Ribh's D'Coopage

[Ribh]

The change in Donk after her sister got killed was very noticable. Some seem more effected by the loss of a flock mate than others.
Some, like with Gedit, the whole tribe goes to pieces for a while.
I dread to think what will happen when Fat Bird dies.

Exactly! My older girls really hold the flock together ~ & it's very noticeable with so many flighty birds in it. They really calm down & become easier more quickly under the headship of Luna & the Brs, who are all really calm birds & not overly bossy.

 

[drstratton]

Thanks, Shad. I think a few people were having difficulties @ the time, though perhaps not chicken related, & it just seemed to me it was a grief better kept to myself.

What you might find interesting is that Suyin's sister, Luna, who has always been a very calm, laid back girl became very skittish around me for the first few days after Suyin's death. It was like she was blaming me & thought I had something to do with her sister's disappearance ~ well I guess I did. She's since had quite a personality change becoming very assertive & loud, even flying up @ the gate when I go to let them out. She has always buddied up with the BRs & @ night the bantams but even so seems to be really missing her sister. She also seems to have asserted her position in the pecking order, almost as if she's taken on some of her sister's less desirable characteristics.

Maybe she feels like she can come out of her shell now that her sister is gone!

We had a couple of Rose Comb banty roosters...one was definitely the alpha...after a pack of dogs killed him and most of my flock ...the other rooster who survived, became very aggressive, I guess he felt that was how he should behave as the new head rooster...after he attacked my mom and then my husband...we decided that we couldn't keep him anymore! It's amazing how their personalities can change with the loss of others in the flock...in this case it was not for the better!

 

[MaryJanet]

I can understand your reasoning and yes it does bring people down. Who said we have to be happy all the time. It irritates me tbh.
I think it can help with the grief and maybe more importantly, others may learn from your experiences. There's a lot of judgement I find about losing chickens. Then one day something happens to those who judge so easily and it isn't all black and white anymore.
I've had a lot die here. I've had people tell me how irresponsible I am for free ranging like I do and even that I shouldn't be allowed to keep chickens. Then a fox or, something breaks into their run and wipes out their flock.
Don't worry about bring me down and I'm pretty sure the others would say the same.

Yes I would.

Being perennially cheerful isn't healthy. I'd rather genuinely live through my emotions.

It's funny how judgy people can be when ultimately everyone does the best they can with what they've got. I admire your commitment to ensuring the tribes live as naturally as they can. Given the risks from various predators, it's a courageous choice the tribes benefit from enormously and you do a great job of backing it up with diligent observation and health care.

The other thing I find odd is when people who've had chickens for a month or two speak their expertise with a strong voice. It's a slow learn is chickening. I thought I was doing ok but look what happened to Peggy's liver.

 

[drstratton]

Ah, well, I don't find training dogs fun. And their puppy & teen stages drive me wild! An old dog sleeping by the hearth I can cope with. And my cats tend to sleep with me so I get the wet nose job if they think I am being sluggish about rising but as I'm early these days it's not generally an issue.

Our cats never seemed content to just sleep next to us, for some reason they always wanted to wrap themselves around our heads ...it was to much for hubs, who had to get up at 5 everyday and put in a 10 hour work day...so they had to be banished from the bedroom!

 

[MaryJanet]

I love training dogs, it's so much fun...admittedly some are better than others! I love cats too and have always had one until now...I feel they can be more demanding...especially early in the morning...when they think you should be up, because they are...so they sit outside your door and sing to you the song of their people and/or bang on the door...

Or nibble your elbow.

Or maybe that's just Blossom?

 

[Shadrach]

Well, you hadn't commented when I made my comment...Maybe Bucket Boys are different?

It would be nice to think it was affection but it's almost always greed that gathers them around my feet.
Fat Bird likes me and will come and sit with me food or no food. The roosters here tend to be more affectionate than the hens.
I think Bracket and Lock both like me; the rest, well I'm tolerated.

 

[MaryJanet]

Thanks, Shad. I think a few people were having difficulties @ the time, though perhaps not chicken related, & it just seemed to me it was a grief better kept to myself.

What you might find interesting is that Suyin's sister, Luna, who has always been a very calm, laid back girl became very skittish around me for the first few days after Suyin's death. It was like she was blaming me & thought I had something to do with her sister's disappearance ~ well I guess I did. She's since had quite a personality change becoming very assertive & loud, even flying up @ the gate when I go to let them out. She has always buddied up with the BRs & @ night the bantams but even so seems to be really missing her sister. She also seems to have asserted her position in the pecking order, almost as if she's taken on some of her sister's less desirable characteristics.

Awwww poor Luna. It must be a challenging adjustment for her.

 

[MaryJanet]

The change in Donk after her sister got killed was very noticable. Some seem more effected by the loss of a flock mate than others.
Some, like with Gedit, the whole tribe goes to pieces for a while.
I dread to think what will happen when Fat Bird dies.

I have the same worry about Janet.

 

[Ribh]

Maybe she feels like she can come out of her shell now that her sister is gone!

We had a couple of Rose Comb banty roosters...one was definitely the alpha...after a pack of dogs killed him and most of my flock ...the other rooster who survived, became very aggressive, I guess he felt that was how he should behave as the new head rooster...after he attacked my mom and then my husband...we decided that we couldn't keep him anymore! It's amazing how their personalities can change with the loss of others in the flock...in this case it was not for the better!

Any change tips the flock balance but sometimes it's a good, fun thing. I had a lovely little partridge Wyandotte banty who was the only banty in the flock @ the time. I was supposed to get 2 but the breeder wouldn't sell me her sister as she felt she wasn't up to standard so I took this girl anyway & she was always right @ the bottom of the pecking order though so fast she stayed out of trouble. When I added new girls this banty suddenly found herself quite a lot higher up the pecking order & she was so delighted it was a joy to watch! She really came out of herself. Unfortunately she had reproductive issues that I'm pretty sure took her in the end. Just when I really needed a vet we went into lockdown & the vets notified us they were shut. It didn't last long but it was long enough.

 

[Ribh]

Awwww poor Luna. It must be a challenging adjustment for her.

And yet the worst hen fight we've ever had here was between Luna & Suyin. Luna took Suyin by the comb & ground her down into the dirt. It was so bad I was on the point of interfering.