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BeckyBoo

World war three

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Hi there, well I've bitten the bullett and let all the chickens out together, thats the four ex-batts who, until now, have had to free range on their own as they looked so frail. Right up until the time they started leaping up at the cube bars trying to kill my original girls through the mesh. :shock: So today, it's sunny again, the ex-batts really weren't getting a huge amount of time outside once the others had been out so I thought to hell with it and opened the run. And now it's like world war three! Actually it's more like a full on cock fight, my lovely docile girls have turned into Arnold Schwarzenegger and are leaping about legs in the air pulling feathers left right and centre. And that's just the ex-batts! :shock: It was so bad at one point two of the ex-batts had a go at each other, then they sort of did a double take as if to say "Oh, it's you" and went to find someone else to fight. I've come in for lunch as it's not all that nice to watch and touch wood, it's a little more settled. I think it's going to be a bit of a long slog but I'm afraid they have to get on with it if they're all going to free range together. Bloomin chickens!!

 

Mrs Bertie

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It's a bit like this in our garden at the moment :shock:

 

Our 7 girls are in the cube and we are chicken sitting for another 4 who are in our spare eglu

 

I am having to let them out in turn and our normally extremely friendly and docile Sarah Jane is like a maniac. She keeps squaring up to the visitors through the bars

 

We have got them for about 5 weeks so they should be a little friendlier by the end of their holiday with us (hopefully)

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Well, after my previous post I decided to pull myself together and get them mingling.

 

With the weather being so glorious it seemed the perfect day for it. No cardigan in the garden in February too!

 

So I just took the bit of netting between them down and got on with some tidying around the Eglus.

 

They didn't notice for a while and then there was a bit of bewildered and cautious exploring.

 

There have been a few skirmishes and squaring up, but nothing that couldn't be separated with a broom.

 

Interestingly, Artemis Fowl, who is normally afraid of her own shadow is being the stroppiest.

 

The netting will stay down now and they will have to get on with it.

 

I want them to be sorted quickly so that I can concentrate on the ex-batts in March.

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how long do you think it takes for ex batts and established chooks to be able to live together peacefully? I know they should live separately to start with but Egluntine you seem to have some experience of this so wonder what you reckon? would love to get some ex batts but not sure how long integration would take...by the way Ruby is cavorting round the garden today like yesterday never happened - no egg though, but just gald she's ok! :D

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Well I've not had ex-batts before so I shall make it up as I go along.

 

What I planned to do was get the ex- batts up to full health and feather first and just let them get used to their new home, but in full sight of the others.

 

Then I shall do what I have done re merging my 2 existing flockettes. :lol:

ie, put some netting up between them, but let them roam in their own areas, but be used to the sight and sound of each other, then sprinkle sweetcorn etc along the base of the fence so that they get used to sharing food.

 

Eventually I shall bite the bullet and take the fence down.

 

Slowly but surely is the best way I think.

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I've had my ex-batts since the end of December. They have been in the second cube for two weeks now in full view of my original girls. This week I have let them all out together and we have had a few minor arguments but basically all is well and they are happily mooching around the garden together.

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well our day two was pretty similar, once they worked out that there was room in the garden for two flocks they seemed to get along pretty well. What it will be like when they're forced to live together is another matter but that's a few weeks off yet. Interestingly when we inherited Dancing Gals bantams and put them in with our original girls poor old Dave the funky Poland got picked on so badly she basically moved out! As soon as she was let out in the morning (and it had to be very first thing or they'd peck her bald and bleeding) she headed for the greenhouse where she stayed quite happily all day coming out for water and the occasional peck around. She has now been adopted by the ex-batts after her bullying got SO bad that even her own flock of three others turned on her. So now we have a flock of 5 - 4 ex-batts and Dave, and a flock of 10, everyone else! I think it's cos she's now SO submissive the ex-batts (who are pretty feisty) realise she's no threat at all.

I love chickens!

 

Mrs Bertie

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after 10 days my 2 tribes are still at war as well.

 

It's OK when they're out ranging, but as they all share a house, Twinkle & Jean keep hijacking it, and turfing out any of the newbies that are in the nest boxes.

 

In 2 minds whether or not to give up and just bung the oldies back into the Eglu tbh, as the new girls have taken to laying eggs in odd places (mainly the wood-pile, which is a bit awkward)

 

Or should I just persist ? And will they get on eventually ?

 

Sorry for the hijack... just wanted you to know you're not alone with "Chicken-wars"

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I couldn't find her sister yesterday so had to have a look in the ex-batts house to see if I'd shoved her in there by mistake (Dave has to be put to bed otherwise she roosts in the greenhouse) and I HAD put Dave in and she was all snuggled up between Pansy and Margot, that's when I knew she was really part of her gang. It was lovely tos ee after all her weeks of being bullied, picked on and generally ostracised by all the others including her so-called mates.

Mind you, OH and I are just down the garden to have one last try at getting Sharon (the other funky Poland) out from the side of the greenhouse where she has WEDGED herself between the glass and the fence. I've tried shoving her with sticks, tempting her with food (when it was light obviously) but she won't come out. Trouble is, we can't get near her but a fox could. Daft bloomin birds, those Polands are determined to sleep out. Wish us luck, OH is riddled with chicken-pox (kind of ironic!) he's the fourth one after the three kids got it one after the other over the last 4 weeks, so e's one big spot in his dressing gown and brandishing a long handled mop!

 

Mrs Bertie

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Oh dear Mrs B! :shock: What a palava! :lol: Poor OH, hope he's none the worse for wear and his itches aren't too bad :lol:

 

Hope the fighting continues to settle down. I still have the odd problem if a junior hen wants to lay but the boss is in the nest box. I get the odd ones in the run or on the cube bars. They are funny - boss chicken will sit on junior chicken to lay, but if boss is in first, juniors won't go in at all :roll::roll:

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