My chickens are bossy.
No… I mean it. And the Rhode Island Reds are especially ornery little hens.
On any typical day the chickens are running around the property here there and everywhere. Getting into stuff they’re not supposed to, eating the dog kibble (which is a lot more expensive than chicken kibble), and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The dogs completely ignore them so their uppity attitudes are lost on my hounds, the cat steers clear of them because she can recognize a troublemaker when she see's one, but they get pesty and stubborn with me on a regular basis - stamping their feet and hunkering down in their mulish little way, forcing me to actually pick them up to remove them from off-limits places (like my hay bale stack). But their most favorite pastime is to torment the ducks and geese.
No… I mean it. And the Rhode Island Reds are especially ornery little hens.
On any typical day the chickens are running around the property here there and everywhere. Getting into stuff they’re not supposed to, eating the dog kibble (which is a lot more expensive than chicken kibble), and generally making a nuisance of themselves. The dogs completely ignore them so their uppity attitudes are lost on my hounds, the cat steers clear of them because she can recognize a troublemaker when she see's one, but they get pesty and stubborn with me on a regular basis - stamping their feet and hunkering down in their mulish little way, forcing me to actually pick them up to remove them from off-limits places (like my hay bale stack). But their most favorite pastime is to torment the ducks and geese.
RIR's still ready to rumble and Big Boy has his forehead hackles up
This morning I heard a ruckus in front of the barn and went to have a look… my Cornish Rock chicken had puffed herself all up and was guns-drawn on my 14 lbs Muscovy boy who outweighs her by a dozen pounds. He's normally pretty zen but Weheheeellll, lemme tell ya, he is NOT gonna let some chicken push him around so then when she rushed him he charged her. That (previously sweet natured) chicken fought back like a fully feathered Calamity Jane and it was ON! He got ahold of a big chunk of her neck feathers but before he could pull her down all the way to the ground she beat him with her wings pretty good. He hung on and they tussled like that for a moment before the whole barnyard waddled and ran over to see the fight. The other chickens jumped into the frackus with wings beating and Big Boy was outnumbered. He pinched a couple of them when they got close enough and it was all over in 30 seconds. I had my camera but by the time I switched it on the whole thing was done except for a little post-game chest thumping (pictured above). I still don’t know who schooled who or which started the fight (I suspect the chickens tho). The Muscovy all gathered up together and did that crane and bob thing they do in solidarity, all the while trilling and huffing what I’m sure were piercing chicken slurs at the retreating hens. Now they’re out there with their duck-chests all puffed out, strolling among the chickens daring them to stick just one chicken toe across the line.
Geese and ducks high-tailing it out of the pasture
A few weeks ago I was out in the yard and noticed the ducks and geese were happily grunting and chortling and digging their little beaks around in the grass, not paying much attention to anything other than tasty bugs hiding in the greens. The geese tend to stand sentry duty around the flock while they forage and were taking turns eating grass and keeping an eye out. The chickens were busily running all over the yard in a hurry to get from one very important chicken task to the next. As one of the RIR’s was wandering her way past the ducks I noticed her do a little second take at one of the geese's backside (I could almost see the wheels turning in her malicious little chicken brain)… just as the goose bent to nibble some grass that chicken goosed him! That poor Goosey-Goose jumped 4 feet in the air and let out a big old rusty honk. The RIR just carried on like nothing had happened. I would have to say the chickens firmly believe they're running the barnyard... goosing the goose? Are you kidding me?
Queeny is actually a very calm & sweet girl
Another time, back when Duck Dodgers had 5 Welsh Harlequin girls all to himself (I’d just harvested the other 3 drakes), he must’ve been feeling like he was the big man on campus and his little ducky britches got a bit too big for him. I was walking across the barnyard to get from one chore to another and out of the corner of my eye I saw Duck Dodgers make an opened beak threatening gesture at one of my Muscovy girls, Queeny. I stopped to watch just to see what would happen. At first Queeny pulled her head back in surprise, then a moment later she narrowed her eyes, craned out her neck and huffed her quiet Muscovy trill at him, like, “don’t you dare talk to me like that!” Duck Dodgers held his ground so she charged him! He ran, she chased and finally when she caught him she jumped on his back, dug in those pterodactyl claws, mashing him into the dirt, grabbed the back of his neck and hit his head against the ground a few times. He managed to get away and she chased him just a second longer. When he stopped and turned around she advanced again and he boogied it on out of there while she huffed and trilled and bobbed her head at him. He went back to his girlfriends and fluffed up his feathers, then resumed leading them to grazing. He didn’t mess with the Muscovy girls after that.
