Episode 56 of my podcast is now live! You can find it here (or on your favourite podcast player).
This is the start of a series of mini-episodes that I am calling Farm Stories. I want to record more after my long break, and the biggest impediment to that is how much research I do into the educational topics. So I thought it might be fun to do a series of shorter episodes where I share random stories from around the homestead. The animals are always up to something, and it’s also a good way to highlight some of the critters that we care for.
I thought I’d start the series with my little hen, Boo, and her surprising interaction with my rooster, Red.
Boo is one of my newer acquisitions. She was given to me, along with her sister Betty, by my neighbour. Said neighbour had originally started with a flock of 10 or so hens but lost all but these two to a hawk (the run was uncovered, making it a hawk buffet!). She originally intended to cover the run and make a more secure area for them to roam but had a number of issues come up in her personal life that prevented her from doing so. Ultimately, she decided it was best to take a break from chickens for a while but felt that her remaining two hens were lonely. So she asked me if I’d like them and I didn’t hesitate; yes, please!
Betty and Boo are what I believe to be ISA Browns, like my first chicken, Bobette. In fact, much like Bobette, Boo is very petite, weighs almost nothing, and has a big showy comb. She’s also rather dim, bless her! But sweet natured and docile. She’s the kind of hen I’d feel comfortable having a small child hold/pet. Just a sweetheart. Betty is also docile but a little bit more wary. She also has an average sized comb that is nowhere near as showy as her sister’s.
When I first got the girls home, they went into the quarantine coop. This is a small coop with an attached and covered run. The poor things were obviously traumatized from losing their flock to a hawk, and were extremely twitchy as a result. One time I was out near their coop, doing some yard clean up, and a small branch wafted gently down from above to land just outside their run. Both girls lost it. They were squawking and screeching and shot straight into the air, banging their heads on the run cover, before eventually piling into the coop and refusing to come back out. Poor things! Clearly, they had learned that death comes from above.
Once quarantine was over, I set up the pop-up enclosure inside the main run to slowly introduce the girls to their new flock. Boo was quick to square up against the other chickens and try to peck them through the mesh. This isn’t unusual behaviour for chickens by any means but I didn’t expect Boo, who is so much smaller than the others, to be so fierce. Eventually, I felt like they were as used to each other as they were going to get, and went out after dark to slip Betty and Boo into the coop with the flock while they were sleeping.
The next morning, I went out early to see how things were going. I found my Orpingtons inside the coop looking a bit shell shocked. Not a great sign. Peeking into the run, I could see Betty and Boo wandering around while my white leg horn, Cracker, watched them warily. My rooster, Red, was also keeping an eye on the newcomers.
My presence made the hens start coming out into the run (human = food) and that triggered an altercation between Cracker and Boo. Now, Cracker is a bitch. I often call her Queen Bitch because she’s always been ferocious and she will not allow any challenge to her authority. The only time I’ve ever seen her be gentle was with my previous rooster, Handsome, who she took under her wing. When I introduced Red to her, she fought him like she was a rooster herself, and they’ve had a truce ever since. Red doesn’t try to mount her and she won’t beat him up.
It’s unsurprising, then, that Cracker went for Boo. What shocked me is that Boo quickly gained the upper hand and started beating the stuffing out of Cracker! Red ran in to break up the fight and tiny Boo then decided to show him who was boss. I proceeded to watch in utter shock as my tiny, lightweight hen beat up a rooster about 3 times her size!! Now, admittedly, Red is not very ferocious. He’s still young, grew up with his flock, and has never been challenged by another roo before. But it was just embarrassing to watch him cower before tiny Boo!
I had hoped things would work themselves out with time as they usually do when it comes to pecking order disputes. Imagine my shock when this went on for weeks. Red is utterly terrified of Boo. One time, I watched her chase him into a corner, where he hunkered down and pushed his face into the ground while cowering in fear. Boo just has to give him a look and he takes off running!!
