Throwing Shade (or How Cookie Got Her Groove Back)
Channel: Mailer's Landing
Date: 2021-08-03

Act I - Planting in the Shady Places - ivy and lily of the valley, and coleus, and oxalis, oh, my!
Act II - Chicken Sex and Social Habits, and a Coop Tour
Act III - Getting the Band Back Together, Part II
Act IV - Giant Eggs o.o - a Grocery Store Comparison
Act V - Sleepover Party

Growing, building and cooking in New England, zone 6b

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Music by Fishtank 2019 - cover of Ari Charbonneau's Light the Fire

Cookie, one of our australorpe hens, was injured ~3 weeks ago* and spent some time indoors. To reunite her with the flock, we're taking it slow. We installed a door** across their run so the birds can see each other and check each other out without getting up close and personal, and a place for Cookie to sleep at night, unharassed by predators and secure from weather.

*Zuzu is still learning how to get his rooster on without hurting his wimmens. He's better at it now, but he blew it then, pulling a bunch of feathers out poor Cookie's neck and bloodying her, which, as it turns out, the rest of the hens would not tolerate. Attempts to bring her back in early were met with more bullying and some vicious pecking - we brought her back indoors. Before we started the reintegration plans, we spent a couple weeks socializing with everyone together for ranging one or two times a day, returning Cookie indoors in between. This build was step one to getting her back with her peoples, separating the run with a door and giving Cookie a space that's all her own.
**The door was constructed from wood and chicken wire, and installed with two hinges. Cookie's hutch was made from a medium sized dog kennel and a repurposed broom handle as a roost. The hutch us wrapped in chicken wire and a tarp, secured with zip ties; it was bungee corded to the coop to ensure that it wouldn't go anywhere or make a gap that Cookie could hurt herself investigating.