Thursday 18 September 2008

Same Old, Same Old

The "bullying" continues. Mostly it happens when a Littlee crosses Delilah's path, but we have seen her seek out the Littlees for a spot of bullying on several occasions. There is only a bit of pecking going on - that we see, anyway - but the chasing away is not pleasant.

I already have three feeders in the Run and now, when I put extra stuff out in the Run for them - pellet porridge when it's cold, for example, I use three bowls. Scarlett and Delilah can only man(hen?) two bowls at once, so it ensures the Littlees get their share, even if they are being moved on from bowl to bowl. I'm used to this sort of behaviour; I had horses, and horses do it all the time with piles of hay, and that's where I learned the "one extra" trick.

The Littlees are continuing to sleep in the Nestbox area. I tried moving them in the dark into the roosting area, but Scarlett attacked Jasmine immediately, so I had to abandon it. I've been reluctant to force anything, as I don't want to add to the pressure. However, I do wonder whether the separate sleeping is re-enforcing the difference and therefore contributing to the problem. I think I'll give them until the weekend, and then maybe try blocking up the nextbox at night. Or I could remove the divider I suppose.




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