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Wattle shake! Lucky with the camera.
Two hours, dry with mostly sunshine. A full two hours out of the coop extension and the coop run!
I'm getting more time for Glais and the training/teaching attempts.
The first problem was over food. While it is in my view for a rooster to eat before the hens when they are not laying, I've seen it often enough to accept this as normal, I don't need to properly understand the reasons.
What Glais was trying to do is stop them eating from the trays. Food on the ground = free for all. Glais isn't mature enough to realise he would get more points if he called the hens and stood back yet. Two trays helped a bit and letting Glais eat until he stepped back from the tray and then distracting him from driving Mow and Sylph off may also have helped. However, Glais is a bright chap and he's mostly worked this out for himself. They will all eat from the same tray at the same time most of the time now.
This is important in the field keeping circumstances because feeding opportunities are limited to what I leave overnight and attempting two feeds within a couple of hours in the evening. The is nothing to eat in the coop run which is where they are for the majority of the day.
They spent the full two hours out of the coop run this afternoon. I only had to collect Glais once heading for the coop, Mow and Sylph stayed out. I herded him back towards the hens and they all stayed more or less together until I called them for treats (Canned tuna in drained spring water). I hand feed treats usually. Glais takes his first offering and will stand on my feet for two or three more and then I offer to Mow next and Glais stands back. He wandered off a bit this evening and I had to call him to get the rest of his share.
I've started the first shelter build. I have no idea if it will work.
Two hours, dry with mostly sunshine. A full two hours out of the coop extension and the coop run!
I'm getting more time for Glais and the training/teaching attempts.
The first problem was over food. While it is in my view for a rooster to eat before the hens when they are not laying, I've seen it often enough to accept this as normal, I don't need to properly understand the reasons.
What Glais was trying to do is stop them eating from the trays. Food on the ground = free for all. Glais isn't mature enough to realise he would get more points if he called the hens and stood back yet. Two trays helped a bit and letting Glais eat until he stepped back from the tray and then distracting him from driving Mow and Sylph off may also have helped. However, Glais is a bright chap and he's mostly worked this out for himself. They will all eat from the same tray at the same time most of the time now.
This is important in the field keeping circumstances because feeding opportunities are limited to what I leave overnight and attempting two feeds within a couple of hours in the evening. The is nothing to eat in the coop run which is where they are for the majority of the day.
They spent the full two hours out of the coop run this afternoon. I only had to collect Glais once heading for the coop, Mow and Sylph stayed out. I herded him back towards the hens and they all stayed more or less together until I called them for treats (Canned tuna in drained spring water). I hand feed treats usually. Glais takes his first offering and will stand on my feet for two or three more and then I offer to Mow next and Glais stands back. He wandered off a bit this evening and I had to call him to get the rest of his share.
I've started the first shelter build. I have no idea if it will work.
