Swift Half update - 4th December 2010

• I have decided to re-introduce Cutlery to the flock today - and did so this morning, as she started to preen for the first time in a week last night.






• I'm not expecting much - the pessimist in me suggests she'll not make the winter anyway for a number of reasons:






• One - she's still very light, very weak (cannot jump still) and the runt of the bunch now.






• Two - its due to get colder again tomorrow and there's no much meat on her at present






• Three - she will be picked on, for the first reason above and the fact that as far as all our hens are now concerned, she is a new hen being introduced to a flock on her own - never a great thing to do.






• Four - she's still not eating that much, and boy does she need to pile her weight back on.






• That all said, its do or die time this weekend for cutters - I cannot have a hen crapping upstairs in a box, and a cat (post-op) crapping downstairs in another box, and Cutlery has (after all) been quarantined on antibiotics now for a whole week.






• Upon (re)introduction, Cutters briefly stood up to Trouble and Conker, who both gained superiority pretty-well immediately. A few pecks and Cutters was put firmly in her place.






• The pecking order is thus - Trouble, Couven, Conker, Cutlery.






• I'll leave Cutters out all day (she's peeled off from the other three - just like Couvster did when her ego got dented on inthroduction to Trouble and Conker).






• Tonight will be key - if she eats enough today, still maintains a defensive posture with Conker and Trouble, and more importantly than all that- can summon the leg strength to walk up the ramp to the coop come dusk (not sure about this - she's mighty weak (nice oxymoron) still) - then she may, I say may be ok for a while....






• Fingers crossed and I'll report back tomorrow, but for now I'm off to fry a couple of Trouble's "lead free eggs.






• A note for the photos above - the black hen is Trouble (wonderful plumage), the chestnut coloured hen is Conker and as for the "four headless chickens" photo - clockwise from 9' o'clock - Couven, Conker, Trouble, Cutlery. You'll no-doubt note that all our hens have their tails pointing skywards, apart from poor Cutters. Tail up is always a good sign of healthy chooks....