@Melabella
Question for you - and for others too!
Do you find that your SFH are more amicable flock mates than the other breeds you've had/have? How do you like the personality and flock interaction compared to other breeds you've had?
This is difficult for me to answer at my stage in the game. My oldest SFH's are 15 weeks, and have been living with 3 older pullets, a SS, a White Maran and an Austra White. There is also a smaller pen within the 12 x 12 grow out stall with 12 younger grow outs ages 7-9 weeks.. all of various breeds. Most of these grow outs they see every day will be their girls later down the road, but for size reasons, they just aren't ready to integrate quite yet. The two roo's are pushed around by the 3 older pullets, the typical stuff, moving them away from both feeders, pushing from top spot on the roosts, and normal stuff like that. I had just started seeing signs of them starting to allow the more dominant roo to hang with them. Yesterday though, I placed these 3 older girls who are almost at POL in with my black Ameraucana roo Clarke. I had rehomed his flock of 10 layers that were starting to tail off with egg production. My goal is to build two new flocks, one pen with the Swedish boys flock, and Clarke's flock of layers. These three teenage girls had to go to him, as they lay brown eggs, and I want other egg color layers with the Swedes so I never confuse the SFH girls eggs. I also have a pen of 5 week olds in the feed room growing out as well. In that group are my new SFH babies of the 5 I hatched. I also have 2 EE's that are 2 weeks old. I got caught up in my over zealousness of learning to hatch, and the excitement of having these new breeds that I am so happy to now own. The reason I went into this long explanation is to explain my situation. I am still waiting on the Swedish run to be built, and the shed that will be there coop to be set up with roosts and nest boxes. Today I was feeling courageous and I allowed the 3 SFH to come into the stall while the littles were out of their pen. I noticed the two young cockerels looking and sort of surveying them, there is only 1 other cockerel in the bunch, a 9 week old EO Basque boy. So far, he is very quiet and un assuming, and all the littles were quite freaked out by the lack of wire between them. Well, Ava my 14 week old SFH pullet immediately went into attack mode. Not the usual head peck when one got to close, I mean the go after, fly up, and peck peck peck. This freaked out the entire little flock, and Nero sort of got in between her and some of the littles. I realize this will be a whole adjustment period, and I spend an awful lot of time observing. I look up to all of you who have so many birds, and do so much moving around with different birds. I am hoping, and I am confident I can successfully be able to set these two flocks up, but I can see it is going to take an awful lot of time, and patience. So far their personalities seem very confident, inquisitive and strong. So far they are far more active free rangers than the previous flock I had of hatchery layers. I like that! I have also fallen for the EO Basque chicks, at 9 weeks into raising them, they seem very docile and pleasant. I don't necessarily need a chicken to be like a lap dog, and also like the ones who stop briefly to say hello and see what I'm doing, and do admit to liking one that lets me hold them a bit. Time will tell more. Sorry for the long winded explanation.
MB
