Yesterday was such a lovely day. We spent some time in the garden and I planted my pink primulas and filled a few empty tubs.
The girls had a massive communal dust bathing session. Freckles doesn’t join in the communal sessions but looks on and pecks around the edge of the group. She seems to prefer to dust bath when it’s just her and Rusty together. The other five were having a great time.
Peaches and Rusty both play dead
Emerald twists her head upside down
Freckles pecks around the edge of the dust bath area
They are having a lovely time
Freckles watches the action
The had a good long session and were having such a lovely time. This is always such fun to see.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Crikey the little girls are really integrated with the bigger girls now aren’t they!! I remember when I was first researching seramas I was told they really needed to be kept on their own because they’re so small but Bec had hers wandering around with hybrids and you’ve shown it can be done too!! xx
I suppose my bigger girls, as I call them, are still bantams rather than standard sized big girls but I think different sized girls can be mixed. I previously had big girls and bantam girls and have now moved down in size to bantams and seramas. Mine as you say are now well integrated and the although the little girls stick together they are not at all bothered by the bigger girls.
They will eat treats from the same dish as the bigger girls. Even if they get a token peck from the bigger girls around a treat they just bounce back from another angle. They don’t seem at all bothered by them.
When they were dust bathing I thought Rusty was in danger of being squashed by Peaches but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
They look hilarious!! 🙂 Yes I used to have large fowl and bantams including pekins and they were all fine but I think a lot of people can be precious about seramas and you’ve shown that there is no need to be as long as they’re integrated with care.
My two, especially Rusty, are so feisty and bold that I don’t think they have even noticed that they are smaller in size. I can understand though, as I personally, wouldn’t mix seramas with standard sized big girls as I would worry about the size difference. I think as you say a bit of care helps. I have made sure that in my run there are escape routes and different heights of perch and plenty of space and also different night time perches so the seramas are well catered for. I am very happy with how well they all get along.
And you don’t seem to have any real bullies in your flock – I used to have a mean old black rock and a marans bantam who were just plain nasty with every new introduction. I’d have to take them out for a while and then put them back in a few days later and that would defuse the situation
I am very lucky and very grateful that the flock are all harmonious and get along so well. I have had experience in the past of the bullying characters. Bluebell was so awful that she was my first girl to get re homed with a chicken keeper friend. She did bully the bantam girls and it was awful. She has had a happier life in a flock of same sized girls.
And I am very envious of your huge run and all the ladders your husband has made x
I am very lucky that my husband has been willing to expand our run and is good at making things to improve the run. He in turn has the back bedroom for his model railway and is very creative with building scenery and buildings and making it interesting and all working properly. I also think the cuteness of seramas has won a little spot in his heart.
My goodness, they had a wonderful time. What some sunshine can do.
They were having a great time and it was difficult to pick just a few photos. I can absolutely feel how much happier they are in good weather. They are like us in that they are more joyful when the sun shines.
Fantastic pics of the girls just loving it. They do seem to be really harmonious and, with poultry, size does not necessarily dictate position in the pecking order. My pekin, Galaxy, throws her weight around with some of the girls who are significantly bigger than her.
I am really pleased by how well they are all getting on. You are quite right about size not always mattering in the pecking order. In the past Topaz used to boss the big girls and Rusty doesn’t seem to be bothered by any of the bigger girls.