I give the girls greens every morning. I usually give them some spinach and some big spring green leaves. I put spinach on the patio area which is devoured quickly and big leaves in the run to keep the girls occupied.
By the end of the day just the centre stalks are left as the greens are picked clean.
I spread them around on both sides of the wire so that all the girls get a chance at them. It is interesting to see the different groups in action.
Speckles is firmly top girl. She is happy to share her leaf with Dandelion and Cinnamon. They have been together the longest and she has mothered them at times and seems to regard them as her girls. She will share with them easily.
However she won’t allow any other girl on her leaf. She chases off Ebony and Flame. She chases off the silky girls and the five amigos don’t dare to get close.
The silky girls will share a leaf and the amigos will rush in and steal a bit. The amigos do get leaves to themselves when the other girls lose interest.
Ebony and Flame will share and the silky girls are brave enough to move in too but not the amigos.
The amigos are the bottom girls. The silky girls are next. Ebony and Flame are next and Dandelion and Cinnamon are above them with Speckles firmly at the top.
It is amusing because Speckles came in at the bottom and was afraid of her own shadow. She was beneath the smaller girls at that time. As she is now the longest serving member of the flock she has worked her way up to top position and isn’t at all fazed by Ebony’s sturdier size. She is now a very confident top girl.
I couldn’t get photos without some blurring because all the girls were pecking with their heads constantly bobbing.
Speckles shares with Dandelion and Cinnamon
The three are happily pecking together
Flame sneaks a bit of leaf
The silky girls share another leaf
Spangle has just nicked a small bit of leaf and has it in her beak.
Ebony moves in
Marmite manages to take a bit of leaf
All the girls get a share at different times but it is interesting to see the pecking order at work.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
They certainly enjoy their greens.
They really do. The huge spring cabbage leaves are picked clean leaving just the central stalk by the afternoon. When we go out them after our evening meal I give them dandelion leaves, from their planted strip, through the wire. You would think they were starved by the gusto that they give the dandelion leaves.