I have been mulling over the idea of adding to our flock ever since we lost Treacle. At first I decided it would be a bit selfish of me as it would be for me rather than for the girls and I felt they needed time to adjust to being just three. But since we lost Treacle the dynamic of the flock has changed. The girls lost their leader and I am sure the stress of that triggered the feather pulling. We haven’t managed to stamp this out even though it has improved somewhat.
The other change is that they were two pairs, Pepper and Dotty, Treacle and Bluebell. Now they are a pair and one! Pepper and Dotty, then Bluebell a bit pushed out on her own sometimes. This has become noticeable at bedtime.
As the weather has warmed up, Pepper and Dotty have decided they would like to sleep out on the coop roof. I have gone out to check on them just after dark and found Pepper and Dotty on the coop roof and Bluebell inside, sometimes in the nest box. I lift Pepper and Dotty down and pop them in and Bluebell must join them as there is never any poop in the nest box. I assumed Bluebell was more sensible than her flock mates and therefore putting herself to bed inside.
Last night I decided to go out at dusk to see if I could break this habit. Pepper and Dotty were sat on the coop roof and Bluebell tried several times over, to join them. Pepper wouldn’t allow her to. She would boc her on the head causing her to slide back down the sloping roof and jump down. I now think she goes into the nest box because she doesn’t want to sleep alone and feels more secure there, but would like to roost with them and isn’t allowed to. In the coop Pepper and Dotty always roost on the bottom perch and Bluebell always sleeps on the floor next to them.
Bluebell is very much bottom girl. I feel sorry for her sometimes, she has lost an ally in losing Treacle. She has never ever pecked another which is why she is bottom girl, but Treacle never pecked her as she was no threat to her leadership so they were a pair of friends.
I had thought that if we ever got down to two girls, I would like to add two bantams. My husband said that perhaps we should think of adding to them now as it could give the girls something else to think about and would make the flock more interesting. It could also just as easily upset them which is why I have been holding off of this idea so far. My husband suggested it would probably be better to add two rather than one in case one got picked on. This took me back to thinking that we could add two bantams now.
My husband thinks it would help with the girls behaviour as well as making the flock more interesting. I worry it could also land us with more problems to overcome but feel excited at the prospect of expanding our little flock. It has felt as if there is something missing ever since we lost Treacle.
I like the idea of bantams as my research says that they are quick and if there are plenty of places for them to hide behind and places to perch out of the way, they will usually just avoid trouble. Being so small means there will be plenty of room for them to fit in. Being small also means they won’t be a threat to our existing girls and I am quite sure that Bluebell wouldn’t be a threat even to a mouse! I also just like the fact that they are small making them adorable.
I like the idea of small eggs too. Apparently they have a similar sized yolk but less white so are really good fried or poached and are also handy if you need half an egg such as for an egg wash. You can otherwise use two bantam eggs in place of one normal sized egg.
My criteria is that they must have bare legs otherwise there can be problems with mud especially as they are lower to the ground. My research has led me to a farm fairly near to us and I have narrowed it down to two breeds that I would really like. I fancy a bantam vorwerk and wandotte. I rang the farm and the lady wasn’t sure if she had these ready yet but was happy for us to come and take a look on Friday afternoon and reserve the ones we would like if they are not readily available. I am beginning to get excited about this. I may be about to rock my girls world! Probably about to rock our world too!
I stayed out with the girls at dusk again tonight and it’s quite sad to see, Pepper and Dotty settled themselves on the coop roof and Bluebell tried three times to join them. Each time Pepper bocced her down. It’s not so much a peck as a movement towards her head as if to peck, but enough to make Bluebell back down. Bluebell gave up and went into the coop, straight into the nest box. I took a photo of the naughty girls then lifted them down and put them in, closing the door. I checked through the nest box and Bluebell had already joined them. This shows she doesn’t want to sleep in the nest box but doesn’t want to sleep in the coop on her own.
