A new bedtime perch

I’m not sure if it’s because the girls perch up earlier with the shorter days but lately finding their spot on the bedtime perches seems to have become a little more aggressive. During the day the flock stick close together with the colder weather and it’s heart warming to see them in various spots of the run in a tight group.

The pecking order is most noticeable during the day if any of the girls get in Topaz’s way either around the treats or during the pre bedtime scratching session. She leaves them in no doubt that she is top girl and not to be messed with.

When choosing the bedtime spot though the pecking order comes sharply into play. Topaz and Sparkle, first and second girls, will not tolerate any of the other girls too close to them and will chase Toffee and Emerald from the perch.

Honey and Amber, third and fourth girls, will also chase Toffee and Emerald away. Peaches and Barley being the youngest are always last to come to the perches, they spend longer pecking in the garden area, by which time the rest of the girls are settled and they don’t seem to have a problem finding a space and settling down.

Lately though I have seen Toffee and Emerald pushed from the perch and with a lot of wing flapping they land on the patio. This causes me to worry that they may get hurt so I decided we needed another perch. When I say pushed from the perch it’s not so much pushed really, Topaz will peck at them or peck at their legs and they move along the perch until there is nowhere left to go then drop down from the perch. I always wonder why they can’t just peck back but they never do, it’s not in their nature, or their pecking order status to do so.

Emerald being bottom girl apart from the two youngsters often used to sit on my little chair which hangs behind the perches. Lately though Amber has taken to sitting on the chair first and will not allow Emerald to get on it. This has caused more of a problem with Emerald getting pushed out. The last few nights Amber hasn’t bothered with the chair and Toffee has taken to sitting there instead.

This afternoon we put up a third perch. I felt that a little extra space would help the girls to find a spot with less aggravation.

A new bedtime perch

The new perch is of course the clean, pale one. I wondered how long it would take the girls to find it.

Toffee used the new perch to make her way to the little chair

Toffee was soon settled on the chair

Honey soon found the new perch and settled there

Honey is on the new perch, Topaz on the big perch and Sparkle and Amber on the right hand perch

Emerald settled further along the right hand perch and Peaches and Barley inspected the new perch

Final positions

Peaches and Barley finaly settled next to Emerald. From the left we have Toffee on the chair, then Honey on the new perch, Topaz on the bigger perch, then on the right hand perch we have Sparkle, then Amber, Emerald, Barley and Peaches. No girls got pushed down from the perches tonight and they all settled with less fuss. I think even if like tonight only one girl makes use of the new perch it will still help them to settle easier.

You would think they would have learned by now that all this hassle on the perches is a waste of time really because as soon as it is almost dark I go out and lift them all down one by one and pop them in the coop for the night. I put a torch in the coop so that they can all settle in position then I remove the torch and close the door.

It makes no difference though, the girls still go through this routine of finding their spot each night on the perches but I think the new perch will make it a little better for them.