Ribh's D'Coopage

[RoyalChick]

The morning Fat Bird carry and cuddle is continuing.
I'm a bit torn between enjoying doing it and whether or not it is good for Fat Bird in the long run. It's hardly semi feral free range chicken keeping.
When I opened up this morning all Tribe 1 tumbled out of the human door and headed off to the duck sheds for breakfast. Even Treacle, who normally gets a bit of human herding in before joining the others gave up on moving me after a couple of attempts.
Fat Bird had jumped down from the roost bar and just stood at the edge of the open door looking at me and waiting.
I did say 'you don't really want my horrid featherless hands all over you lovely feathers do you?' but she still stood there. I went and let the sheep out and Fat Bird did a bit of a muted escort call.
She was still stood there when I went back to the coop.
I put my hands down low as I do to pick her up but didn't actually touch her, giving her the chance to avoid me if she wanted. She partly raised herself like a human on tip toes expecting the lift.
I carried her in the end. She sat on my hand happily burbling away and when I put her down next to Cillin by the food, no post mating shake.

Fat Bird is an old lady. As someone who has not quite achieved that status but heading there fast, I would say that every old lady deserves a kind younger man to chauffeur, and to lend a hand as needed. Enough with the 'not good for her' - she has lived that life and now wants to relax a bit and be waited on hand and foot. Good on Fat Bird - you go girl!

 

[LozzyR]

The morning Fat Bird carry and cuddle is continuing.
I'm a bit torn between enjoying doing it and whether or not it is good for Fat Bird in the long run. It's hardly semi feral free range chicken keeping.
When I opened up this morning all Tribe 1 tumbled out of the human door and headed off to the duck sheds for breakfast. Even Treacle, who normally gets a bit of human herding in before joining the others gave up on moving me after a couple of attempts.
Fat Bird had jumped down from the roost bar and just stood at the edge of the open door looking at me and waiting.
I did say 'you don't really want my horrid featherless hands all over you lovely feathers do you?' but she still stood there. I went and let the sheep out and Fat Bird did a bit of a muted escort call.
She was still stood there when I went back to the coop.
I put my hands down low as I do to pick her up but didn't actually touch her, giving her the chance to avoid me if she wanted. She partly raised herself like a human on tip toes expecting the lift.
I carried her in the end. She sat on my hand happily burbling away and when I put her down next to Cillin by the food, no post mating shake.

I don’t see why this should cease. She obviously enjoys her morning cuddle and chat and I don’t think it is dumbing her down. She has shown how smart she is by resting under the fence and limiting predator strikes. It sounds like you and she have a lovely relationship.

 

[BY Bob]

The morning Fat Bird carry and cuddle is continuing.
I'm a bit torn between enjoying doing it and whether or not it is good for Fat Bird in the long run. It's hardly semi feral free range chicken keeping.
When I opened up this morning all Tribe 1 tumbled out of the human door and headed off to the duck sheds for breakfast. Even Treacle, who normally gets a bit of human herding in before joining the others gave up on moving me after a couple of attempts.
Fat Bird had jumped down from the roost bar and just stood at the edge of the open door looking at me and waiting.
I did say 'you don't really want my horrid featherless hands all over you lovely feathers do you?' but she still stood there. I went and let the sheep out and Fat Bird did a bit of a muted escort call.
She was still stood there when I went back to the coop.
I put my hands down low as I do to pick her up but didn't actually touch her, giving her the chance to avoid me if she wanted. She partly raised herself like a human on tip toes expecting the lift.
I carried her in the end. She sat on my hand happily burbling away and when I put her down next to Cillin by the food, no post mating shake.

I would say if you are part of her flock, then it is semi feral free range chicken keeping. Enjoy the companionship and conversation. It's like a morning walk with her featherless friend.

But then I'm jealous.

 

[BY Bob]

Fat Bird is an old lady. As someone who has not quite achieved that status but heading there fast, I would say that every old lady deserves a kind younger man to chauffeur, and to lend a hand as needed. Enough with the 'not good for her' - she has lived that life and now wants to relax a bit and be waited on hand and foot. Good on Fat Bird - you go girl!

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Ribh]

I carried her in the end. She sat on my hand happily burbling away and when I put her down next to Cillin by the food, no post mating shake.

None of mine do the feather shake if I'm just handling them: putting them over the fence, lifting them on a roost etc but if they have squatted & I then stroke them, particularly if I do the full body stroke, that's when I get the feather shake.

I'm not quite sure how my girls view me any more. Especially my older girls. It's quite mad. They will come towards me if they have got out calling greetings & then squat & wait to be lifted back over the fence. No feather shake. Despite hand feeding Lottie I don't usually handle her; she hops up on my knee of her own accord. I don't stoke her or anything. She has never squatted for me & never shakes her feathers.

I have been handling Mhari a fair bit just getting her out of a nesting box & after the initial fussing she now just settles in my hands for the ride to the roost burbling inanities @ me. No feather shaking there either. It's like the girls have put me in a little category of my own ~ not rooster, not quite hen either but non life threatening!

 

[Shadrach]

Fat Bird is an old lady. As someone who has not quite achieved that status but heading there fast, I would say that every old lady deserves a kind younger man to chauffeur, and to lend a hand as needed. Enough with the 'not good for her' - she has lived that life and now wants to relax a bit and be waited on hand and foot. Good on Fat Bird - you go girl!

She's only ten years older than I am comparatively speaking!
Joking aside, I'm more than happy to do whatever makes her feel comfortable. My concern is that Cillin (The tribes senior rooster) will see Fat Bird as my hen and not take the responsibility for her he should. This is important because Cillin has better eyesight, better hearing, is better looking, is always there, speaks her language and in the world of chickens is far more important to her survival than bucket boy.

 

[Shadrach]

None of mine do the feather shake if I'm just handling them: putting them over the fence, lifting them on a roost etc but if they have squatted & I then stroke them, particularly if I do the full body stroke, that's when I get the feather shake.

I'm not quite sure how my girls view me any more. Especially my older girls. It's quite mad. They will come towards me if they have got out calling greetings & then squat & wait to be lifted back over the fence. No feather shake. Despite hand feeding Lottie I don't usually handle her; she hops up on my knee of her own accord. I don't stoke her or anything. She has never squatted for me & never shakes her feathers.

I have been handling Mhari a fair bit just getting her out of a nesting box & after the initial fussing she now just settles in my hands for the ride to the roost burbling inanities @ me. No feather shaking there either. It's like the girls have put me in a little category of my own ~ not rooster, not quite hen either but non life threatening!

Well, it rather looks as if I'm a bisexual food dispenser and general dogsbody then......
I can live with that I suppose.

 

[Shadrach]

Speaking of Cillin...

 

[Shadrach]

And why Cillin was halfway up the bank was this.

 

[Ribh]

And why Cillin was halfway up the bank was this.
View attachment 2050051

Oh, dear...