Circles

So. A few nights ago, I stopped checking that the Littlees had gone in OK. 

Two nights ago, I watched the chickencam as bed time approached, and saw the usual long drawn out routine.    Florence went in.   After much messing about, Lotti went in...then Poppy started up the steps.  Then, Lotti came fkying out, and Poppy leapt off the steps. Roobarb went up.  Lotti and Poppy were running around in some distress.  Eventually I saw Lotti go into the Egg under the Cube, and I went outside to see what was going on.

I opened the Cube, put a torch in, and made encouraging noises. I pished Florence, who was hogging the entrance, to one side... and Roobarb went down the ladder.  Eventually Lotti rushed in, made for the nest box, and pursued by Poppy. I could see blood.

I ran into the house to get the purple spray.  She had a lot of blood on her oversized comb, and I realised that she must have caught a sharp peck on her way in which is why she ran out so suddenly.  I sprayed her carefully,  which meant that only her and my hand and a bit of the Cube got purpled.

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Yesterday, I went out to check, and everyone was in OK.

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In the meantime, Tilda has been staying in the Pampas at closing time, and I retrive her each evening and bring her to the kitchen door. She then hops up the step and goes to her pen.

DH and I have had discussions about whether Tilda actully likes to come in the kitchen at night.  She makes no effort to go to the Run when I go out with corn, so I am assuming she has chosen to come in.    We don't like it that she's on her own,  but is it worse than being wit the others and being picked on?  She spends her days mostly apart from them anyway.
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This evening, unusually, Tilda was in the Run at closing time.  I left her in there, hiding under a bench (Tilda was doing the hiding, not me).  I watched the Hencam to make sure that nothing untoward happened.

Everyone else went to bed.  So, I went and let myself into the Run and was greeted with a cheerful burble.  I called her, and she waddled out from underneath the bench and headed towards me.  I took this as a sign that she wanted B&B again, and brought her in.

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In the Henitentary (which now has had it's outdoor free ranging area extended even further so is rather palatial),   the inmates seem fine.  Milly and Custard toddle off to bed very happily.

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This could take some time to resolve.