Hello from Chicken Paradise Hawaii! The ducks kept breaking through the lower half of the fence around the chickens’ playground, so I bought fine mesh and put it up all over. Now it’s a solid wall: nobody gets out, and nobody gets in. That means the day has finally come to let the caged chickens out. Yay!
How wild hens settle in
Today I’d like to share a few things we do to help newcomers fit in quickly. Chickens who come from outside, like these wild hens, spend a while in a cage first, getting used to the sounds and food around them. For that, we ask a rooster for help. When a wild hen shares a cage with a caring rooster, she gets used to her new home and calms down quickly. Shizuku, Jack and Cheese each took charge of wild hens.
When newcomers arrive, fights break out, and even our hens are tough. If we let out just one newcomer, the others all go after her, which is dangerous. So we let lots of birds out at once to spread everyone’s attention. Squabbles pop up here and there, but they’re over fast. Strangely, a big mix-up actually calms down sooner. Some aren’t newcomers at all, just birds who had been out on their own for a while, like Donut.
We let them out hungry, then serve a generous meal. Sharing food helps everyone get along.
Out they go
One after another, out they went. In a cage I can only feed them twice a day, so having food whenever they like is a real freedom. Good luck out there! While I was lifting one out, it thought I was attacking and kicked me. After small fights and small scrapes, everyone seems to have found a place. Thank you to our dependable roosters for taking such good care of the hens!
Egg collecting
In the big ones’ room, I collect eggs from the grumpy ones as usual. Echiseana, you’re heavy! So angry. How many of you are in there? Take a rest, Honey Lemon Tea. Thanks for the eggs!
In the little ones’ room, Toast was on the lower shelf. Toast, do you really have to sit there? Lilac looks troubled… and ends up pushed out. Toast is the oldest, so even the broody hens, who get touchy while sitting on eggs, never peck Toast. This is Toast’s favorite spot. Hiyo-chan, look after everyone! And the egg collecting goes on…
Thank you for watching Chicken Paradise Hawaii. See you next time!