Today I decided to try Freckles and Rusty with some mash as a treat. We have had them a month now and when I tried them with mash when we first had them they didn’t know what to do with it. They are very willing to try every new treat now.
I put one dish on the patio area for the bigger girls and one dish on the wooden block for the little girls. I stood guard so that they could have the mash without being chased away.
Freckles and Rusty try mash for the first time
They definitely like the mash
A little later Rusty was having a lovely dust bath. I have never yet seen Freckles having a dust bath.
Rusty is having a dust bath
Freckles is watching but not attempting to join in
It’s almost as if Pebbles and Freckles are standing guard over her
I am surprised that Pebbles and Freckles didn’t join in.
At bedtime the three little girls went into the shed and jumped to their perch but the next stage is to get them to do it without my presence. They wait for me to go out to them each evening and run down to the bottom of the run towards me. They then follow me up to the patio area. While I watch over them they make their way in after all the bigger girls are already in.
I think they wait for me because they know that I can protect them from the bigger girls who do a lot of jumping up and down from the perches and intimidate the little girls. I know that the next stage is for me to withdraw and leave them to do it on their own and then check on them later.
It is very hard not to watch over them though. I know that I will have to move on to the next stage but I don’t want to rush it.
The three little girls at bedtime
Are you looking at me!
At least they wait for me and then go in, rather than trying to perch somewhere in the run, so I feel we are almost there. I can’t blame them for feeling intimidated by the bigger girls and my instinct is to be there to protect them but I know that at some time they will need to be able to do this by themselves in case we need to go out for an evening.
We don’t go out often but it would be good to not have to worry if we did want to go out. I think I will try to gradually progress this over the next week but I am not in a rush. I am pleased with how far they have progressed already and I am sure they will get there in the end.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Glag all is going well, the little girls look as though they love all their treats.
The little girls do love their treats. When I go in the run I will pick up a bit of spinach from the patio area and hold it out and the little girls come running. They will eat anything from my hands. After not getting them to eat on that first day, they are now so willing to try anything. Of course they also try to peck at the paper or my gloves when I clean up and at my boots just in case!