You guys. Hens are beeyotches. Not unlike the mean girls in high school...
I have had Flower (my favorite, sweet, orange hawk attack survivor) in the hospital cage in my garage, along with my broody Silkie Big Bird (they are snuggle buddies and broodermates). Flower has made a complete recovery, and her vision seems to be fine now (I was using Vetericyn ophtho gel, the blood gradually disappeared in her cornea, and she can see).
The weather has been nice, so I decided to transition the two of them back outside to the Originals' coop. Supervised, of course. At first it went great, the two former inmates were rolling around in the dust bath area, digging and scratching joyously.
And then all hell broke loose! All that dominance/pecking order stuff surfaced (they have always been pretty chill together until now). Random birds started pecking each other, in no apparent order. Willow, one of my Brahma bantams, got all in Flower's face and bit off a little piece of her comb! I didn't even notice it at first because Flower was too busy chasing Maya (my EE and biggest bird, and sort of the top hen). I separated Willow and threw her in with the Cemanis, and then I noticed a little piece of comb and orange fluff in her beak! They started pecking at each other through the hardware mesh that separates the two coops. I took Flower inside and she indeed had a little bleeding at the back end of her comb.
So I cleaned her up, put Quick Stop on the comb, and decided to put her in the coop with the door closed until nightfall. And when it's dark I will open the door and make sure they are all good, and get up with the sun tomorrow to make sure nobody kills each other!
She's already mad--and pacing back and forth in her coop--because she is spunky and wants out. And here I am, smelly and covered with chicken poo and a few drops of blood, writing to you.
Not for the first time in a week.
A day in the life of a Crazy Chicken Lady!
I have had Flower (my favorite, sweet, orange hawk attack survivor) in the hospital cage in my garage, along with my broody Silkie Big Bird (they are snuggle buddies and broodermates). Flower has made a complete recovery, and her vision seems to be fine now (I was using Vetericyn ophtho gel, the blood gradually disappeared in her cornea, and she can see).
The weather has been nice, so I decided to transition the two of them back outside to the Originals' coop. Supervised, of course. At first it went great, the two former inmates were rolling around in the dust bath area, digging and scratching joyously.
And then all hell broke loose! All that dominance/pecking order stuff surfaced (they have always been pretty chill together until now). Random birds started pecking each other, in no apparent order. Willow, one of my Brahma bantams, got all in Flower's face and bit off a little piece of her comb! I didn't even notice it at first because Flower was too busy chasing Maya (my EE and biggest bird, and sort of the top hen). I separated Willow and threw her in with the Cemanis, and then I noticed a little piece of comb and orange fluff in her beak! They started pecking at each other through the hardware mesh that separates the two coops. I took Flower inside and she indeed had a little bleeding at the back end of her comb.
So I cleaned her up, put Quick Stop on the comb, and decided to put her in the coop with the door closed until nightfall. And when it's dark I will open the door and make sure they are all good, and get up with the sun tomorrow to make sure nobody kills each other!
She's already mad--and pacing back and forth in her coop--because she is spunky and wants out. And here I am, smelly and covered with chicken poo and a few drops of blood, writing to you.
Not for the first time in a week.A day in the life of a Crazy Chicken Lady!
