What started out as a peeping handful of fluff is now an army of hormonally charged chickens. One one side we have the roosters, who are fighting their way to the top of the ranks, when they're not chasing the ladies and doing side-strutting dances around them in circles. General Stormcloud still sits at the top, spending all day and night worrying about his flock. He'll herd some away from one area, come to the rescue of his hens when they're upset about the constant attention, or just stand watchfully on guard for predators.
But some of the other roosters are just a mess, never letting the hens rest for a moment and being generally cranky and evil. I've been charged a few times, but have worked my way back up to being on top after spending some time retraining our boundaries. That and a few handfuls of food every time I walk to the coop has helped.
On the other side are my sweet hens, who have given up foraging most days to sit on the deck railing and try to ignore the swimming sharks below. I am getting usually two eggs per day, sometimes three. One is light brown, one chocolate brown, and one white. They're so tiny, but the shells are strong and the yolks are large. And they taste AMAZING!
But the hens are stressed, and many roosters need to go. I knew this day would come, and I've picked out my favorites to keep, as well as the ones that aren't pestering the hens or giving me the stink eye when I walk near them. First on the list was one of the Seahawk twins, as he was the biggest troublemaker. After being exiled for a couple weeks and driven off into the woods each day by the other roosters, he finally made his way back into acceptance. Then he decided I wasn't allowed to walk near any of the hens and charged the boys a few times, firming up his position as "first to be eaten".
And, when yesterday he attacked Alex, he found himself in the oven within 3 hours. The boys have been schooled on what to do if that happened, and he acted quick while I jumped in so he just has a small scratch. Seahawk #1 got a much larger one.
I was so brave for the first 8 innings. Then when I pulled him from the oven and the time came to eat, all the smells and wonder of the day came rushing in at full force. I managed a small bite, but that was all the dinner for me that evening.
The flock has settled a little, and the heavy rains are taking away any reminder of yesterday. Except his twin, who sat under the gardenia bush in the rain most of the day.
I hope it gets easier.
