Sunday, February 15, 2015

Meet Feral Fawcett




















She's a Sicilian Buttercup, and she is wild!  We got her from my father, who decided he wanted chickens a year or so ago.  He loaded up on chickens and slowly, one by one, they were picked off by predators.  A fox was the main culprit.  They were truly yard birds in that they were never touched.  Feral was the last one and she had been by herself for months.  He asked us to take her in, so we did.  When Nate caught her for the first time she started screaming bloody murder.  She was not happy, and this went on for several minutes.  We joke that some of our chickens are wild, but they are lap chickens compared to this girl.

We kept her separated for a few days until the flock got used to seeing her and stopped lining up along the run to gawk.  Then we locked her up for a day with our bantam rooster, Sir Elton, and of course, they got along swimmingly.  She is just his size.  The next day we let her out in the yard with everyone else, and she hung around Sir Elton all day.  He gave her a tour, clucked her over for juicy tidbits, and when another hen tried to pick on her, he intervened and broke it up.  All that day I saw them together.  That night I thought I might have to isolate her again for her protection, but when I went to lock up everyone, she was roosting on the back of one of the other hens.  I guess she decided she wasn't going to take a lower rung and went right to the top.  She has transitioned amazingly well into the flock.  I am shocked.

So for now, all is peaceful in the yard.

Happy homesteading,

Candace

6 comments:

  1. That's great, and glad that she's with other birds. She was probably really lonely! And on top of another hen? Who knew, that's funny!

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    1. I agree. I felt like she was lonely being the only one. That's the main reason we took her in as we really didn't need anymore chickens.

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  2. I LOVE that name! She's a pip, from the looks of her - I'm glad she had a body guard, but those feisty ones rarely accept being at the bottom of the pecking order.

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    1. We thought the name was witty and appropriate. I think you are right. She made herself right at home and picked the place she wanted in the pecking order.

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  3. She's pretty! So glad the transition is going smoothly.

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    1. Thanks, Leigh. I've never had a chicken enter the flock so smoothly, but I'm glad.

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