What did you do with your flock today?

[LTAY1946]

It's just the best feeling having that special, social roo, isn't it? That special boy who  wants to spend his time with you and is content in your company. The one you really bond with?
Is Legs more intelligent than average? I'm just wondering as out of the birds I've had it's the cleverest birds who seem to enjoy human company most.

I think he is the most intelligent chicken I've ever had. He starts getting excited as we come in the front door stretching his long neck out looking to find his treat. He anticipates even going to his kennel that is a better place to sleep that his outdoor coop is. He never fusses about being picked up in the morning when it is time for him to go out and court a couple of hens that have taken a liking to him. He may get them when his new coop is finished along with 2 Dark Cornish girls. The two that like to court him through the fencing on their coop are Delaware girls. He has the run of the place but never ventures far from the Delaware coop now during the day. Despite being in that teenage hormonal state he still loves to spend time with us.

 

[Shetland lover]

Beautiful boy!

 

[Shetland lover]

Ya know...
Ok, so I have a teenage roo, and I have now named him puppy. He wants cuddles. He wants to sit on me a get petted to sleep. I keep expecting the teenager to kick in, and him to not like cuddles anymore, but it hasn't happened yet.
I wonder if it won't?

It maybe that the hormones never kick in. My Ferdy has always loved his cuddles and being loved on. Stan is less happy to be cuddled in front of the girls -"Aww, gran don't embarrass me in front of my girlfriends...." - but he likes cuddles if no-one is looking

 

[Shetland lover]

I think he is the most intelligent chicken I've ever had. He starts getting excited as we come in the front door stretching his long neck out looking to find his treat. He anticipates even going to his kennel that is a better place to sleep that his outdoor coop is. He never fusses about being picked up in the morning when it is time for him to go out and court a couple of hens that have taken a liking to him. He may get them when his new coop is finished along with 2 Dark Cornish girls. The two that like to court him through the fencing on their coop are Delaware girls. He has the run of the place but never ventures far from the Delaware coop now during the day. Despite being in that teenage hormonal state he still loves to spend time with us.

He knows which side his bread is buttered, for sure! I hope he doesn't change when he's out of his hormonal phase. Stan has a little but he's one sandwich short of a picnic (seems to have inherited his mom's brains - or lack of!)
Ferdy is much the same when it comes to bedtime. He has to sleep with his ladies as DH 'forbids' chickens sleeping in the house unless they're ill or for some other unavoidable reason (he knows me too well, they'd be sleeping with us in no time). When I take Ferdy out to the coop after his t.v. and snuggles, he quite often jumps off my shoulder and makes a break for the kitchen door, jumps on the handle and lets himself back in. Many's the time I've traipsed back in to find him waiting on the sofa

 

[LTAY1946]

He knows which side his bread is buttered, for sure!
Ferdy is much the same when it comes to bedtime. He has to sleep with his ladies as DH 'forbids' chickens sleeping in the house unless they're ill or for some other unavoidable reason (he knows me too well, they'd be sleeping with us in no time). When I take Ferdy out to the coop after his t.v. and snuggles, he quite often jumps off my shoulder and makes a break for the kitchen door, jumps on the handle and lets himself back in. Many's the time I've traipsed back in to find him waiting on the sofa

We have an addition on our house for activities such as plant starting and brooding. We set up a table with dog kennels to use for two of our pets that we just don't dare risk losing them to a predator of any kind. I'm sure if we allowed it those two would find our bed and climb in. The pullet we keep in a kennel is sounding like she is going broody and keeps her feathers ruffled up like she is looking for a fight when outside during the day. She is not afraid to go head to head with her boyfriend if he gets out of line. Most nights her boyfriend gets to sleep in her kennel with her.

 

[ChicksnMore]

He is a very special boy. He spends a lot of time in my lap in the evenings. He will sit unrestrained the whole time just taking in his surroundings with no attempt to leave my lap at all.

That is a very special boy .

 

[ChicksnMore]

Gorgeous sleepy floofs!
I'm sooo ready for new bebees it's not even funny! DH is digging his heels in, however - bah!

Aw...I'm positive you'll have chicks again someday with hubby's full approval

 

[ChicksnMore]

He's a beautiful baby too!

 

[ChicksnMore]

So... I think I have mentioned my hen, Badger before. She's typically one of my top hens in the pecking order, and when I let her brood, she teaches her chicks that I'm their rooster.
This morning I found her huddled under a bush, hiding from a few of my other hens. I pulled her out, and looked her over, cause she was huddled up and I didn't know why.
She seemed fine, so I let her go and like 5 of my orpingtons started pecking her, and one hen tried to mount her. One of my normally tame roosters did mount her... Just to show dominance (there was no mating, he stood on her back and pecked her head), and then my lead rooster took a turn. When they where done, she hid under the bush again, huddled and tail down.
Has anyone seen this before? I don't understand what happened.
I have her in my sick pen now, as I figured she could do with a safe place to take a break.
Yes, this is what I have done with my flock today...

I wonder if she was feeling ill and unable to hold her position because of it? Have you given her a good once over to see if there's any health issues? I have seen chickens attack ill birds or birds that took fright over something. It's not the typical flock response, but can happen. How's she doing now?

 

[ChicksnMore]

Last night I popped into the geese area to grab some empty buckets from storage and Rowan got so excited in a bad way about them. He started attacking the buckets and acting upset. That's the first time I've seen Rowan seriously attack anything. Goosebumps has always had a strong reaction to buckets...but with her she didn't attack, she'd just get excited. I'd hold the buckets out upside down for her to inspect and she'd stick her head inside and honk up a storm. I always thought she must associate buckets with food and then discovered the joy of her voice amplified, but now I'm wondering what those two think when they look at a bucket

Speaking of Goosebumps...this is the first spring ever that she's not crawling under my skirts, following me around honking up a storm or plopping on the ground with her tail in the air everytime I stand still for a second. Separating her from Spud seems to have worked. I think she's excepted Rowan ands happier for it. I'll open the goose area back up so they can mingle with Spud again and see if she still prefers Spud to Rowan.