The chickens are turning on each other, and it’s not the way I thought it would go down. Because we brought on both “meat birds” and laying hens at the same time, we knew we could only keep them together for a short period. The meat birds grow much more quickly than the hens and are already twice their size. I’ve been anxious to get another enclosure built because I thought the meat birds would start bullying the hens. Wrong. As I observed the chickens today, I realized it’s the other way around. The layers far surpass their meaty brethren in speed and agility and seem to have a serious case of Napoleon Complex, pecking contentiously and plucking feathers from the poor meat birds. I call Rufus, who is out on deliveries, to report the brutality and suggest we move the fence building up the priority list.

~Joy