With his more agile form, Jeff sidestepped most, but not all, of the conflicts that arose throughout the rest of the day. He didn't feel brave enough to leave the coop entirely, although he now realized his wings did offer that freedom if the need became urgent.
The other hens closed ranks in support of the one that Jeff had challenged. It was like they were all out to get him, pecking at him whenever during his foraging he let down his guard. The attacks came with lightning speed, and by the end of the day, he had several missing feathers and pains from a couple of sharp pecks, including one that nicked his comb and drew some blood.
The full extent of their malice became more apparent toward sundown when the flock made their ways to the henhouse for the night. Jeff stared tiredly at his roost, which now seemed taller than ever after shrinking down to bantam size. That's when he got into a dust-up with his neighboring hen who succeeded in knocking him off the roost only seconds after he'd climbed onto it.
The moment he hit the floor of the henhouse, the ruling hen attacked. She kicked and pecked at the smaller hen that had dared to challenge her earlier. More feathers, mostly Jeff's, floated in the air before she ended the attack and gave a series of low "bwawk, bwawk, bwawks" before she went to her own roost.
"Crazy bitch!" Jeff bwawked at her.
Only after all the other hens were securely at their roosts did he attempt to regain his, and even then his neighbor lashed out with one final peck. Tomorrow, if this bullying didn't end, he might have to consider what lay beyond the coop to simply get away from these demented hens.
Then, almost forgotten in all the day's upset, a familiar sensation.
"Oh fuck!" Jeff cried out in a distressed "bwawk." He felt the abdominal pressure of another egg in urgent need of laying.