Roosting and pecking

We have a catering business and have suddenly got really busy (it’s often very up and down, all or nothing) and we also have a house guest for a couple of weeks. This has meant I haven’t had as much time to spend with the chickens or writing a post. The weather is also awful at the moment, cold and wet. This doesn’t make for taking any good photos, but I do want to give an update on both the roosting and pecking situation.

Three days ago, we found three of them roosting on the roof of the coop. We are checking them each night now and for the two following nights they had all gone in before the automatic door shut. I hoped once again that it had just been a blip. Yesterday we catered for a wedding and didn’t get back home until ten o’clock. It was very dark and very cold. We went up to check and there was Treacle on the roof of the coop. I lifted her down and put her in and she only gave a half hearted “boc” in protest. Treacle is the biggest of the four hens and I am now wondering if the perch isn’t far enough away from the side of the coop to give her room for her tail. They have all been going in to the coop to sleep with no problem until just recently and the only thing that has changed is that Treacle has grown. If This continues to happen we will have to try to modify the perches.

The pecking is still a problem when I give treats. Dotty will peck Bluebell away from the treats. If I give her a squirt from the water bottle she won’t peck again while I am there, but will intimidate her by walking right up to her and glaring at her, which scares Bluebell away. I sometimes only have to pick up the water bottle for Dotty to move away, so she knows what will happen. Treacle and Pepper often run away too as they hate the water bottle even though I don’t use it on them. Bluebell has no fear of it at all and will peck at it, she knows it is not meant for her and that it protects her. Bluebell is the only one of the four of them that has never pecked anyone and that’s obviously why she is at the bottom of the pecking order despite being the smartest.

Dotty only does this to Bluebell. Dotty and Pepper were together from a month old and have never pecked each other even when they both want the same treat. Dotty wouldn’t dare to peck Treacle as she is much bigger and would peck her back, so that leaves poor Bluebell. Pepper and Treacle are both quite docile and only peck Bluebell occasionally, if she is in their way but Dotty will chase her away from the treats. Even when I space out four halves of apple, Dotty will move Bluebell on from one piece to another. It’s as if she is determined not to let her have any and yet later they will all sit quite happily really close together. I am not sure if I will ever stop her doing this but for now will continue to use the spray.