MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

Martha's feathers are not as structured as the others' and I think she sometimes feels cold.

 

[MaryJanet]

Is that a ring-collared dove I hear in the background? Might be called a Barbary or Cape turtle dove.

They’re invasive in the southeastern US, escaped pet birds, and they’ve worked their way up the Atlantic coast to Ocracoke island, where they’re displacing native species. I enjoyed their calls for about three minutes until I realized that they never stop from dawn to dusk. A pretty call (or song, I guess), but holy cow, they never vary nor stop.

I used to know, but this morning all I can recall is that there are two pigeon species in the neighbourhood. One is native, the other introduced. One has a crest, the other has a spotted collar. Neither call all day. They seem to call mostly for mating.

ETA I looked up Barbary and ring-collared dove and neither of the local pigeons look like that. Is there a biological difference between dove and pigeon or is it all linguistic?

I'll try to find photos of the local pigeons.

 

[MaryJanet]

@Mother of Chaos this page lists the crested pigeon and the spotted turtle dove, among others. These are the two "pigeons" I see the most of.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

@Mother of Chaos this page lists the crested pigeon and the spotted turtle dove, among others. These are the two "pigeons" I see the most of.

None of those look like the ones on Ocracoke, although their calls are very similar.

This is our culprit (I didn’t list the standardized common name correctly):
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eurasian_Collared-Dove/overview

 

[MaryJanet]

I came inside for breakfast and am going through a few photos and videos taken earlier.

The first one is of Martha's feathers, which are not very insulative.

They look tattered and I recall one of @BY Bob 's hens has this type of feather - is it Hattie? Anyway, I'm sure this is why she uses the heat plate more than her friends.

This video shows Katie's first interaction with the chicks. I'm not sure how to interpret her behaviour, would anyone like to comment?

Right now the hens are in the wider garden and the big run is closed, mainly so I don't have to worry about a hen jumping in with the chicks and doing harm while I'm inside having breakfast.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I came inside for breakfast and am going through a few photos and videos taken earlier.

The first one is of Martha's feathers, which are not very insulative.

View attachment 4291499

They look tattered and I recall one of @BY Bob 's hens has this type of feather - is it Hattie? Anyway, I'm sure this is why she uses the heat plate more than her friends.

This video shows Katie's first interaction with the chicks. I'm not sure how to interpret her behaviour, would anyone like to comment?

Right now the hens are in the wider garden and the big run is closed, mainly so I don't have to worry about a hen jumping in with the chicks and doing harm while I'm inside having breakfast.

I’m no expert (my Littles were 6-8 weeks when they joined.) Katie looks curious and intrigued to me. Nothing in her posture looks aggressive or threatening. I know that there will be pecks and short charges when the walls come down, but for now, it looks pretty positive.

 

[RoyalChick]

I came inside for breakfast and am going through a few photos and videos taken earlier.

The first one is of Martha's feathers, which are not very insulative.

View attachment 4291499

They look tattered and I recall one of @BY Bob 's hens has this type of feather - is it Hattie? Anyway, I'm sure this is why she uses the heat plate more than her friends.

This video shows Katie's first interaction with the chicks. I'm not sure how to interpret her behaviour, would anyone like to comment?

Right now the hens are in the wider garden and the big run is closed, mainly so I don't have to worry about a hen jumping in with the chicks and doing harm while I'm inside having breakfast.

I forget the details but I think lavender colored chickens often carry a gene for 'shredding' which I understand as being tatty feathers. I don't recall that Hattie has it - but no doubt Bob will stop by and let us know.

 

[MaryJanet]

I’m no expert (my Littles were 6-8 weeks when they joined.) Katie looks curious and intrigued to me. Nothing in her posture looks aggressive or threatening. I know that there will be pecks and short charges when the walls come down, but for now, it looks pretty positive.

Shadrach might notice something subtle we're not picking up.

 

[MaryJanet]

I forget the details but I think lavender colored chickens often carry a gene for 'shredding' which I understand as being tatty feathers. I don't recall that Hattie has it - but no doubt Bob will stop by and let us know.

I wonder if there's a little Silkie in her genetic profile.

 

[BY Bob]

I came inside for breakfast and am going through a few photos and videos taken earlier.

The first one is of Martha's feathers, which are not very insulative.

View attachment 4291499

They look tattered and I recall one of @BY Bob 's hens has this type of feather - is it Hattie? Anyway, I'm sure this is why she uses the heat plate more than her friends.

This video shows Katie's first interaction with the chicks. I'm not sure how to interpret her behaviour, would anyone like to comment?

Right now the hens are in the wider garden and the big run is closed, mainly so I don't have to worry about a hen jumping in with the chicks and doing harm while I'm inside having breakfast.

It's called the feather shredder gene. It occurs in lavender chickens. The feathers shed as the year goes on. Let me see if I can find a picture.

They occur on her back by her tail and migrate towards her head until she molts.