Clyde normally ignores the hens, but he does use them to lure me into giving him loves and rubs. I think he’s a little jealous of the attention I pay to the girls. I’ll go back to the coop and he’ll come and stand next to me as if to say, “Scratch me and I’ll let you go inside.”
He’s been showing some signs of aggression, too. When he really wants to be scratched he will try to nip my clothing to get my attention (a bad habit I thought was cute until he bit my arm!) or hook my leg with his horn. This not only hurts like hell but it can cause me to fall. If that happens and Clyde’s pissed off he could do some serious damage to me before I can get back to my feet. Because if this, I keep Clyde in sight at all times or I shut him and Bonnie in their enclosure while I’m working on something back there.
Ed
I finally patched up the holes in the fence between us and the side neighbor. Now I can let the girls out of the coop during the day to forage.
Ed
According to the packaging on my chicken feed it is 18% protein. According to the backyard chicken herders on YouTube hens need at least 17% of their staple feed to be protein, of which their bodies absorb around 14-15%. The rest is passed out in their poop. Too much protein is just wasted since they end up passing it out.
I know chickens like to eat bugs, which is a great source of protein for them. Once my girls are allowed out of the coop during the day they will be eating a lot of bugs in the muck pits. (I am expecting them to fling debris six ways to Sunday once they learn what’s in those piles.) Until then, I’ve been giving them mealworms on Sundays to up their protein intake a little. Mealworms are also high in calcium.
This past week, I started feeding them small handfuls of mealworms by hand. I thought it would fun. Big mistake! I never knew hens were so forceful when pecking at food. They pinch hard with their beaks, and they don’t care how deep into your hand they go before closing their little mouths. Let me tell you, those beaks can hurt.
To avoid being part of their snack, I washed out a couple of those small takeout cups that come with salads, hot wings, etc. These allow me to hand feed the girls without risking them drawing blood.
Now, whenever I walk over to the metal can where I keep the chicken scratch and treats I have at least Cinder and Henna — often some of the others — under foot watching my every move. They know where the mealworms are kept and they know I may be getting ready to give them a cup or two.
Ed
I noticed the girls had soiled their bathtub so I took the opportunity to clean the entire coop and to fluff up their sand. Here are the results.
I felt a bit creepy watching the girls taking a bath. I think it must have annoyed Chowder because she up and walked away as soon as I started recording.)
Ed
P.S. That metallic sound you hear at one point in the video is one of the RI Reds noshing on their feed. The trough has a top bar that rotates to keep them from trying to perch on the feeder. It squeaks when a hen hits it with the top of her head. It also works well to keep them from scattering feed from hell to breakfast. I took the bar off and they had most of the feed on the shelf within 30 minutes. The rotating bar is back to stay.