4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Robbo1962]

I have four hens, a black rock, an orpington, a light sussex and an ex batt. they have been together for 6 weeks and get on really well. I have 2 new 'babies' (12 weeks) a buff orp and an orp/poland (very interesting cross!!) who have been in with a large flock until Saturday when I picked them up. I put the babies in the cube run and let them say hello to the older ladies thru the wire, the first night they went to bed all together with no problems. I let the babies out into the big run with the ladies and they were chased and picked on but survived the 'pecking order' process. But now the babies will not sleep in the cube and have a box in the run with straw. Sorry I am going on a bit! I want to get the babies sleeping in the cube with the ladies on thier own accord and I am not sure how to achieve this other than lifting them in every night which is not going to teach them where to roost? HELP!

A worried mum!

[Egluntyne]

Generally it is not advisable to introduce babies as young as yours to an established flock and big enough to stand up for themselves.....and you have already seen why.

 

Why not rig something up so that the babies can see and hear the others, and vice versa, and try reintroductions when they are a bit bigger, around 18 weeks.

[Daphne]

Any chance of a pic of the orp/poland? We have LF orps and bantam polands which I would have thought would be an impossible X! But I'd love to see what you've got!!