The new bedtime routine has been the same for the last four nights now.
These three are in their usual spots
These three are well spaced out
All the little girls are spaced out
Excuse the crazy angle, that’s down to me. The perch is level but taking the photos in the dark with a flash I can’t tell exactly what I am seeing. I just point and hope to get a shot and I didn’t have the camera level but I just wanted to show how spaced out all the little girls are.
I have never had girls spaced out like this before. My husband’s theory is that Dandelion has B.O. and first Cinnamon her best friend deserted her and now Apricot has deserted her.
I feel sorry for her as she is the only one that hasn’t chosen to perch alone. I don’t think she is able to get on the back perch. I would really rather see the little girls snuggled up together but I suppose they will do what they want to do.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
How funny!!
I wonder what would happen if you put one of them next to Speckles as she is now their mother hen? xx
I think they would all be fine next to Speckles. Just occasionally Speckles has actually gone to the other end of the back perch and landed up next to Cinnamon but I think the problem is more a case of the little girls finding it more difficult to get to the back perch. We put the little girl’s perches in at a lower height and a narrower perch width (using broom handles) to make them more suitable for them which seemed to work until recently when they decided they would rather perch on the bigger girl’s perch. The other option is to alter the back perch to make it easier for all the little girls. I think that may be the next move, it may be better to get them all on the back perch which has plenty of room. Initially that wouldn’t have worked because Peaches and Barley wouldn’t allow them to perch there but now that wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe we need to adapt the shed as they are adapting to the newer flock dynamics.
They may decide to perch together in the winter.
Sophie’s earlier comment gave me a “light bulb” moment. I think what we need to do is to lower the back perch and give it a step up the same as the side perches so that the little girls can easily get on to it. At the moment Apricot and Cinnamon have worked out that they can go up the side perch and then jump across to the back. If they can all easily jump up to the back perch they may all perch there together. It would be good to get them perching together before winter. It would also mean any future new girls could start with the side perches while integrating. Watch this space!
Could you put another perch parallel to the back perch but at half the height, so they can use it as a step.
What I thought we would do is split the two perches which are currently like tram lines so that one is a step up and the other above it. Originally the tram lines idea was for passing which is no longer needed. Peaches and Barley used to push the girls off the perch and this allowed passing without them being shoved off. Now it is all much more polite and this system is no longer needed so we will change to a two step perch like at the sides.
Great idea, I hadn’t noted the extra perch.
It means we don’t need to buy anything new but just reuse what we have already got.
I think they could make it up to the back perch Carol as one of my seramas perches up in the rafters of my walk in run before I put them to bed. They can fly really well so perhaps it’s because the lower perches are there and they’ve got used to them?
xx
Mine can manage the high perches out in the run because of the room to fly. In the chicken shed there isn’t enough space to fly up. I just want to make it as easy and safe for them as possible. xx