Now we are six

After the emotional upheaval of the last few days I felt the need to celebrate my flock of six. I have spent time being with them today and without the top two girls the remaining six are getting along quietly.

I gave them a treat of fish this morning and they all got their share easily.

Some fish for my six girls

The six girls scratch together before bedtime

After the bedtime corn they always spend some time scratching together. This seems to be a ritual and I don’t know what they can possibly find but they always spend time scratching before bedtime.

I have decided to keep my flock at six from now on. I wonder if eight was too many to get along, in my set up, without a problem.

The pecking order has adjusted very subtly. Without the two top girls enforcing it all the time it has become more gentle. Butterscotch is now top hen but is not as aggressive as Topaz (no need to peck) she just runs at, or leans towards Toffee to show her her place. Toffee is a little more force full and aims a peck at Emerald’s back. Peaches and Barley are next and Speckles is at the bottom except that the odd thing is, as it has been since she arrived, Speckles is still above Toffee. Toffee is the only girl she can chase and Toffee is firmly above Emerald especially and Peaches and Barley without any fuss and yet she runs from Speckles.

I actually quite like this because they all have their place but Speckles although at the bottom of four of the girls does also have a girl below her so isn’t a hundred percent at the bottom.

Speckles jumps on me all the time, every time I go through the gate. Peaches and Barley jump on me half the time. Emerald now jumps on the inner, child gate, every time I go in and sometimes jumps on my arm. Toffee now tries to jump on me but so far only makes it to my arm and Butterscotch is the only one of my girls now that doesn’t attempt to jump on me. She is not the right build for such antics. The flock seems much more interactive with me at the moment.

I go through the gate and have all of the girls bouncing all over me apart from Butterscotch who never attempts to leave the ground and just mills around my feet.

I am feeling calmer and the flock feels calmer. We intend to visit the farm soon to see how Topaz and Honey are getting on. I think about them and hope they are okay. I know that my flock are better for not being plucked but they also seem to be more gentle with each other and more interactive with me too. I am certain that this was the right thing to do.