At first I was pleased. At least it meant I didn't have to go out and force her to enter one of the Cubes. But she is a pebble in a pond. Suddenly, the Evacuees didn't want to use their own home. They tried the other Cubes. There was a lot of change.
The girls have been behaving more as a single flock, and I've been interested to see hens from different camps sunbathing or sitting companionably together. Nora, our most senior hen, tends to sit a bit away. She's blind in one eye, and walks stiffly, and she's been attacked by Fleur many times. I was happy to see that Gloria (one of the 3 remaining siblings, one year younger than Nora) spending time with her. Both of them were number 1 chook for their respective flocks. I imagine them chatting about how annoying the younger heneration is, how they have no respect for their elders, how things were different in their day.
Last night, I was shocked to see that Ping (Ping! The Dorking from the Evacuee coop) pushing her way into ,what I shall now call, "the Main Coop". This meant it had eleven girls in! Eleven is about 3 too many. It's a good job it wasn't a hot night.
In the Orange Cube we had only Phyllis and Sunshine (one of the two Leghorns hatched last year). Astrid, the other Leghorn, joined the enemy camp some nights before.
Over in the Evacuee coop we had just Nora and Big Bird. Nestled together. I suspect that Norah is too old and stiff to force her way in to the main Coop, and I suspect that Big Bird is with her out of companionship and loyalty. It brought a lump to my throat.
I'm going to have to see about moving the Evacuee cube into the covered run so it is closer to the other two. I'm hesitant, because I don't know how Nora will cope with a move.... but, I don't know, it might be better? To have the Cubes closer?
In order to get it through the doorway to the Run we're going to have to take it apart completely, so it's not a 5 minute job.
I'll see what happens over the next few nights.