Big Boy with his girls
The four Muscovy prefer to flock by themselves. They’re a bit like a flock of 3-year-olds: very curious, get up to a bunch of hijinx, and like to explore on their own. They have their own pecking order and prefer that the other ducks maintain a little distance but they’ve generally allowed the Harlequin to hole up in their barn with them when they catch sight of a predator and run for the nearest safe portal.
The Muscovy have all been sequestered for the last 3 weeks in a smallish run while they heal from hawk wounds, but I let them out into the barnyard this weekend where they encountered the geese face to face for the first time. There’s always been a thin wall of fencing between them, but they’ve interacted many times through it without any trouble. I reckon the geese decided the Muscovy would be easy to bully and came right over to lay claim to the water dish the Muscovy were using. My two most timid Muscovy hens high tailed it
The Muscovy have all been sequestered for the last 3 weeks in a smallish run while they heal from hawk wounds, but I let them out into the barnyard this weekend where they encountered the geese face to face for the first time. There’s always been a thin wall of fencing between them, but they’ve interacted many times through it without any trouble. I reckon the geese decided the Muscovy would be easy to bully and came right over to lay claim to the water dish the Muscovy were using. My two most timid Muscovy hens high tailed it
'Queeeeeeg? Out of my pool!'
out of reach but Queeny ignored the goose and continued to drink while Big Boy wouldn't be bullied either and did the Muscovy huff and puff. Everyone stood their ground for a moment but it looked like a draw to me since they both went their separate ways. Then later that day one of the geese wanted to push Queeny away from the waterbowl again but she ignored the goose… until he stuck is long neck out and made his rusty gate sound “Queeeeeeg?!” (you dare disobey?!). I could tell from her body language that the goose was about to get it. She stretched out her own long neck right back at the offending goose, who didn’t back down, so Queeny reached out and got herself and nice fat bite of goose chest meat in her big, pinchy beak and twisted hard… and hung on tight! The goose started to back up – all the while honking in a panic – and she hung on like a pit bull until she was sure she got her message across then she chased him for good measure. That big ol’ goose had learned a valuable lesson: don’t mess with Queeny the Muscovy girl!
It might sound like there’s one rumble after another in the barnyard but most days all the animals just play and chortle and make their way from the grass to the pool. Once in a while I catch sight of… well… a sight. There’s no lack of entertainment around here, that’s for sure!
It might sound like there’s one rumble after another in the barnyard but most days all the animals just play and chortle and make their way from the grass to the pool. Once in a while I catch sight of… well… a sight. There’s no lack of entertainment around here, that’s for sure!
I’ve been watching my lone Welsh Harlequin drake, Duck Dodgers, slowly working his way through a brand new pecking order and it’s been a little heart wrenching but also very interesting.
The Back Story: So when I started out my duck enterprise it was with 3 little Khaki Campbell ducks I hatched in my incubator. You can read all about them in this post. Not long after I purchased a flock of 14 adult and juvenile Welsh Harlequins along with 11 assorted tiny ducklings and 2 goslings. Duck Dodgers was the leader of the pack of the adult Welsh Harlequin when they came to my farm. The others were happy to follow him to and fro around the property and he was easily able to keep the mostly juvenile drakes in check.
Well, some sort of predator (hawk or owl most likely) moved in who wasn’t partial to free-range chickens in the least was pleased to see I’d finally set up a free-range duck buffet. So she invited her raptor friends who especially enjoyed rare Khaki Campbell and Welsh Harlequin duck. Needless to say, I lost all the Campbell’s and most of the Harlequin in the ensuing months. Terribly sad and disappointing. I think I’ve got a good management plan figured out now but poor Duck Dodgers and his WH gal Blush have had to blend in with a separate well established flock since it’s just the two of them left from their old one.
Unfortunately for Duck Dodgers, that established flock includes two large American geese who are, without a doubt, at the top of the pecking order and are unlikely to ever be knocked from their lofty perch (not at almost 30 lbs and over 3 ft tall). But that little WH drake had to peck and push his way through 11 other ducks to regain some semblance of his previous position.
The Back Story: So when I started out my duck enterprise it was with 3 little Khaki Campbell ducks I hatched in my incubator. You can read all about them in this post. Not long after I purchased a flock of 14 adult and juvenile Welsh Harlequins along with 11 assorted tiny ducklings and 2 goslings. Duck Dodgers was the leader of the pack of the adult Welsh Harlequin when they came to my farm. The others were happy to follow him to and fro around the property and he was easily able to keep the mostly juvenile drakes in check.
