Ed: - Listen Ninja, It's time you get back to the flock. We've had some good times together, but you can't stay in this cage forever.
Surprised pikachu face
Returning to the flock
After almost 3 weeks of convalescence, we (I) decided that it was time for Ninja to get back with the rest of the crew, and just see what happens. I will of course stop the experiment when the first drop of blood is spilled, but in the meantime, we have to chance it from time to time.
Ninja's wound has been healing pretty well, yesterday, I saw the rooster pecking her through the cage where she spent the last 2 weeks, but I am scared that if she spends too much time without the flock, she will eventually be left aside, and bullied again.
We've been growing fond of each other in the last 2 weeks, and she let me now come close, though she still fears me, there are probably some scars from the slaughterhouse that she will keep with her for the rest of her life.
I am not completely happy with how the back of her head has healed, but the scabs are gone, that is the most important factor, as our mean rooster will probably peck whatever's left on her neck, again...
Today, it's raining, and they chicken tend to enjoy it, they can scratch the ground a bit deeper, and don't have to hide under a tree the whole day. This might be the best time to try to reintroduce Ninja to the flock.
It went better than I expected, but Mickael Jackson aka MJ the rooster, is still being a complete dick with her, I swear this guy will end up in a pot sooner or later.
As you can see on the video, he doesn't let her eat, or even chill with the rest of the flock. It's really weird, because he was very protective of her in the past.
The chicken also discover the cage that Ninja has been living on for a few weeks, they of course eat everything that she stashed in it, without any consideration. Ninja observes the others from afar, not understanding why everyone is in her "house",
MJ keeps on staring at her with insistence, with that mean look that he seems to always have. You can really tell that he has bad intentions. and she also senses it, decides to avoid him at all cost.
Intense music starts...
There is a palpable tension in the air, Ninja find comfort from her friend and probable sister/clone Noodle.
The only way to distinguish Ninja from Noodle, is the comb on the top of their head. Ninja has a straight one, and Noodle has a skewed one.
Office chat at the watercooler
They are probably from the same batch, and arrived together in our household. It took me an entire month to to really be sure who is who.
From now on, Ninja and Noodle stayed pretty much together for the rest of the day. I think Noodle was happy to have her friend/sister back, and showed her the renovated coop.
I've changed the inside, made it more presentable, and borrowed shaven wood from my bud @rubido (sorry for tagging you all the time) instead of the hay, very cosy for winter.
I think they were probably having too much fun, and it pissed MJ off:
So he decides to block the entrance to the coop, and the cage, like a proper gentleman 😁, and then proceed to chase her around, but not for mating, just for sport.
...But Ninja is too quick
An unexpected Ally
Charlie the sheep dog, enjoys helping to herd the chicken. It's something that he does naturally, and it gets sometimes out of hand, especially when there's a cracked egg, but other than that, he is pretty trustworthy.
Every night, he has been helping herding the flock, and make sure Ninja goes back to her own cage, this is pretty impressive to watch. The chicken sometimes fight back, but Charlie doesn't budge and focuses on his mission....
I am currently trying to upload the short clip of Charlie blocking the rooster and preventing him to bother Ninja, but I have "Request Failed With Status Code 500", which means that I have probably reached the upload capacity in term of images 😂.
In short, I decided to keep them separated for the rest of the evening, until it was time to sleep. Tomorrow, we will give it another shot, I know that Charlie will be watching...
Cheers!
Edit: Ok we are back online! Here is the rest of the story in gif
MJ sees Ninja going outside the fence and enjoying life, gets seriously triggered.
He then proceeds to follow her outside the fence, only to be met face to face with Charlie, blocking the way. I love the quick glance that Charlie gives to Ninja meaning "I got you boo!"
We gave Ninja some treats, and kept her with us for the rest of the day :)
Alright, this time I am really done!
(doors open: Ed, you don't look like you're working?)