Progress

Last night we put the girls together for an hour before bedtime. We knew that we needed to get them together on the big side otherwise the big girls go into the bantys side and have a lovely time scratching around and the bantys hide. This is not progressing integration at all but it’s difficult to tempt the bantys out from their area where they feel safe.

I put the chicken toy on the patio with some sunflower hearts in it, to occupy the big girls, while I tried to tempt the little girls out with some corn. They were reluctant to come out even for corn so my husband went into their side and shooed them out then shut the gate.

As soon as the chicken toy was emptied the big girls went out into the garden area. There were a few pecks and the bantys darted up to the patio area with one of them going in the coop for a few minutes. Overall it went quite well with the big girls spending some time scratching and seeming not to take too much notice of the bantys and sometimes running at them and getting in a peck. I don’t mind so much when it’s a quick peck but at one point Bluebell held on to one of the bantys by the neck and then Dotty joined her. That’s really hard to watch and there was lots of telling off and water squirting from me.

The bantys then perched on the log out of the way which I thought was a good idea. A little later when the big girls returned to their scratching the bantys came down from the log and one of them sat down. We wondered if this was a sign of submission to the big girls.

The big girls then decided it was time for the bedtime routine of perching on the coop roof. I was surprised that the bantys flew up to join them and also surprised that they didn’t get as badly treated by Pepper as Bluebell often does. I think with more girls for Pepper to deal with she was confused as to which one to peck and the pecking from her and sometimes Dotty was only brief. Bluebell was too concerned with holding on to her place for a change that she didn’t attempt any pecking.

At this moment Bluebell wanted to jump on to me so I held out my arm and she perched on it. That made the other two want to jump on me and Pepper perched on my shoulder and as there was no more space Dotty jumped onto my head! I still had the camera in my hand so while I had three chickens perching on me, I snapped the bantys leaving the roof. I thought afterwards that I should have handed the camera to my husband to take a photo of me with three chickens perched on me but the moment had passed.

The big girls move towards the bantys

They are getting closer

The big girls are busy scratching

Bluebell heads over to the bantys

The bantys take refuge on the log

One of the little girls sits down, could this be a sign of submission?

All on the coop roof

There are five girls up here but due to lack of room the other banty is behind her mate

Time to go

We opened the gate and let the bantys return to their side. Once the big girls were back on the roof I lifted them down and put them in the coop as the door was closing. By now the bantys had gone in their coop and I shut their door.

I think this was progress but it’s still going to take some time yet.