This is where we want to sleep
Never mind Bluebell, you might soon have some bantam friends to sleep next to. This is another bad habit to challenge me! Why, after a year of sleeping in the coop have these two decided they want to sleep here? Will adding to the flock make things better or worse? I guess only time will tell.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
How exciting! I’d like both those varieties of bantam. Looking forward to the photos 🙂
I am taking my camera with me on Friday so even if I can’t bring any home yet I will show some photos. I am excited too.
Isn’t there a risk that the smaller birds will get bullied? With my chickens one of them was much bigger and she used to bully the other 2. I think with them being new girls and being much smaller it could be tricky introducing them. I definitely think it is a good idea to get 2 instead of 1 though!
Also, as for them sitting on the roof I think chickens always change their mind about what they want to do and you really just have to accept it sometimes as the way chickens are. Mine laid in the nest box for months, but then one day they all decided that they wanted to lay in the corner of the coop. After a couple of weeks of trying to stop them from doing this I just gave up and put a crate in the corner that they laid in and filled it with bedding, and they never went back to laying in the nest box.
You could be putting them inside for a long time!
The thing with bantams is they are really good at getting out of the way. You need to give them small spaces where they can hide and the bigger girls can’t get to. Also my girls are so not aggressive, especially Bluebell. I know it could be difficult but am prepared for that.
I know I may be putting Pepper and Dotty to bed for a good, long, time but you know me, I will not be beaten by a chicken! Even if I have to keep putting them in every night, I will still do it as I don’t want them to sleep out. They will sleep in the coop even if they don’t go in by themselves.
I always like your posts but this was your best yet! I was totally absorbed by it and understood all your reasonings.
Poor Bluebell..from my own experiences of two adding mine took at least 4 weeks the first time but only two the second .I think you are right Bluebell needs a friend . Little Rosie has always been a loner like Bluebell but was never bullied , she was and still is the odd girl out in the play ground that never quite makes it into the gang but I think that is just life . Even though we have Bonny and Annie now she is just still on the edge of the gang ,
If there is bullying then at least Bluebell will have allies. Be prepared for noise and protesting and you will think “What have I done? ” but that will pass . I think it is a great idea and if I had more space then I would have more tomorrow.
PS Any thoughts on the fact that Bluebell is a different breed .I was just wondering ,like birds of a feather flock together?
You could be right about that. They have always had a tight sisterhood going on between them. Bluebell was bottom girl from the start though. I don’t think anything would come between Pepper and Dotty because even when Dotty annoys Pepper she still doesn’t peck her where as the slightest annoyance from Bluebell gets a swift boc.
Thank you so much for the compliment because I always worry when there is a lot of writing and few or no pictures that the post will be boring. Sometimes though, I can’t seem to say what I want to in less words.
I do feel sorry for Bluebell but as you say if that is the way of it, there isn’t much we can do to change it. Richard says he can imagine Pepper and Dotty still sticking together and the new girls sticking together, with poor Bluebell still left on the outside. I think more girls will add a better balance though. The balance changed after we lost Treacle.
Loved this post! It will probably take some time for your birds to establish a new order and get to a new normal. When we added to our flock it took months for them all to settle down, but now they couldn’t be happier.
Also, regarding bantams- We have a bantam silkie, and she’s one of my favorites birds (don’t tell the rest of them). She’s very sweet and calm, and even though she’s half the size of the other birds, she holds her own just fine. She’s definitely at the bottom of the order, but is just fine with that and since she and everyone else knows she’s at the bottom she doesn’t get picked on.
Thank you for your lovely comment, I was worried that I was being boring with this but it seems to have sparked more reaction than usual. I suppose we all want to add to our flock at some stage and it’s such a leap into the unknown.
I have wanted bantams for a long time and when I was waiting for my girls last year I had thought if I couldn’t get them I would get bantams instead. I have read that small and bigger girls mix along side just fine so am hoping this will be a good addition to the flock. I just hope the settling in period doesn’t take too long!
Bantams seem to be feisty little things and I can’t wait to have some but may have to be a bit patient! (again).