Omlet Smart Autodoor - New in box

[Eggasperated]

Thinking I was giving my girls a treat I gave them a fresh dustbath today, a big fresh bowl of grit and some apples. Snow under the hedge in their electric fence area is melting so they finally have something to scratch about in. You would think with all this they would be happy but Alice decided the dustbath was hers and decided to defend it from everyone else, Carol ignored this and kept jumping in - Alice got very annoyed and pecked Carol over and over again, poor Carol would jump out of the dustbath, hide in the corner and then rush back when she thought Alice wasn't looking only to get severly pecked again. Eventually Alice resorted to ripping Carols feathers out so I decided to break it up and remove Alice for a few minutes.

Everyone else then jumped in the dustbath but as soon as I let Alice go she rushed to chase them all off - I decided to leave them to it as no blood was being drawn, but I really can't understand what was the matter with Alice today. Even when they went to bed this afternoon I could hear some squabbling and when I looked in the house she seemed to be jostling everyone else. I do hope she wakes up in a better mood tomorrow .

[Space Chick]

I have some dustbath hoggers too I have 5 in my wir now due to this

[Lavenders_Blue]

Phew, glad it's not just me who has a dustbath hogger! I have two dustbath trays and four hens. Now you would think that this means two hens in each tray, but no, Dorothy has one to herself whilst the other three squeeze into the other tray. She has developed a range of special non-violent manoeuvres to ensure she can enjoy a solo dustbath including showering her neighbour with dirt (pref in the eye), squeezing her companion into a tiny corner thus limiting their available space and - best of all - shuffling backwards whilst fluffing her wings to ensure that her bath mate is physically pushed out of the tray (this has to be seen to be believed!).

 

I should also point out that she's not actually the top hen either, just very sneaky!

[Eggasperated]

Alice is still grumpy today, looks like an upset over the nest box this time as I found quite a few of Jo's feathers in the house after they had been in to lay.

[Burtie14]

Our chickens seem to peck each other more when then they dustbathe. Not especially violently, but they do squabble and push each other out. Silly chickens.

[Redwing]

Its times like dustbathing and eating that you see the pecking order most, perhaps its just a re-organisation of the order?

[Laura & CTB]

They are funny birds -mine are either all playing in there happily together or else forming an orderly queue because the one that's in there wants to be alone

[Eggasperated]

Its times like dustbathing and eating that you see the pecking order most, perhaps its just a re-organisation of the order?

 

Alice has been top hen for a long while and didn't really shift down the pecking order even when she was moulting - so I still don't know what the problem is. She was pulling Jo's feathers again first thing this morning but I have been out all day and they had already gone to bed when I got home so I don't know what it's been like today.

 

Perhaps the weather is affecting them as although they have a 50m electric fence area the majority is covered in a foot of snow still. I have cleared some patches and the area under the hedge is thawing but this freezes up at night and can't be much fun for them.