Hello. Sorry for losing touch.

[Wrigley62]

Hello everyone. Nice to see you all again.

I kinda lost touch when Hurricane Sandy came through. All is well on this side, the girls are all in one piece and producing eggs like crazy.
No snow yet, thank God! Temps have been as low as the 20's F and up into the 60's F.

Deer season is finally here, I'm trying to keep the freezer stocked.

Are you all ready for Christmas???

Talk to you soon.

Take care and Merry Christmas,

Wrigley

 

[tygrysek75]

Hello,glad you are allright.Hope not to much damages .
Merry Christmas too

 

[chrismahon]

Hi Wrigley. Back on-line now we have the phones (one line for incoming, one for outgoing free with internet) sorted out. Had to resort to a hammer and chisels to fit a new socket box in the end. A third engineer visit and reprogramming at the switchboard.

Home your chickens survived, as well as that lovely coop of yours. Dare I mention Charlie?

 

[Wrigley62]

Thanks Ty and Chris, we're all just fine, a whole lot of tree damage. The girls and coops survived just fine, they never skipped a beat. They don't like the wind too much. Now I can claim that my coops can withstand a hurricane.

Charlie has been relocated to a guy just down the road from us, he's doing just fine. I stop in every now and then to check in on him.

I'll talk to you all soon,

Merry Christmas,

Wrigley

 

[Marigold]

Merry Christmas to you and Terry as well, Wrigley. Why was Charlie relocated? What did your girls think about that? P

 

[Wrigley62]

Charlie was terrorizing two of my Barred Rocks. He would attack from the front and peck at the back of their necks drawing blood. At first I thought he was trying to mate, but it turned out he was just being mean to those two and they are forever changed. Their "ways" have changed, they are just not the same anymore.

The girls that I purchased along with Charlie were noticeably different, he would try to protect them from the older girls. The six of them were a seperate flock. Now they have all seemed to merge to one. Reese, who is a Buff Oprington like Charlie, is the only single breed. I was wondering if I should look for a "buddy" for her? Any thoughts???

Nice to talking to you Marigold, Have a Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year!!!!!

Wrigley

 

[chrismahon]

Some breeds just don't get on for no obvious reason to us Wrigley. Our normally placid Buff Orpington 'pet' Bottom the cockerel absolutely hated Wyandottes. Every time he saw one, no matter how submissive they were, or what colour they were, he just wanted to beat them up. For the avoidance of doubt, not tread them, beat them up! So I guess Orpingtons hate Barred Rocks as well Wrigley. For no reasons we'll ever understand.

 

[Wrigley62]

Do you think that breeds tend to gravitate to each other or is it just because they were brought up with each other?? Do you think that Reese, my Buff Oprington would be attracted to one of her "Own" or would she treat her like crap as the "New Girl on the Block"???

 

[Marigold]

Don't know the answers, i guess often it's just down to those individual personalities and preferences we all know our chickens have, but I have found that dark-coloured hens who have never seen white ones before will react badly if white ones are introduced. Being brought up together as a flock, or being introduced to each other when not fully mature, is also a bond of course. Young POL girls will bond with each other when in quarantine on arrival, and will then support each other when introduced to the 'big girls,' and become lifelong friends, I';ve noticed, whatever their breeds or colours.

 

[chrismahon]

We've introduced new birds of the same breed as some of the oldies and they formed their own little 'sub-flock'. The same colours of a particular breed gravitate to one another as well. So I guess mixing breeds and colours can occasionally be problematic Wrigley, for no apparent reason. Bottom attacked any Wyandotte hen that came near him, Gold laced and Vanilla's.

 

[Chuck]

Mixed breeds brought up in batches, have a tendency to stay in those batches, probably because they feel more secure and they will often help out a friend who is being picked on. I've never known breed to be an issue in a flock but colour and personality can be. I don't remember a male pick on females either.
Observe your chickens and you will see every human personality reflected as also occurs in other animals !

 

[chrismahon]

Our mixed batches separated into breeds with other batches when given the opportunity. I think Orpingtons are 'still water runs deep'.