The free-range flock has mostly folded back into itself, with only one cockeral and straggler hens regularly doing their thing. Here is most of the flock scratching a pile of hay. It seems like whether they split or come together depends on what food source they’re taking advantage of.
The overall free-range flock is at least 19 strong. I know for sure one small cockerel permanently disappeared so he probably got caught by something or else he’s living somewhere alone. There may be some hens setting on nests somewhere.
I let the two game hens and one of the stags out of the broody coop for the first time today. They were happily scratching away when I left. I can hear the other stag crowing in the little shelter and I'm hoping they won't be inclined to seek each other out. We will see how the day goes.
The games sought shelter in the coop while a hawk flew over and then ventured back out. I ended up shutting them in (they came in willingly) mid-afternoon and letting the stag's brother and his two leghorn hens out for a couple of hours. Tomorrow I'm going to try the first set with the other three leghorns since they seem eager to be released from their crate. Hope the game girls are nice to them!
It happened that my two new guineas Schorsch (male) and Uschi (female) which I bought one month ago prefer to roost on our walnut tree in about 16 feet high up. As I already wrote, I let them do their thing as they like.
You can see on the pictures that my brown guinea Petra which I own since October 2023 later joined them and preferred a thinner branch. Petra normally sleeps in the coop with the chickens and turkeys.
This night is the first night Petra joined Uschi and Schorsch.
I'm a bit concerned about the thick branch and the little height Uschi and Schorsch picked for roosting. I hope Petra will teach them to roost even higher and on thinner branches - she's about 2 years older than Uschi and Schorsch. On the last photo you can see that Petra decides to stay on a thinner branch. What do you think?
Uschi and Schorsch slept about 10 nights in the tree, I guess.