Well, some sort of predator (hawk or owl most likely) moved in who wasn’t partial to free-range chickens in the least was pleased to see I’d finally set up a free-range duck buffet. So she invited her raptor friends who especially enjoyed rare Khaki Campbell and Welsh Harlequin duck. Needless to say, I lost all the Campbell’s and most of the Harlequin in the ensuing months. Terribly sad and disappointing. I think I’ve got a good management plan figured out now but poor Duck Dodgers and his WH gal Blush have had to blend in with a separate well established flock since it’s just the two of them left from their old one.
Unfortunately for Duck Dodgers, that established flock includes two large American geese who are, without a doubt, at the top of the pecking order and are unlikely to ever be knocked from their lofty perch (not at almost 30 lbs and over 3 ft tall). But that little WH drake had to peck and push his way through 11 other ducks to regain some semblance of his previous position.
Ducks in a pecking-order shoving match (not my ducks)
He was able to out-push the 3 runner ducks one at a time, the 2 Khaki Campbell’s gave him a run for his money but he eventually won that shootin’ match. He ran up against 2 rotund brick walls when he next had to challenge the Black Cayuga hens (Darkwing Duck #1 & #2). That little pecking match lasted a long time. He would challenge one of those big girls and she was always ready to put her head down and push him back with all her weight. One day I was watching the latest bout between one Darkwing Duck and Duck Dodgers. It was a vigorous shoving match and just when I thought old Dodgers was gonna win... one of the geese came over to break it up.
Now I didn’t think that was.fair so I was a bit disappointed, but - whoa-nelly - not as much as poor Dodgers! He was clearly very frustrated that the bully goose had stepped in when he was making progress in shoving that Cayuga back a step that he didn’t even bother to lift his head but ran like Toro the Bull straight at the goose and hit him square in the (lower) chest. He pushed the goose back a step (mostly from surprise, I think) then stamped off, clearly bent out of shape, to the other end of the duck yard draking and muttering who-knows-what all the way.
I wasn’t sure he’d ever out-shove those Cayuga, but watching him today it seems that he’s positioned himself just below the geese. Ducks are pretty subtle most of the time in their pecking order so I can’t say for certain, but I haven’t seen him spar with any of the other ducks in a while though I have seen him pinch a few to tell them to get out of his way… and they do.
It appears that meek little Blush isn’t interested in climbing the duck ladder so she’s happy to find another water dish when a flockmate is being rude. I did notice the other day that the Runner drake got a little pinch from her when he got too close. Guess she's not completely at the bottom ;~)
I wasn’t sure he’d ever out-shove those Cayuga, but watching him today it seems that he’s positioned himself just below the geese. Ducks are pretty subtle most of the time in their pecking order so I can’t say for certain, but I haven’t seen him spar with any of the other ducks in a while though I have seen him pinch a few to tell them to get out of his way… and they do.
It appears that meek little Blush isn’t interested in climbing the duck ladder so she’s happy to find another water dish when a flockmate is being rude. I did notice the other day that the Runner drake got a little pinch from her when he got too close. Guess she's not completely at the bottom ;~)
The baby ducks and geese are growing so fast! They’re all getting feathers, learning to quack, and swimming in their “pond”. It’s been pretty hot so keeping lots of water in their run is a high priority, between swimming in it, drinking it, and generally making a mess with it, I’m finding it tough to keep the buckets full – LOL!
My three juvenile Khaki Campbell’s were put out to roam for the very first time this weekend. I worried mostly that they wouldn’t know where to go in at night because for all their little lives I’ve carried them back and forth from grazing pen to the barn in a Rubbermaid tub. So early one morning I put them into the duck enclosure while the Harlequin were lazily sleeping-in inside the duck barn. The Campbell’s weren’t sure what to do with themselves at first but found the little pond in the enclosure and set up shop. When the Welsh Harlequin came out and saw these strange ducks in their pond they chased the Campbell’s out of it. Those little KC’s were determined to make friends with their new found barn-mates and were undeterred by the wing flapping and squawking. The Harlequin were not overly mean but certainly didn’t think they needed any new additions to their little group. So when they set off to forage out on the property the determined Campbell’s waddled along behind. Soon they were accepted at the lunch table with the cool kids... but at the bottom of the pecking order. They still won’t go in the duck barn by themselves yet. It seems like the Harlequin have made it known that the duck barn is their domain, but there is soooo much room in there! The Campbell’s can have half all to themselves, for goodness sake. So every night I gather up my little brown ducks and stuff them in the pop-hole to sleep in the in safety with the others. Eventually they’ll get it figured out.
