The girls second night together

I think Topaz is getting ready to start laying. She has been doing what I call “practising” for the last week. This involves going into the nest box and turning around to create a nest a couple of times per day.

Yesterday though, she did this for the entire afternoon, sitting for spells then giving up. She looked in all three nest boxes but her chosen one was the nest box in the main coop, much to the annoyance of Honey, when she wanted to lay her egg in there.

Topaz would chase Honey out and sit for a while before giving up. By late afternoon Topaz gave up and it had obviously tired her out as she went to snooze by the bush with her head under her wing.

Honey immediately took her place in the nest box and got her egg laid.

While all this was taking place Sparkle went for her snooze on the branch perch which is her favourite place in the afternoons. She too had her head under her wing and looked like a ball.

Sparkle having a snooze

The feather pecking is still happening unfortunately and I saw Dotty try to peck a feather from Topaz’s bottom. Topaz rounded on her and gave her a peck. Topaz then pecked her away every time Dotty got close to her. I felt pleased at this as it may stop this behaviour or at least keep Topaz from being pecked.

Later in the day I saw Dotty and Pepper try to do the same to Sparkle who being so mild mannered didn’t defend herself. I gave both Dotty and Pepper a squirt from the water spray. I think the fluffy bottoms are proving to be too tempting.

Later in the day Dotty got close to Topaz and Topaz got hold of her neck feathers to warn her she will be taking no nonsense from her. Dotty sprinted from her and jumped straight to my shoulder. I had to laugh. I don’t mind Topaz sticking up for herself if it at least stops Topaz getting plucked, but it is amusing how Dotty sought the safety of my shoulder. What a baby, but sweet!

Early evening I checked the girls again and Topaz was back in the nest box (she really is trying to get that first egg out, poor girl) and Sparkle was on the main coop roof.

Sparkle sat on the coop roof

Sparkle does like to perch.

Sparkle’s portrait

This gave me the chance to get good portraits of Sparkle both side on and head on.

Amber joined Sparkle on the coop roof

Pepper joined Sparkle on the coop roof

I decided to leave the girls and return at dusk. This is what I found.

At bedtime there were four girls on the coop roof.

Honey was on the storage cabinet and Topaz was still in the nest box. I think Topaz was probably in the nest box because she is still in “trying to lay the first egg” mode. I think Sparkle had the instinct to perch up as her little coop was no longer in its usual place.

I lifted Honey from the storage cabinet and popped her in the coop. I then lifted the girls from the coop roof in order of the nearest to me first and popped them all in. There was no protest from Sparkle when it was her turn. It was easy enough but I did imagine a conversation between the girls going something like this – “we always perch up here at bedtime and then we get lifted down and put in the coop, it’s the way we do things around here”.

I couldn’t resist once again peeking in through the nest box with my torch pointed at the ground. Amber was with Topaz in the nest box. Pepper, Dotty and Honey were on the usual perch and Sparkle was on the floor in front of them just like last night.

Some success but some continuing habits!