This is Alpia. Of my 2 Wyandotte bantams she has been the sweetest, most timid, friendliest bird from the day she arrived. Age has given her confidence but I would never have classed her as a mean or aggressive hen. Her sister, Wrold, is another kettle of fish entirely!
The tribe has gone through some drastic changes lately. Not only did we lose China we lost Portia, my frizzled Wyandotte & noisiest, bossiest hen. This left 2 gaps in the hierarchy just after 4 frizzled bantams were added so there has been quite a lot of jockeying for position. I am blessed in that the girls aren't brutal though I am always surprised at how feisty my 2 smallest hens, Chavi & Tootsie, are & how well they are able to hold their own against the bigger birds.
The flock has been stable & calm since we moved up here. The only really big change was Leonard & as he was accepted almost immediately [all the girls love him] there were no really noticeable changes.
The loss of Portia is different. Wyandottes have a reputation for a reason. They are supremely beautiful but I can't see me ever getting another. Her idea was it was her job to order everyone else around & she was loud & determined about it. Only Ha'penny ignored her. No surprises there.
As most of my evenings are busy I generally throw the feed down when I coop the chooks but one evening last week I interred the hens early as the weather was looking dire & lingered to enjoy their company. To my shock Alpia has taken on a Portia personality @ bedtime. She harried everyone off the food though she didn't want to eat herself. She chivied the roosters down & chased them. She pecked the broodies until they tucked into each other, fluffed out & lifted their tails. Confronted with a pile of feathers she became totally confused.
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Chook friendships always astound me. The oddest couples pair up.
Tootsie & Chavi have never been great together, though given their size you'd think they would be, but then Tootsie tipped Chavi down the pecking order...
However Mustard Seed has paired up with Tootsie & Chavi has tagged along. These 3 like to roost close to Leonard. Ha'penny roosts in solitary splendour, Alpia & Wrold roost together under Ha'penny & India usually roosts close to them. The broodies are busy brooding. Wrold, whom I would have expected to fill Portia's role ignores the bedtime shenanigans.
