Lucky for my birds, the ill 4-yr-old daughter means I’ve been home with them for the past couple of days. What this really translates to is a flock of chickens playing “Wild Savannah Creatures!” As we do not currently own any goats, the crazy tick-infested weeds provide wonderful overhead shade simultaneously with snacks. I frequently have trouble spotting all the birds as they move through the brush - just the weeds moving or parting against the breeze. They will hit patches of rock or find clearing and sprawl in the sun. First glance looks as if someone tossed a dead bird casually onto the property. Then the bird's outstretched limb with twitch or stretch even further.
The neighbor's cats enjoy the game as well and like to stalk the birds. The chickens, in turn, seem to enjoy catching the cats with a simple stare, then keep going on their merry way. The cats learned early on that chickens do not play but instead get big, loud, and have sharp parts. Bluejays, however, seems to take offense at having these assorted ground animals making lots of noise and gobbling all their goodies, so the ruckus during the day is at complete odds with the "peaceful" nature one would naturally imagine hanging outside on a spring day with the chooks.
At about 10 weeks old, the Hulseys are full into exploring their game nature; unfortunately, one of my previously-assumed pullets is now named Rocky for the beating he took. Oddly enough, the color coding of names has elicited unusual results for the two top roos: Pink and Purple. Considering they will respectively be a gorgeous pumpkin and white & gold, the names just get funnier.
Watching how rooster-chain-of-command works out involving people is really interesting. Though Monet, our Black Copper Marans roo, has now taken on the younger ones too, he is still having a tough time working out when it’s okay for him to deliver admonishments and when I’m going to come down on him for it. He hangs out among “his” group of birds unless the adolescents start making too much noise. When I’m out there with them, he’ll walk towards me and watch to see if I’m going to take care of things or not.
Sadly, he’s decided that the 4-yr-old needs more supervision than I think she does. While he sort of “tests” the legs of people that walk by him too quickly or somehow appear threatening, my daughter is clearly a threat at all times in all situations. She adores him – and that’s the problem. Because he is not fond of being picked up, held, or kissed, by something very nearly his own size, he goes after her if she gets within a certain range. Unless I’m right there, then he watches me – watches her – watches me... The best is when she approaches one of the other birds or goes running by: he will start after her, stop and look at me, look back at her, and then give me this LOOK like, “Are you seriously going to let her get away with this? JEEZ woman!”
Poor guy is only about 6 or 7 months old and hadn't had to figure in humans with his flock until he came to live with us. His prior world was smaller with humans existing outside as providers of food only. Now that he has to incorporate everything, that little feather brain working with those rooster hormones is clearly confusing the hell out of him. So far, gets that I'm the alpha. But he also sees that the kids are NOT alpha to me so, as the junior rooster, they should be HIS inferiors, right? Sorry, buddy, it doesn't work that way and you ARE starting to get that, albeit slowly.
To add more spice to the mix, I let the youngest group out to acclimate with the everyone else. At 7 weeks old, the Houdans have mostly feathered out and are starting to show some gender-specific traits. Like facing each other down. And facing down the BIG chickens. At least, for a moment - then they run to a safe area where the other babies are congregating. At the moment, of all the things most people complain about, I would never have imagined I'd be saying, "Awww no - there's Houdans in the ivy!'
