Yesterday morning I checked on the girls and was surprised to find three girls missing. Emerald, Peaches and Freckles. I checked the nest box and there were the three girls.
Three’s a crowd
The three girls settled down together
Three’s a crowd or maybe not, as the three girls settled together without any fuss. Notice that little Freckles kept her chosen position despite being a bit squashed by Emerald.
I was really impressed that these three girls were happy to share the nest box with no shouting or shoving. In the past there have been struggles with sharing a nest box but I think that was because Honey and Topaz were more aggressive about this.
I checked back a little later and Emerald and Peaches were out of the nest box. I felt sure that they couldn’t have laid their eggs that quickly. I checked the nest box and Freckles was flattened and as wide as she could make herself. I lifted her up and there were Emerald’s and Peaches eggs, so it seemed that they had got the job done, quickly and quietly.
I removed their eggs and left Freckles to it. I checked a little later and she was out of the nest box leaving her little egg behind.
The first, three egg day, of the year
Emerald’s egg is on the left, Peaches smaller egg is in the middle and Freckles little egg is on the right. I am also surprised that both Emerald and Freckles laid two days running. Well done girls!
Once again I didn’t finish work until just before the girl’s bedtime but after the bedtime corn I mixed them for half an hour. I closed the new girl’s section to avoid it being invaded and trashed.
It didn’t go too badly with only a small amount of chasing. At one point Apricot and Cinnamon escaped to the ladder, then suddenly, Dandelion cottoned on about perching. She finally sussed out how to jump to the perch next to the ladder. I didn’t manage to get a photo but she did jump up and down a few times as if practising her new skill.
This is a really good break through because as well as helping with escaping it should help with eventual, bedtime, perching.
All in all it has been a good day.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
What a lovely pic of the three girls together in the nest-box. Little Freckles must feel truly at ease with the big girls.
She is at ease with them. While they move around getting their position just right she doesn’t budge. Once she sits, she stays put, until her egg is laid. It is lovely to see a bit of harmony.
Again, wonderful to behold. You have roomy nesting accommodation, so it’s no problem to share. The main thing is that there is no ‘pulling of rank’ in the nest box. Simply lovely.
Once integrations are complete they will have the other nest box back again. I had wondered how they were going to manage with only one but they have surprised me by really harmonious about it.
How nice they can all lay their eggs together, no one pulling rank.
It is really heart warming. Emerald is top girl and Freckles is bottom girl of the original flock and yet Emerald makes no attempt to move her, in fact she fluttered her beak around her in an affectionate way. I suppose she has no need to show her position to Freckles and it did seem very harmonious. Freckles does like to take care of the eggs too but she left the nest box once she had laid her own so it isn’t the dreaded broodiness.
Awe, I love that they share. Mine just stand outside the nest and scream at the hen in the nest. Hens are so silly.
I love it too because I have had that in the past, a girl shouting at the nest box. I think it was probably when I had some more aggressive characters but the main flock all get on really well and seem much more able to share. It’s just getting them to accept the new girls that is proving really difficult. This integration is so much harder than any I have had for many years.