gosh I hate reading that. I knew abt LP but somehow missed the update. Like you, I've seen more than common issues w/the favored supplier this yr. New hands,new issues, perhaps. lol..I'm still not sure what colors I ended up with,but it's fun watching them change.You’ve done the most amazing job with Numi! It’s so fantastic that you raised this singleton in the house, no doubt thinking she was a human, and she ended up with a mate and eggs and keets and does great with your new keets! What a fantastic bird she is!!! Yes, I’ve had a rough Guinea summer! See:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hatching-notes-summer-2022.1546769
The totem pole and the keets have been my challenge this summer. Numi chases the 7 constantly, the 7 are already developing a hierarchy that leaves Willow,Mockie & Zuri hiding (light colored ones).
And then there are the jumbos. We had 2 things happen at once - Mama dying and Brodie's beak breaking, that totally skewered our happy home.
Mia has been exerting authority over everyone since Mama died.
Brodie's beak has grown back, but it seems that made him become submissive. He lets Mia peck at Numi and the 7, take over his keets, & in general be a jerk.
Mia has circumvented me the past 2 days when I've been trying to get him out, and manages to take all of the keets with him, driving Numi to distraction bc she tries to get to them & I stop her- I am not losing THAT bird.
I boot Brodie out and he goes w/them & eventually he comes when I call & brings them back.
Today was bath day for all of the light colored ones. Mainly to calm Numi down and distract her until the keets were back, but that hierarchy thing =Willow,Zuri and Mockie constantly being on and hiding.
After the baths & yes, cuddles in their towels while I checked their skin & feet and trimmed nails & cuddled somemore bc who can resist those blue eyes? - I put the 4 in the old coop where they could dry & preen in the sunshine while adjusting to being together,& that went well. Ideally I want Numi to be able to integrate when the keets are gone.
But once the keets returned Numi marched them back to the other coop and chased everyone out, so she & keets are in one coop, the 7 are in the other coop, & my the 2 jumbos are sleeping in the run tonight so that I can send them out 1st thing before opening the coops. New keet owners may end up with a doting adult uncle if he doesn't chill out. He's very protective of them but not so much anyone else smaller than him. Poor Zuri looks like he'sdone battle a few times. But their feet look great!