Adverse Possession

Crested Variegated Mosaic Stafford Male


Non-crested Variegated Bronze Stafford Hen, selected to shorten chicks feathering.


Non-crested Mosaic Stafford Hen, wearing the male mask, selected to produce good male type mask.


Handsome couple...


One nest was placed on the left side of the cage and the other on the right side. The bronze hen chose the nest on the left side of the cage and built her nest and promptly started laying.


But the aggressive mosaic hen decided she wanted the same nest. The male watched in confusion as the girls take turns claiming possession of the left side nest! First one set in the left nest but when she would finally have to get up to eat, the other promptly claimed possession of it!!!

Neither one was interested in the far right side nest...... It got so bad that, on one day first the bronze laid her third egg in the left nest and when she got up the mosaic laid her first egg in the very same nest!!

Luckily the bronze laid a smaller egg and the mosaic laid a larger distinctly marbled egg so they were easy to correctly identify...


Disputes over the same nest are not very common. To resolve it, I watch the birds and negotiate a compromise that one of them will accept. In this case, the mosaic hen was pushy and I knew that although the bronze built the left nest and laid first in it, the mosaic was not about to move.

To resolve the problem, I moved the right side nest closer and closer and finally when they were very close, the bronze hen accepted the right side nest and finished laying her clutch of six eggs in it!!!!





This photo was taken yesterday, today I set them, mosaic four eggs and the bronze six! They did get broccoli yesterday but once setting I do not offer greens again till the chicks are banded.