ducken

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

One of the school chickens we adopted into our flock of chicks seems to be tired of the littles.

When I opened the top of the brooder to put grass in, she flew out.  I attempted to catch her, but she was determined to join the flock of big girls.  She isn’t that much smaller, so I let her stay.

The term “pecking order” must have originated in a chicken yard.  The new hen was definitely at the bottom.  She wasn’t being harmed but was spending most of her days running away.

I figured they would all work it out eventually.  The solution was not at all what I anticipated.

The newest hen flew into the duck pen.  You might think, seeing as the ducks are larger and louder than the chickens, that the hen would be less comfortable in this new location.

However, I learned in the past that ducks are really not very brave and in fact, they are scared of the chickens.

They stayed behind her while she ate.

After a week, they were all eating together.

I call the hen my “ducken.”

Perhaps there is something to be learned from this group.  Accept those who look different and share the same food bowl.