I was so embarrassed for him that I once, to my shame, tried to help. Boo always submissive squats for me; I guess I am recognised as a rooster in her mind. So one time, she squats down, and I pointed her butt at Red and told him to hop on! He just looked at me with his big, scared eyes and ran away!!
Now the days are slowly growing longer and the chickens’ reproductive systems are coming back online. Some of the hens are laying again, and Red has started crowing in the mornings once more. I am hoping that as his testosterone increases in response to the season, he will grow ever braver with Boo. Currently, they coexist peacefully but Boo is not afraid to remind him that she is in charge. She will fight him just like a rooster, with full puffed out neck feathers and vicious jumping kicks. She isn’t cruel, though; she doesn’t make him bleed nor run him to ground now that it’s clear she is queen. She’s fierce but benevolent, which might be why the flock seems happier with her as queen than Cracker, who has always had a mean streak and is happy to draw blood.
I’m not sure Red will ever be allowed to mount Boo but at least they can now live peacefully together. For a tiny hen, Boo makes a pretty good rooster!
Since I started writing this episode, Boo fell ill and has been in the house getting pampered. So consider this a little bonus story on my favourite, sassy hen!
I found Boo out in the run, on her side, one leg extended out beneath her. At first glance, I thought she was dead but then I noticed her breathing, which was a huge relief. When I picked her up, I immediately noticed two things: she was very thin, and her abdomen was swollen. When I gently palpated the area, she expressed a huge amount of watery liquid all over my sleeve and pant leg (thanks, girl!). It was not diarrhea but could have been very liquid urates. Hard to say!
Anyway, I brought her inside and evaluated her further. Her leg was stiff and seemed tender but I couldn’t find any evidence of a break or dislocation. She would not stand up or bear any weight on either leg, and she was so weak that I didn’t think her chances were good. This was clearly an emergency.
Here’s what I did:
I got the ‘chicken hospital’ set up in my unused guest shower (didn’t have time to get the crate ready and this space works well for a single chicken)
I mixed some honey (extracted here at the homestead!) with warm water and added electrolytes. I carefully syringe fed this to her to give her sugar, fluids, and salts.
I made sure she had a soft, clean place to rest.
Started her on a painkiller and antibiotic (thank goodness I still had these on hand!)
Early on, things looked very bad. I did consider whether euthanasia might be on the cards. After being medicated, she was standing in a way that I’ve only seen in egg bound hens before, even though she had no egg inside her (determined via palpation). This concerned me because it could mean that she has an infection in her reproductive system, which there isn’t a lot I can do about besides offer a broad spectrum antibiotic.
Much to my surprise, she perked up! Soon, she was eating scrambled egg and some Grubblies! She was also drinking a lot (which is great because this particular antibiotic is best given through water), and showing interest in her pellets. I kept handling of her to a minimum as she was clearly painful, and she was standing normally within 24 hours!! After 2-3 days, she started walking around and moving with much more ease. She seemed comfortable but wasn’t eating much. I took her off the pain med on day 5 because it can negatively affect appetite and she seemed much better. She started eating more after that!
I still have her in the house. She’s alert, eating better, and drinking normally. She finished the 10 day course of antibiotics. Still no sign of impaction. I don’t think she’s completely out of the woods because she is very thin and doesn’t seem to be gaining much weight. I am keeping up with the scrambled eggs and high protein treats on top of her regular pellet diet. Fingers crossed!
If she plumps up a little, I can re-introduce her back to the main flock next time we have a few days of mild weather. I will use this opportunity to introduce the baby (now full grown) Orpingtons currently in the small coop as it’s getting cramped in there! Introducing a few chickens at one time should help ease the transition. I am a little worried about what Boo will do, though! She is ferocious! My poor rooster better watch out; I suspect she will immediately want to return to her position as queen of the flock!
So please, keep your fingers crossed for my sassy girl. She’s a fighter and I am hoping to get more time with her!
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Next week, I will be sharing a longer episode where I (finally!) cover the topic of obesity in chickens. I hope you will join me then!