Chicken Update 1/2013

Today I had some free time to hangout with the flock, so decided to take my Canon with the 135L for some photo shoot.  Well, I didn't have any plans, but took the camera anyway for possible opportunity. Actually I want to catch one of the hen's act which is quite strange (I will talk about it later).  

So things were pretty much uneventful other than the chicken followed me around.   Nigel kept a close eye on me, so whenever I moved away, he pretty much ran to get closer, followed by all the other Hen (of course).  I realized its not food that influence this drive to be near me.  I feel they associate me with some level of sense of security?  Sometime Hens will run to me and then start grazing, as I move away, they will run back to make sure they are close and start grazing again.   My friends and family find it rather funny since these chicken follows me around like a pet dog.  Nigel is not very territorial but he has charged from time to time.   I think we have love/hate relationship.   On a different note, I have been seeing Hawk flying around again since the rain has stopped.  In fact, I was told there was a close call yesterday (if it wasn't for the Crows, I would have lost one of my Cinnamon Queen/Red Comet).  4-5 Crows jumped the huge Cooper's Hawk which was after my hen. Well, thank you crow!  Forgive me for throwing Pine Cone at you guys the other day!

Anyway, today I noticed bunch of Hawk flying around together.   Almost like mating ritual as 3 pair of hawks flying around in pair (very high though).  Nigel wasn't making his usual alert call and Hen were just relaxed.  I watched them for a while but felt they were not threat to the chicken, so i decided to come inside.

The hen you see to the right is 'Sarah' (my kids name all my chicken).  I've been thinking about breeding her with Nigel, to get pure Orpington babies (hopefully I might get a chick looks like Nigel as he is one of a kind in the USA).  I got Nigel (egg) from England and he was the only one hatched out of all the English import.    His father looked exactly like him but his mom was a Chocolate orpington.  I am hopping, with him and Sarah's combination, I might see some interesting looking chicks.   But there is problem with this plan.  Nigel is more attracted to a Black French Maran hen.  He is madly in love with her, and the Maran hen is always ready for him.  Meanwhile, Nigel wouldn't have anything to do with any other Hen, let alone Sarah.  I have tried various combination so far, (keeping Nigel and Sarah in the Run, Keeping both of them out and all in, but nothing seems to work so far).  I sure hope I come up with a plan by the time Spring is here.   Meanwhile, there's no stopping those lovers!

Get a ROOM you two!

Oh, I also have another Orpington Bantam Hen, her name is Sally.  She is probably the smallest in the flock and pretty much bottom of the pecking order (Except, she would bully the huge French Maran Hen, probably because she's after her sister's guy).  Anyway, she was getting so much bullied, she would pretty much stay up on the perch away from other hen all day.    One of the Cinnamon Queen Hen being the most aggressive one.  When they were all babies, Sally used to be bossy with those, until they gotten almost double her size and she had no chance.   But the good news is, lately she is picking up cunningness and getting her share of the feed. I was very concern about her health as she could never go close to the food before.    I'm observing something very strange though.  The Cinnamon Queen that was beating her up, chases her down often and mount her just like Nigel would with other Hen.   At first I thought she was showing dominance, but I now see her often running to this hen and mating.  I am not sure what is going on there, but both are good layer, and I am not complaining!