Ok, so I searched the word "tribe" and By Member "Shadrach" and yes, there's a whole bunch of tidbits and morsels here and there and everywhere to digest bit by bit. Which is better for absorption anyway.
I'm keenly interested in this topic right now because it's obvious my group is ripe for splitting off. Tina's offspring, the three little amigos, are twelve weeks old and already doing their own thing. They are very curious about the new coop I'm working on. We'll see if they move in on their own.
Solo, Patucha's one offspring, unfortunately is floundering. At eleven weeks, I can't even determine the sex (looks like a big pullet still, acts like a cockerel) the chick is belligerent with the three amigos and hangs on to Patucha, who clearly is done being mommy and wants to eat and lay eggs in peace. Not sure what's going to happen. If Solo does turn out to be a cockerel, he will either have to be Lucio's junior if that works, go up to live at our new expat neighbors if I can convince them they need to start keeping chickens (with my help), or give him away to a local for caldito (not what Im hoping for).
Lucio is becoming a fine young rooster/mature cockerel at nine months. This morning, he didn't even crow until he quietly walked Dusty over to her very inconvenient egg-laying spot (behind the drywall). But he clearly has his hands full with tending to four hens and I can see that being with Tina (the oldest and senior) when one of the others is laying stresses him out. Tina is reminding me of Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate right now. She knows Lucio likes to be near whomever is laying to be "on call" and she deliberately leads him away. I notice he's been getting better at dividing his attentions more evenly over the past week, but clearly four hens is enough for Lucio.
So that would leave Frida, still an outlier pullet at six months old, and Prima, the 12 week old, as the only females not claimed by Lucio.
Seems like not that long ago I had that "big coop feeling" and now there's too many for one tribe.
Well, anyway, better get working on finishing up this new coop. I'm so curious to see what happens.
And... Dusty (the black frizzle) is probably going to want to sit and hatch the clutch she's laying now -- and I'm going to let her try. She was so committed to her last sit and I feel terrible for underestimating her. So, soon there may be a few more...
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There's two falcons in a palm tree over Lucio's head right now. They aren't big enough to attack Lucio, but he's standing his ground and giving the alert while the smaller chicks take cover.
