I watched the most interesting thing last night.
A little background first. My flock is about 10 weeks old now. Raisin and Citizen (silver laced wynadottes) have always been the biggest and the most dominant chicks. Hurra (marans) has always been the smallest and bullied chick. Just before I moved them from the brooder to the coop, I had to separate the 3 bigger chicks from the 3 smaller ones because the pecking and bulling was getting brutal. With Raisin actually drawing blood a few times on Hurra.
A few days ago, I took down the barrier in the middle of the coop and let all 6 together. Things seemed to go well, no picking/pecking/bullying.
Then last night happened.
I went down just after sundown - I'm still trying to get them to sleep on their roosts instead of smooshed against the door. I shooed them toward the roosts and everyone jumped up and there was all that jostling and peeping and switching places. But Hurra just settled down on the floor. I put her up on the roost but she got pushed off by Citizen. Then Raisin jumped down. She went over to Hurra, made lots of peeping and purring sounds and kept looking back at the roost. Then she finally settled down on the floor next to Hurra. I tried to put them both back on the roost but Citizen kept pushing Hurra off and Raisin kept joining her on the floor. Finally, I put Hurra way down on the end of the roost by herself. Raisin jumped down, walked back and forth looking at everyone getting settled (it's only about a foot high) and then jumped up next to Hurra. Citizen jumped up from her spot - walked OVER everyone else and after a few more rounds of pushing and shoving, settled down next to Citizen with Hurra on the other side.
It got quiet and I left them to sleep.
Now I know that we're not supposed to assume that our animals are experiencing human emotions. (although I do know that they do experience emotions, I'm not entirely convinced that they are motivated by the same things we are). But that looked for all the world like Raisin decided, after a little anxiousness, to stay on the floor with Hurra so that she wouldn't be alone. And that she chose to leave her spot in the middle of the flock to join Hurra at the far end. And that Citizen was jealous and tried real hard to keep Citizen from sitting next to Hurra. And I have to wonder what happend to make Raisin seem to choose to be a friend to Hurra when she seemed to be determined to kill her just a couple of weeks ago. The more time I spend with these little girls, the more convinced I become that they are WAY more than I had ever figured 'just chickens' would be.
.
Who needs satellite tv? I spent 30mins watching Desperate Roost-mates.
I wish I had had my camera with me. They do so many interesting things, I'm thinking that I should keep one down there.
A little background first. My flock is about 10 weeks old now. Raisin and Citizen (silver laced wynadottes) have always been the biggest and the most dominant chicks. Hurra (marans) has always been the smallest and bullied chick. Just before I moved them from the brooder to the coop, I had to separate the 3 bigger chicks from the 3 smaller ones because the pecking and bulling was getting brutal. With Raisin actually drawing blood a few times on Hurra.
A few days ago, I took down the barrier in the middle of the coop and let all 6 together. Things seemed to go well, no picking/pecking/bullying.
Then last night happened.
I went down just after sundown - I'm still trying to get them to sleep on their roosts instead of smooshed against the door. I shooed them toward the roosts and everyone jumped up and there was all that jostling and peeping and switching places. But Hurra just settled down on the floor. I put her up on the roost but she got pushed off by Citizen. Then Raisin jumped down. She went over to Hurra, made lots of peeping and purring sounds and kept looking back at the roost. Then she finally settled down on the floor next to Hurra. I tried to put them both back on the roost but Citizen kept pushing Hurra off and Raisin kept joining her on the floor. Finally, I put Hurra way down on the end of the roost by herself. Raisin jumped down, walked back and forth looking at everyone getting settled (it's only about a foot high) and then jumped up next to Hurra. Citizen jumped up from her spot - walked OVER everyone else and after a few more rounds of pushing and shoving, settled down next to Citizen with Hurra on the other side.
It got quiet and I left them to sleep.
Now I know that we're not supposed to assume that our animals are experiencing human emotions. (although I do know that they do experience emotions, I'm not entirely convinced that they are motivated by the same things we are). But that looked for all the world like Raisin decided, after a little anxiousness, to stay on the floor with Hurra so that she wouldn't be alone. And that she chose to leave her spot in the middle of the flock to join Hurra at the far end. And that Citizen was jealous and tried real hard to keep Citizen from sitting next to Hurra. And I have to wonder what happend to make Raisin seem to choose to be a friend to Hurra when she seemed to be determined to kill her just a couple of weeks ago. The more time I spend with these little girls, the more convinced I become that they are WAY more than I had ever figured 'just chickens' would be.
.
Who needs satellite tv? I spent 30mins watching Desperate Roost-mates.
I wish I had had my camera with me. They do so many interesting things, I'm thinking that I should keep one down there.
