Hen Strategy

Ginger (left) and Callie (right)

In the ongoing saga of the Mean Girls hens and the two new youngsters I am integrating into the flock, I have now made a tactical switch-up and have decided to isolate the two biggest bullies, Ellen and Chloe, instead of removing the younger hens and putting them into isolation to keep them safe.

My hope is that removing the bullies will shuffle the deck on the old "pecking order" of the flock just enough that Callie and Ginger can begin to gain the confidence they will need to move about the flock and go about their business.  

The fact is, if they stood their ground, they would not get chased. I saw this happen with Chloe herself, once the object of Ellen's bullying.  Once she stopped running and began ignoring Ellen, Ellen lost interest in chasing her.  Basically if you are a chicken it works like this:  If you run, you will be chased. If you stop running, you will be left alone.

But how to get the young girls to not run?  That is the question.  We will see if my latest strategy works, in the meantime, Ellen and Chloe are enjoying their time in the chicken condo while the other four hens (the always-gentle and unflappable Portia, Cleopatra, and new girls Ginger and Callie) move about the mansion and larger run area.

Always drama with these ladies, that's for sure.