True stories of a small flock of remarkable individuals -- and other critters.



Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Solution to Every Problem



Lately I've noticed Lucy's neck looking a little scraggly.  
But I chalked it up to old age...
I mean, my neck certainly doesn’t look like a spring chicken’s either. That's why I always pose with one of my hens.

See how young I look?
For a five-year-old hen, Lucy has been looking pretty healthy.
But here's what I mean about her neck:   

Then a couple weeks ago I witnessed this:
and I realized the problem wasn't old age -- the problem was Lil'White.

Lil'White goes after Daisy all the time, 
but Daisy has enough spunk to stay a few steps ahead of her.

Lucy, however, couldn't outrun a snail.

I only saw Lil'White pecking at Lucy once, and never again....but Lucy's feathers have been looking worse and worse.  

The night Lucy chose to roost outdoors at bedtime

I realized that Lil'White must have been nibbling at Lucy all night long on the roost inside.

Lil’White and Lucy always sleep side by side on the roost.

I couldn’t change their roosting situation - each gal chooses her place, and the bedtime routine is pretty much set in stone.

So I considered other possibilities:


These "pinless peepers" helped my friend Jennifer's gal, Lily,to change her peckish ways....

I had one other idea that seemed easier.  I took two pieces of wood, a couple of nails and a big ol’ C-clamp, and built a wall.

So now Evil Lil'White has a bedroom of her own. 

I'm not sure how Lil'White feels about this setup,
But I think Lucy and Daisy are thrilled.




26 comments:

  1. Bless ya in caring enough to find a very sensible solution. I hope they do not decide to swap places now. :) x

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  2. The challenges one has to deal with as a chicken mom :^)

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  3. Like all your ideas - hope the separate rooms do the trick. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Lil' White is such a naughty girl!! Good solution Lauren, although I like the cone idea. Maybe a little humiliation will humble her.

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  5. lo! I do enjoy your blog,
    and all the goings on in
    chicken land! And, by the way,
    you do look good!
    (note to self: pose with chickens)

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  6. I so know how you feel as I have been going through the same thing with mine. Mine do it during the day though usually when dust bathing. They seem to think it's part of the preening. I have tried everything to stop it and may have to resort to separation.

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  7. Hah! I think that is the best possible solution to the problem. I can't believe Lucy is five years old! My oldest girls will be four this August. Crazy!

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  8. what a lil' snot! But excellent solution!

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  9. What a great solution Lauren! Naughty Dottie Speckles did the same to Tilly by the light of the moon. If the tips of the feathers are still in the skin, Lucy will not regrow new feathers until her next molt. Bless your heart for all that you do for your girls! xo~Melissa

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  10. Love your blog. Stumbled onto it recently since we just got Chickens for the first time. Five of them at 11 weeks old now. Look what I have to look forward to. lol

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  11. I love your ingenuity! But a chicken mom has to do what a chicken mom has to do, right? That stinker, Lil'White...

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  12. Love your blog, after a sad week dealing the loss of my father in law, this story was just what I needed. You came up with a great solution for Lil'White...

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  13. Just wanted to let you know that we just read your book...all 5 of us (Hubby, me & 3 kids)! We have raised chickens for 4 years & really were able to resound with all the various things you wrote about. We dearly love our chickens & it is so funny to watch their individual personalities come out when they interact with each other. There is just something extra special about that first batch, isn't there? We have 1 left from ours & she is a beautiful buff orpington named "Bananas". She is very sweet & large, reminds me of your Lucy. Thank you for giving your chickens a voice.

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  14. Brilliant solution! Posing with your chicken really does make you look younger - thanks for the tip :)

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  15. I have had the same problem but fixed it when I applied some Bag Balm to the neck...no one else has pecked it since.

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  16. Well done! A great tip, for when get my girls, though hopefully, I won't need to use it... :)

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  17. lovely idea :)

    I simply love how you illustrate this all, so so cute!

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  18. Love this! And I'll keep it in mind should the need arise. : )

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  19. Lil' White in a cone made me spit out my tea I was laughing so hard!

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  20. Hi Lauren,

    Just finished your book and I loved it! I've been telling all my chicken loving friends about it. So glad to find that you have a blog!

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  21. Just wanted to drop a line and tell you how much I enjoyed your book. Thanks for writing it.

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  22. This is the first time I have read your blog, and I was laughing out loud. THANKS!

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  23. The people at our local feed store told me about an ointment called "peck no more" that you put on the pecked spot and it does what it says! They'll peck no more! :)

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