The girls love a dust bath in the afternoon or a snooze or a preening session. My girls are definitely two pairs and the odd one out, which is Bluebell. Perhaps this is why she is so hard on the little girls. I would continue to add any future chooks in twos as I feel they need that support of not being alone. But sometimes we will still be left with an odd one because Bluebell and Treacle joined the flock together and were part of their own twosome. Then unfortunately we lost Treacle and Bluebell got left as a bit of an odd one out.
The bantys came as a twosome and have stuck together and Pepper and Dotty have always remained a firm twosome. This afternoon Bluebell was a little apart from the group having a bit of a snooze while the other four were having a dust bath.
Bluebell sits a little bit apart from the other four girls
Bluebell dozes
The bantys hover around the big girls in their dust bath
The four girls settle to dust bath together
A heap of four girls
Sometimes I feel cross with Bluebell for bullying the little girls but sometimes I feel sorry for her for being a bit out on her own. The girls do most things in unison but during the bedtime routine while four of them do their topping up at the food and water, Bluebell is usually out in the garden area digging. She loves to dig and although they are a close little flock, Bluebell is a little more independent from the other four.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I agree with you about odd one out .Bonnie and Annie came together and are a pair ,Clover is top chick so she is over all of them and a survivor . Rosie on the other hand lost her friend Eva and has never really fitted in since and she is the one always on the out side looking in .When they are all digging for worms she never joins in with the other three and usually uses the time to go off and eat pellets . She is the one who does the pecking of Annie if she gets a chance so like you although I get cross with her over this I can see why she does it .
It’s the same situation as my girls and it’s the one that doesn’t quite fit in that does the most bullying. Pepper and Dotty will give the little girls a quick peck now and then to remind them of their place but Bluebell pecks them much more often and chases them away.