Well, Scarlett and Delilah don't seem to fazed by Lydia's disappearance. They've been out almost all day for the last couple of days, and the only thing they objected to was the fact that I had rearranged the netting so they couldn't get to the bit of garden they'd occupied in Lydia's last few days. I will let them back in there, just not yet.
There are some things I have noticed though.
Firstly, they haven't escaped - despite the large gaps at the bottom of the netting at certain places. Lydia always found the weak points in any netting arrangement, and exploited them fully.
Secondly, they are so hopeless when it comes to eating "new" food. I had some melon today, and I took some out in a bowl for them. They were so unwilling to try it. Hens are very "grass is greener" creatures, and always assume that whatever another hen has is far tastier than whatever they have, even if it's identical. Prevously, Lydia would come and eat whatever-it-was, and the others would try and steal it from her beak, discover they liked it, and then they'd all settle down to eating/stealing /running off with whatever the new treat was. Today, no such luck.
After much patience on my part, Delilah deigned to try drinking the juice which was now pooling at the bottom of the bowl. I obliged by squeezing some of the melon for her (:rollseyes), and she ended up with melon juice on her comb, head, face and wattles. Scarlett just ran around bokking, although she did pick up a melon seed which she immediately spat out.
They are now happy to climb all over me when I'm sitting on the ground, and I'm making progress with the stroking.
There are some things I have noticed though.
Firstly, they haven't escaped - despite the large gaps at the bottom of the netting at certain places. Lydia always found the weak points in any netting arrangement, and exploited them fully.
Secondly, they are so hopeless when it comes to eating "new" food. I had some melon today, and I took some out in a bowl for them. They were so unwilling to try it. Hens are very "grass is greener" creatures, and always assume that whatever another hen has is far tastier than whatever they have, even if it's identical. Prevously, Lydia would come and eat whatever-it-was, and the others would try and steal it from her beak, discover they liked it, and then they'd all settle down to eating/stealing /running off with whatever the new treat was. Today, no such luck.
After much patience on my part, Delilah deigned to try drinking the juice which was now pooling at the bottom of the bowl. I obliged by squeezing some of the melon for her (:rollseyes), and she ended up with melon juice on her comb, head, face and wattles. Scarlett just ran around bokking, although she did pick up a melon seed which she immediately spat out.
They are now happy to climb all over me when I'm sitting on the ground, and I'm making progress with the stroking.
