover of about 6-8" of now heavy, slushy snow with the melting (except where shoveled,/snow-blown - those areas are either clear or a layer of ice.)
