Liz, Gertie and Esther

Our chickens are hysterical. Ryan is loving them which greatly amuses me! I let them have the run of the yard since it has turned to fall and they spend their day traveling from one bed to another finding goodies. When they see or hear a human, they run to see if there might be any treats for them. If not, they hang-out a bit farther than arm's reach just to see what you're doing.

Wandering the Yard

Liz, the newest member of the bunch ... the tan Buff Orpington, is the friendliest by far. If you happen to stand over her, she will squat when you reach toward her and allow herself to be petted and/or picked up and carried. She loves to talk and she will try anything you offer, including fingers and toes. Earlier in the year when it was warmer and I would go to check the shed in the morning in my flipflops, she would test out the red toes on my feet! It doesn't really hurt, but it is very quick and a big surprise so it makes me jump and squeal .. usually.

This is 'chicken running' which makes Ryan laugh EVERY TIME. Esther is in the lead.

Esther wears a pink ankle bracelet made from a zip tie to differentiate her at a quick glance from Gertie. They are both Black Astralorps and are not quite laying just yet. They are teenagers and act like it! Gertie was not happy when I brought home Liz (she was a trade for the two Speckled Sussex who were escape artists and always trying to get to the gate of their pen before I could ... it was just too much for me, so I made a good trade for a nice, easy-going Buff Orpington). When Liz was finally ready for me to bring home, Gertie and Esther had lived alone for 2 weeks. Gertie was the top of the 'pecking order.' [ Yes, this common phrase comes from chicken behavior.] Even though Liz is two months older she has a very calm, accepting personality so Gertie was having a wonderful time terrorizing her for even living. No matter what Liz did the first two days, Gertie was over the top of her pecking on her. Eat, roost, drink, walk, run away ... everything was a wrong choice. After two days of this behavior, I decided to intervene. At dusk when they went into their coop to roost I went in to check on things and to see whether Gertie was getting over her foul attitude. Liz was huddled completely behind a bale of straw with her head as far away from Gertie as she could get. Gertie was standing behind her pecking every time she moved. I took up Gertie squawking and fussing, tucked her under my arm, and went back into the house. I figured a little time with someone higher in the pecking order than she is --ME -- might be good for her. Rather than submit, she was full of fight. Fluffing out her neck feathers in a display of dominance and moving restlessly under my arm even though she could not escape. She never had the nerve to actually peck me, which was a good choice for her. She might have ended up as dinner if she did not decide I was too big to actually attack. That evening we had some of Ryan's friends over and they were all quite entertained when I decided to stick her in a backpack and hang her from a doorknob for about an hour's time-out. Backpacks are perfect carriers for chickens. As soon as they cannot see anything, they settle right down. They are sturdy, easy to carry, easy to open and close for the putting-in and taking-out process. They have hangers and are therefore convenient to hang on any handy hook or doorknob. Gertie hung from the doorknob as we all ate dinner that night. Afterward I took her back to the shed and allowed her to roost with her flock for the night. While she was somewhat less aggressive the next day, it wasn't quite where I wanted them to be. I want a friendly, laid-back group of three hens. I do not want them looking to get around me, get away from me or escape from the yard or pen. I want them to be happy with the lives they have within our family. I decided maybe if Esther and Liz had a chance to bond by themselves, Gertie would change her attitude and just be one of the gang. I added a metal cage door to the front of the single laying nest in their coop. I put in dishes of food and water and locked Gertie in her new time-out cage through two mornings and about half the following day. Although Esther did not want Liz to be next to her much, Liz blossomed and decided she was happy and comfortable doing things on her own. Esther is a ditz and freaks out anytime she is alone so she followed Liz's lead and investigated anywhere she led. By the time Gertie came back to the group, she was no longer obnoxious and now the three of them are happy together.

The dogs don't bother them, although Pip likes to slowly move them around the yard. Here Sass and Pip are wrestling and you can see the girls could care less. They are busy scavenging.

Interestingly, Liz is the leader. She doesn't really care if the other two follow, but they always do. She lays an egg every single day, in the nest like a good hen should, about 9:30. If she is already out foraging in the yard, she goes back to the nest to lay. Then she's off exploring and seeing what the world has to offer until almost dark. No matter where they are, they make sure to be back in their coop roosting by dark.

Their artistic coop door :)

Last week I noticed Liz pacing the fence on the east side of the yard and realized Gertie and Esther had flown over the fence into the neighbor's yard. She did not follow them but was not particularly happy that they were out there. After dark, Ally and I went into the coop with flashlight and scissors and trimmed feathers. This does not hurt the bird at all, it is similar to clipping your fingernails. The ends of the feathers don't have any blood flow, but if you cut them too short, there is blood in the center vein of the feather. The idea is to cut 2" or so off the end of the wings and this difference will change their lift capabilities, therefore encouraging them to stop excessive flying. Gertie and Esther are not quite to their mature size, so I'm hoping they stop this behavior once they are out of their teenage stage.