This beautiful bird perched on Lilly’s shoulder is Intrigue, one of our new chickens. She is unique, like every member of our flock. Her love of perching (on objects and people) as well as a crooked tail and the tendency to raise her head whenever you approach is how she earned her name. We also have a new pullet named sleepy who fell asleep constantly when we first brought her home. Another addition to the flock is chirpy, as her name suggests she loves to talk.
Chick to Hen, Toddling Around
We have been busy this spring, in March we brought home Sapphire Olive Egger pullets. Starting out fluffy and quickly growing feathers, our new flock members kept us on our toes trying to adapt the brooding space to their needs, going through two different containers and numerous arrangements in each before they grew big enough to move outdoors. It was a new version of a game I am use to playing with my toddler:
- “I’ll put her milk in this sippy cup so it won’t spill”
- Rose chews the lid off the sippy cup and dumps milk into her lap.
- “I’ll put the feeder on this baking rack so it won’t get messy.”
- Chicks immediately kick shavings into their food.
Despite the messes and occasional missteps, we are all super excited to have these new birds around. Rose absolutely adores her “babies.”
Discovering the Pecking Order, Building Relationships
As Rose develops her play and speech skills, our two girls are exploring what it means to play together. Our new chickens are also developing their social skills, learning to be handled by us and slowly getting introduced to their “big siblings.” As I watch the chickens run around trying to figure out how to get along, I find myself reflecting on our girls and all the hard work they are putting in to build their relationship.
- There will be fights, as long as feathers aren’t flying they are a normal part of the process.
- Getting along means time and space to be together AND time and space to be alone.
- Whether you are older, younger, or even and adult someone is watching you trying to learn and you will be watching someone hoping to learn from them.
- Each child/chicken needs their own independent time with you.
Great post