Vey detached, no longer anxious, in limbo

[Phoebe]

I'm very happy to hear from you, Painter! I really do think that I need a rooster to round these new hens up and keep them behaving.instead, I have one hen that insists upon being her own leader. Ugh! Of course, the way she and my other barred Rick chase after the cats does make me wonder just a bit if she may not actually be a 'he!'

The two of the look like hens, but one chased after ME yesterday, too. Not aggressively, but more ina 'what am I missing over here?' Kind of way. Still, my first thought was rooster, immediately followed by 'if you are you'd better not start misbehaving!!!'

I've been trying to get a male chick each of the last 2 years, but no luck thus far, and I'm reluctant to bring in an adult due to concerns about bringing in any infectious diseases to my flock. I guess I'll just have to keep herding the newbies indoors for now.