Mastodawn

I just took this photo while tucking the youngsters in. Turns out that headlamps are almost as good as extractor hood lights. 🤭

Not much has changed from the last #chicken update, though the chickies are growing like mad. I hope they'll soon learn to head into the henhouse and claim a spot on the perches at night, as they've nearly outgrown the laying boxes (where I've been putting them every evening). 🫣

#Amrock #BielefelderKennhuhn #crele #Bielefelder #Amrocks #hen #Huhn #Hühner #chickens #Hennen #hens #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

~meoralis~Apr 9

🐔 Chicken update! 🐔

A few random snaps of the whole gang. They're pecking, they're chasing each other, they're scratching, they're shitting everywhere (OMG, so much!), they're squawking away. The old ladies are laying, the young ladies are growing. All is as expected in CHICKS OF OUR LIVES. 🍿

#Amrock #BielefelderKennhuhn #crele #Bielefelder #Amrocks #Lachshühner #Faverolles #hen #Lachshuhn #Huhn #Hühner #chicken #chickens #Hennen #hens #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

~meoralis~Apr 8

Henna chilling in the sun for #FluffyButtWednesday 🤭

All #chickens are doing well, by the way! All six now sleep together in the henhouse with no bloodshed, yay. I still have to put the young ones inside at night, but they'll learn eventually. The younglings spend most of their time on top of the henhouse but bravely venture into the coop and run occasionally. Will post more photos soon!

#Lachshühner #Faverolles #Huhn #Hühner #chicken #Hennen #hens #hen #Lachshuhn #bird #birds #birdPhotography #birdsOfMastodon #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

~meoralis~Mar 30

The Biederixie Chicks unveiling their new album art 🤭

🐔 Chicken update! 🐔

I removed the mobile fence yesterday afternoon, and so far, everything is going as expected. The older hens are chasing the chickies, but since the young ones are so fast and agile, there haven't been any seriously dangerous situations. In the end, I decided to introduce Cleo to the mix straight away. While she did chase and peck at Henna too, it wasn't as persistent as before. I even caught them sitting and relaxing close together – something that hasn't happened in ages! I will still keep her separated at night though.

One of the #Amrock hens has already decided that the coop and henhouse are her safe haven. She's the only one who often goes in there (I don't think the others are even aware of the door yet), while the others stick to "their" side of the run. Earlier, I was frantically searching for her and worried she might have escaped over the fence, until I spotted her sitting under the ladder, buried in the sand like a flatfish – well out of reach from the despots. Clever girl!

#BielefelderKennhuhn #crele #Bielefelder #Amrocks #Huhn #Hühner #chicken #chickens #Hennen #hens #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

~meoralis~Mar 29

We're back online, yay!

To celebrate, here's a 🐔 chicken update 🐔

We got our new hens yesterday! 🙌 We've added two #Amrock hens (the black-and-white ones), and two #BielefelderKennhuhn hens (#crele coloured with reddish heads). We've named them Frika, Billa, Rumi, and Bärbel. 🤭
In the second photo, Henna is eyeing them curiously. They should grow to roughly the same size as our #Faverolles (or Deutsches #Lachshuhn, as Henna and Cleo's breed is known in Germany)

Wish me luck introducing them to the rest next week!

#Lachshühner #Bielefelder #Amrocks #Huhn #Hühner #chicken #chickens #Hennen #hens #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

~meoralis~Mar 26

Previously on 𝘊𝘏𝘐𝘊𝘒𝘚 𝘖𝘍 𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘓𝘐𝘝𝘌𝘚
- Egg-laying Jette pecking the others, asserting her dominance
- Old Henna and Cleo the Runt too weak and scared
- Separating Jette to let the others heal

🐔 It's been a while, so here's another #chicken update!

TL;DR
- Rehomed Jette to a bigger group down the street
- Cleo and Henna were both laying eggs, yay!
- Cleo finally grew up and started to attack Henna
- When we couldn't separate them last weekend, Cleo won the pecking war, and Henna ended up with a bloody comb. Neither of them has laid since, due to the stress.
- PLOT TWIST: We will add four new #hens on Saturday! Hopefully, this will ease the tension for the hens.

👉 More detailed ramblings in the comments.

Photos:
1. My darling Henna last Sunday. The black stuff on her comb is dried blood. I captured her mid-drink, that's why her neck is a bit wet.
2. Jette making first contact in her new group.

#Lachshühner #Faverolles #Huhn #Hühner #chicken #Hennen #hens #Lachshuhn #bird #birds #birdPhotography #birdsOfMastodon #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday

Stephen Feb 20

#windowfriday #chickensofmastodon #chickensofpixelfed #roostersofmastodon #roostersofpixelfed

Stephen Feb 17

#backyardchickens #chickensofmastodon #chickensofpixelfed
Chicken house in winter.

~meoralis~Feb 16

#Chicken update! 🐔 Jette, the Stella murderer, is being a right bitch to the others as well, trying to assert her dominance by pecking them bloody. So, I'm keeping her separate during the day and in a cardboard box in the shed at night to give Henna and Cleo a break. (The elder Henna is still a bit weak after her moult, though she gave Jette hell when I tried reintroducing them on Saturday after a week of semi-separation. Cleo's still too small to fight back.)

But since Jette's the only #hen laying at the moment, I suppose I'll have to cut her some slack for her pea brain. As you can see, they still seek each other out. It started snowing heavily again today, so instead of spreading out in the garden and avoiding each other, they'd probably just huddle in the coop all day ... where the bloodlust runs high.

We're considering adding two more #chickens to the group, hoping more birds might dilute the stress, but it's a lengthy process, and we're not sure it'll actually help. 🫤 In the meantime, I've ordered some anti-peck spray. Maybe that'll sort out Jette's anger management issues. 🤞

I only wanted a few eggs, not a bloody soap opera in my back garden. 😭

#Lachshühner #Faverolles #Huhn #Hühner #Hennen #hens #Lachshuhn #bird #birds #birdPhotography #birdsOfMastodon #ChickensOfMastodon #BackyardChickens #ChickensOfPixelFed #Birdsday #Birbsday