I like this idea. Funny and hey, why not?I was thinking about this & wondering if it's exactly because Betty looks like Sydney but the frizzle throws her.She knows Betty shouldn't look frizzled.
I will just keep observing and see if I can find other clues somehow.
Now that's funny!In that last photo she looks like she’s singing! “I’m so pretty, oh so pretty….”
That is the plan.
I wish I'd got video because this is very tame compared to what Desdemona did. Desi dropped her outside wing completely in the dirt. She was sending up little dust puffs. And she completely circled Sif. The 2nd time she flared her hackles. It lasted over a minute. I was fascinated but do not understand what was going on.
That's wonderful news!!Sif nearly made me cry tonight.Aoife was screaming @ everyone to get to bed so I came out to check Sif was managing ok. She wasn't on the patio. She wasn't in the shed. She wasn't round the corner @ the food. I started checking all the places I sometimes find her stuck. No Sif. Just as I was starting to worry because it was getting pretty dark I found her! She had got herself into one of the garden beds & was having a really thorough dust bath.
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Not only that, I watched her stretch out both legs, her good one & then her bad one, Both wings. Everyone else had gone to roost & it was nearly completely dark when she hopped down ~ without toppling over~ & almost ran to the shed beside me. She was so happy! And I was so happy for her.
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Oooh, very interesting take! I knew you would not disappoint!I'll have a go.
I've seen roosters do this to broody hens a lot. The hens leave the nest and the rooster when it sees the hen will do the herding movements and sometimes a hackle flash.
So, what does it mean?
All the chickens know who is broody and who isn't. They all seem to know where the broodies nest is. I found this difficult to understand with the tribes when a hen made a nest somewhere I didn't think other hens had been.
The hens and roosters know a broody hen should be sitting on the eggs.
I can't help wondering if the herding and flash are to tell the hen to get back to her nest.
I don't understand why this happens but when broody hens have joined the rest to eat when it's been normal mealtime (that is when I've provided commercial feed or treats) the rest of the tribe drive the broody away from the food and make it difficult for her to eat. This happens to even the senior broodies.
Does the tribe think a broody hen should forage for her food because that is what she will have to do once the chicks hatch?
Most hens get around this by coming out to eat not at normal feed times. I used to watch for them and provide food away from the rest of the tribe.
I had a few that would leave the nest towards dusk and the junior ones had to wait until it was lamost dark and the rest of the tribe had gone to roost before they could eat unmolested.
There's some very complex behaviour going on in these situations which one can come up with theories for but that is all they are.
Best update ever!!!Sif nearly made me cry tonight.Aoife was screaming @ everyone to get to bed so I came out to check Sif was managing ok. She wasn't on the patio. She wasn't in the shed. She wasn't round the corner @ the food. I started checking all the places I sometimes find her stuck. No Sif. Just as I was starting to worry because it was getting pretty dark I found her! She had got herself into one of the garden beds & was having a really thorough dust bath.
View attachment 3023313
Not only that, I watched her stretch out both legs, her good one & then her bad one, Both wings. Everyone else had gone to roost & it was nearly completely dark when she hopped down ~ without toppling over~ & almost ran to the shed beside me. She was so happy! And I was so happy for her.
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Awwww.Sif nearly made me cry tonight.Aoife was screaming @ everyone to get to bed so I came out to check Sif was managing ok. She wasn't on the patio. She wasn't in the shed. She wasn't round the corner @ the food. I started checking all the places I sometimes find her stuck. No Sif. Just as I was starting to worry because it was getting pretty dark I found her! She had got herself into one of the garden beds & was having a really thorough dust bath.
View attachment 3023313
Not only that, I watched her stretch out both legs, her good one & then her bad one, Both wings. Everyone else had gone to roost & it was nearly completely dark when she hopped down ~ without toppling over~ & almost ran to the shed beside me. She was so happy! And I was so happy for her.
View attachment 3023314
Yes, in the run under the roof.
