Lean On Me.

Lean On Me.

Petunia and Lily were getting enough to eat and foraging on their own as much as I could allow them to be out of the safety of their run. Coq Au Vin was as good as his word. He made sure no one picked on them to the point of blood, but neither did he love them. They were outsiders in the midst of a small town mentality and had no place except ‘out of the way.’ Petunia continued to keep an eye on her smaller sister and would still brave the scorn of the flock to obtain treats, then they would be off on their own to a different part of the yard for their forage.

Then a strange thing began to happen. Slowly at first, but with increasing frequency.

Mildred seemed to have long forgotten that Floki had been her son. Even when he was alive. Chickens get to an age where they don’t recognize ‘kin’, they only recognize ‘pecking order’. Yet, Mildred had still palled around with her son quite a bit into his young adulthood and I’m sure that now he was gone, she missed him on some level. With no broodiness on the horizon (probably because of the unease caused by all of the social shake ups) Mildred began to keep her company with the two smaller girls.

Amazingly, perhaps born out of her innate nurturing nature, she would move over to their area, away from the safety of the flock, and forage with them. Just on occasion at first, then just about every day. She was showing them how to ‘chicken’ the ‘correct’ way … the ‘flock of our house’ way. They were almost adults now themselves, so she didn’t have to show them how to scratch, but she would show them where to scratch. She would show them where the best plants and bugs were likely to be in our small patch of paradise.

After this pattern established itself, the new formed trio began to forage closer to Hortense. Now, Hortense, as I’ve said, is not at the bottom of the pecking order. Nor is she at the top. She isn’t picked on and seems to be an odd fish who is outside of the politics of the flock entirely. No one minds if she’s around and no one minds if she isn’t. She … however … likes her alone time. She likes being by herself when foraging and likes staying out of the coop at night just a little later than the other hens.

Perhaps it was about safety in numbers for our developing little sub flock, or perhaps it was a calculated plan on the part of Mildred, but she began leading the younger girls closer to Hortense on a daily basis. Hortense, normally pretty aloof, didn’t seem to mind at all.

So, as that summer progressed into fall, the younger girls and their two adoptive aunts ate together, dust bathed together, and chatted about all matters under the sun.

Eventually, the flock accepted them. They were now at the bottom and still chased away from treats, still bullied a little, but by and large, they weren’t so in-the-way.

By the time they started laying, they were laying like champs! Jersey Giants are not known for laying well, but Lily and Petunia do just fine. Their eggs are smaller, yet just as delicious as any of the larger eggs from our tribe of Australorps.

After a winter, where close quarters in the coop are more the norm due to inclement weather and shorter days, everyone had to get used to each other and sort out their differences.  By now they are full members of the flock with their own standing. In fact, you’d have to look very closely to tell who is who between our two Jersey Giants and our Aussies!

And peace once again reigned over the flock. Coq Au and I did continue to battle, but with a familiar pattern that is strangely comforting.