Ruby and Opal Woodbury: Warrior Cuddle Chickens

It’s been awhile since I have written about the girls, so I wanted to do an update on how they are doing.  They have grown to be quite big now, and they certainly have personalities.  As I have stated before, I knew that chickens would be great to have for fresh eggs, but I had no idea just how much fun they could be (although there IS a little bit of work involved, too).

It’s fun to watch the crazy things they do, such as sunning themselves like so many teenaged girls:

I had read in a book that if it is at all possible, if you want, let’s say, four chickens (our goal), it is best to get all four at one time.  It’s not impossible to add to a flock, and I’ve seen that people do this quite often.  However, you have to be able to handle the squabbling and fighting that can occur between the new chickens and the older chickens in order to establish that “pecking order” thing.  “Pecking order” is not a myth – one of the reasons I picked Opal was because her little tail had been pecked at by all those other chickens until she was bloody, and I wanted to save her.  Since the girls are always sweet to me, and seem to get along well with each other, I thought we would be immune from this pecking order rule (which is good – I don’t have the stomach for squabbling and  bloody tails).  However, watching the girls in action has made me think otherwise.

I first noticed the “warrior chicken” come out in Ruby.  When they are running around in the yard, Opal and Ruby generally stick pretty close to one another.  However, every now and then they will go their separate ways.  Before you know it, here comes Molly, trying to sniff Opal’s bottom.  Ruby Woodbury, “Warrior Chicken”, springs into action and is across the yard before you know it.  She has no qualms about taking Molly on, and Molly is driven away from Opal, sent away to sniff someone else’s bottom.

The girls will often team up against the wildlife in the area.  I love feeding the birds and squirrels, and I usually put their food in the fenced area behind the garden.  But there are times that it is too muddy to go back there, so I will pick some random area in the yard to dump the seed.  If Opal and Ruby are out in the yard, heaven help the wild life!  I was shocked at how aggressive they were in chasing off a dove one day.  Even sparrows can’t catch a break – the girls become warrior chickens and make sure that everyone knows that this is THEIR yard!  STAY OUT!

Despite their warrior chicken tendencies, when it comes to interacting with us, they are certainly loving, especially as evening sets in.  Once the sun is low in the sky they feel the need to cuddle, and if anyone makes the mistake of sitting in a chair, the girls are on it!  (Although standing doesn’t always save you – I was out raking some leaves one evening and Opal flew up to my shoulder while I was still raking!)  Every evening, before they go in for the night, I try to set aside some “chicken time”.  Usually Opal ends up roosting on my shoulder and Ruby ends up sitting on my arm or lap (which actually allows for more petting).  Tonight, Robert was the lucky ducky who got to enjoy “chicken time” while I snapped some pictures:

So there you have it:  we are the proud owners of warrior cuddle chickens!