Marigold the Misfortunate

Marigold has not been her best as of late. She has not only broken her beak twice in the time we've had her, but recently she tore off a nail. We mainly blame it on her low rank and dramatic reactions to pecks and discipline from her flock mates above her in the pecking order. She squawks and runs around crazily, which we suspect is one of Betty's reasons to try and often single out Marigold. It could be possible that it annoys her or she finds it entertaining. Betty could even see it as a sign of weakness, only driving her to attack Marigold with more ferocity.

Marigold with her pink shoes on.

When she came up to me almost as if she was trying to show me her toe, my mom and I restrained her and washed her up. We put chicken shoes that were far too big for her on her feet to keep the bandage clean. However, we also suspect that these brought more beatings upon her, either out of fear or jealousy. We eventually put Betty in shoes to see if anything would change, but the beatings didn't slow down until Marigold got her shoes taken off.

During these turbulent times Marigold along with her closest friend Millicent were closed up separately during the day when the flock was locked in their run. A small coop within a larger run expansion served as a place to be protected, although it also served as a jail when needed. They were given separate food and water, away from the main flock. This treatment lasted almost two weeks, until her nail was healed enough to not require a bandage.

Despite the bullying, it is partly enjoyable when Marigold hurts herself. During the time she is injured she becomes very tame and is easy to sit with and pet, unlike when she is healthy and flighty.

Dogs

Tootega

A few months ago we had our Newfoundland, Tootega, put down due to age-related problems. The space she left was filled by two Great Pyrenees dogs. Gustav and Daenerys. Gustav is speculated to not be what he was originally sold as. He seems very slender and tall with silky fur, rather than the typical stout, fluffy Great Pyrenees. Daenerys, however, more appropriately fits the bill. She is very stocky and can keep up with Gustav's playing even though he is a few months older and has a good 60-70 lbs on her.

Gustav The Great

Gustav quickly showed interest in the chickens, but would not attack them. If anything he was just interested. When they go close enough he would nose them. He would sometimes walk in their general direction, which scared them because they thought they were being chased. Penelope will peck him if he gets too close, but he never learns his lesson.

'Danny'. Yes, she is named after the Game of Thrones character.

Daenerys was a little more active in her investigation of her new feathery friends. She chased them on a few occasions, sending them crashing about the patio. This worried us because in their panic they could easily hurt themselves. Their little expeditions into the house also were discouraged by the furry fiend behind the door. At one point she even cornered a few in the run. While she isn't violent and is fairly well-behaved around them, she still scares them with her curiosity.

I am still unsure about the chickens ever getting used to them. They will hopefully come around, although it may take awhile. Daenerys still needs to shed her puppy playfulness for her to stop prancing after them and startling them. Only then will they start to adjust. It took Tootega awhile to win their trust, but when she did they were fine walking under her or sitting on top of her.

Mysterious Eggs

For a long time the only chickens who laid eggs were Ester and Ethel. There were new eggs almost every day from both of them nonstop for a few months. Recently, however, their egg production has dropped just slightly and others have risen to fill the gaps. Betty, Marigold, and Millicent are all laying. We also suspect Penelope has left a few eggs in the nest boxes, but we have no proof of this. Ertha is also well beyond her due date to start laying, but she has not started yet. As far as we know, at least. Mysterious eggs the size and color expected of Ertha have appeared, but we haven't caught her in the act. She has started screaming very often and very loudly before marching into the coop. It is time and she is showing signs of egg laying, but we just can't catch her! With the start of summer, though, our slackers are finally picking up that pace and filling all of our egg cartons up.