The Muscovy have become even more friendly… when I sit on the ground out in the barnyard taking pictures they come right up, almost in my lap, to see what I’m doing. I was surprised a few times because I had my eye up to the viewfinder and didn’t see them all sneak up on me. They’re probably looking for a treat! I came out with some wilted asparagus the other day and as I was tossing sticks of asparagus to them they were running over to get some and stealing it from each other. Poor things… that stuff was wilted but it still has such a tough outer skin that they had to chew and chew and chew.
I’ve got my eye on three Muscovy that I’d like to keep for my own flock. The whole group is friendly and extremely curious but some of them are genuine characters and a couple of the girls are very pretty. One of the really big boys likes to eat the feed right out of the bucket when I’m filling the feeders. So I pour some in the feeder, then hold out the bucket for him to grab a few mouthfuls, then fill the other feeders. He follows me around and it’s like “one for me, one for the rest of you jokers”. He likes to be petted too… he’s pretty cute so I’ll probably keep him.
I lost a juvenile Harlequin drake and a Muscovy duck to aerial predators this week while I was at work. Either a very large hawk or an eagle, based on the size and weight of the ducks. It’s very sad when this happens and it really freaks the other ducks out. They all stayed inside for the better part of 2 days after the attack but they’re finally back out free ranging cautiously. Though the Muscovy are sticking very close to the barn and trying to stay out of the open. The dogs are very good at keeping the ground predators away; I’ve never had trouble with birds of prey during the day so this is new to the dogs. I know blue jays, robins, and crows are great at keeping the airspace clear of aerial hunters so I’ll need to be sure to provide plenty of feed for those birds too. Having geese and turkeys usually works well also, maybe I should hang on to those 2 sweet American Lavender-ice geese…
My three juvenile Khaki Campbell’s were put out to roam for the very first time this weekend. I worried mostly that they wouldn’t know where to go in at night because for all their little lives I’ve carried them back and forth from grazing pen to the barn in a Rubbermaid tub. So early one morning I put them into the duck enclosure while the Harlequin were lazily sleeping-in inside the duck barn. The Campbell’s weren’t sure what to do with themselves at first but found the little pond in the enclosure and set up shop. When the Welsh Harlequin came out and saw these strange ducks in their pond they chased the Campbell’s out of it. Those little KC’s were determined to make friends with their new found barn-mates and were undeterred by the wing flapping and squawking. The Harlequin were not overly mean but certainly didn’t think they needed any new additions to their little group. So when they set off to forage out on the property the determined Campbell’s waddled along behind. Soon they were accepted at the lunch table with the cool kids... but at the bottom of the pecking order. They still won’t go in the duck barn by themselves yet. It seems like the Harlequin have made it known that the duck barn is their domain, but there is soooo much room in there! The Campbell’s can have half all to themselves, for goodness sake. So every night I gather up my little brown ducks and stuff them in the pop-hole to sleep in the in safety with the others. Eventually they’ll get it figured out.
The Muscovy have become even more friendly… when I sit on the ground out in the barnyard taking pictures they come right up, almost in my lap, to see what I’m doing. I was surprised a few times because I had my eye up to the viewfinder and didn’t see them all sneak up on me. They’re probably looking for a treat! I came out with some wilted asparagus the other day and as I was tossing sticks of asparagus to them they were running over to get some and stealing it from each other. Poor things… that stuff was wilted but it still has such a tough outer skin that they had to chew and chew and chew.
I’ve got my eye on three Muscovy that I’d like to keep for my own flock. The whole group is friendly and extremely curious but some of them are genuine characters and a couple of the girls are very pretty. One of the really big boys likes to eat the feed right out of the bucket when I’m filling the feeders. So I pour some in the feeder, then hold out the bucket for him to grab a few mouthfuls, then fill the other feeders. He follows me around and it’s like “one for me, one for the rest of you jokers”. He likes to be petted too… he’s pretty cute so I’ll probably keep him.
I lost a juvenile Harlequin drake and a Muscovy duck to aerial predators this week while I was at work. Either a very large hawk or an eagle, based on the size and weight of the ducks. It’s very sad when this happens and it really freaks the other ducks out. They all stayed inside for the better part of 2 days after the attack but they’re finally back out free ranging cautiously. Though the Muscovy are sticking very close to the barn and trying to stay out of the open. The dogs are very good at keeping the ground predators away; I’ve never had trouble with birds of prey during the day so this is new to the dogs. I know blue jays, robins, and crows are great at keeping the airspace clear of aerial hunters so I’ll need to be sure to provide plenty of feed for those birds too. Having geese and turkeys usually works well also, maybe I should hang on to those 2 sweet American Lavender-ice geese…
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