Chick Integration au Naturel

 

I suppose I shouldn’t have worried so much about integrating the chicklet trio into the rest of the flock, especially roosting in the chicken house at night. Yes I do have a couple of bossy hens that don’t always have the best manners, but for the most part, I am proud of my gentle, kind chickens. Whenever there is a little spat, the most that happens is a peck or two and then the tiff is over. Everyone gets along, even my two roosters, Mr. Cotton and Sid Vicious.

I should have trusted my chickens to work things out among themselves, but it was scary watching Mrs. Cotton get clobbered by another hen, when she was just trying to defend her chicks. I’ve noticed that Mrs. Cotton is being a little less defensive now, which is easing the tension in the coop. I think that to some of the hens, they didn’t understand that Mrs. Cotton believed she was protecting her chicks, but instead just figured that Mrs. Cotton’s defensive stance just made her look like she was asking for it.

So, Mrs C. has laid back a little and has allowed the chicklets to be more independant while helping them learn the rules of the coop.

So, imagine my surprise last night when I did my night time check of the hen house only to find ALL of my chickens inside their house preparing for bedtime.

(Do you see Mrs. C and her babies on the roost at the right of the picture?)

And I really doubt that Sid Vicious knows these chicks are his babies, but he sure does seem content to roost beside them.

And when they run around peeping, he doesn’t mind standing still, in a rather protective way, as they encircle him.

Doesn’t he look like a proud Papa? 

I have to admit it is rather cute and heartwarming seeing them all together like that.

It also made me glad to see them inside the warm, cozy coop, because the temps have been dipping into the teens at night. brrr!

But I always keep a 75 watt bulb on inside their coop during the winter to act as a heater and to keep their water bucket from freezing. My chickens do seem to appreciate it.

 

So, yet again, my chickens have taught me another important lesson. Introduce newcomers slowly, but trust the flock to work things out among themselves in their own time.