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

[Omletina Kyckling]

What a day I had yesterday. One of the worst.

 

My cube was delivered on Monday, so I decided on Monday night to move the new girls into the cube. I had thought about putting them in with the Omlet girls in the cube but decided that they were a bit too young and nervous to risk this, so decided to put the new ones in the cube, with the older girls in the Eglu next to them so they'd get used to the sight/smell of each other.

 

Of my new girls, the two crested girls are the nervous ones and I also bought a Suffolk Noir who is rather aggressive with them. When they were in Kate's Eglu as temporary accommodation, the cresteds hardly ever ventured out of the Eglu as they got pecked.

 

Soooo, they all came out of the cube in the morning without any problem, and the noir continued to peck at them. When I went out in the afternoon, Britta, my little crested had lots of feathers missing on her back/tail and there was blood, probably not that much but it looked a lot. She kept trying to clean herself so then had blood on her face. It was so distressing.

 

I was getting more and more stressed and upset and didn't know what to do. I emailed Kate (my saviour!) who said I should separate them asap as Matilda would get worse once she saw blood. So in the pouring rain yesterday tea time, I manhandled Kate's Eglu into the compound, with the run, which was virtually impossible due to the size of the compound gate...I was crying the whole time, rather pathetic in hindsight!! Eventually I got it in and alongside the cube, but couldn't get her out!! This is where everybody's complaints about the cube come true. You can't get in there to get at your chickens! I'm not a skinny girl and I have arthritis so there's no way I could get through the little door and I didn't want to start to dismantle it. Anyway after about half an hour I managed to get her out of the run and then get her into the Eglu.

 

So now I have my three Omlet girls in their Eglu, free ranging, the crested girls in the cube and the noir in Kate's Eglu.

 

By the time I got in I was dripping wet, literally, so much so that even my knickers and bra were wet. I was hysterical, sobbing etc. and it was only the emails to/from Kate and Daisymay which kept me together. I was all for rehoming all three new ones and sending the cube back I was so distressed. I think when you are on your own and trying to cope with all of this (hubby works overseas and only home for a weekend once a month or so) it all seems worse as you have "Ooops, word censored!"ody to help you

 

I've been out first thing to get some purple spray and wound powder (Kate kindly came with me to show me what to get) and have applied both to both crested girls so that they match.

 

I have to now really think what I'm going to do! I can keep the girls segregated like this for weeks until the crested girls are bigger and more confident and I just hope and pray that it settles by then as I can't go through this again!!

 

Sorry for the long message, but I needed to get it off my chest.

 

I just hope today is a better day, as it surely can't get worse?

[TAJ]

sorry to hear about your problems - how about - have you considered putting the bully in with the older girls? 3-1 might stop her being so dominant and such a bully in the pecking order.

 

I am glad Kate has been able to help out - lets hope you have a better day today.

 

Tracy

[Mel (& Paul)]

Oh you poor thing - what a nightmare.

It is horrible seeing the "pecking order" when you try and get two flocks together - and you are right - the blood goes a long way - once it gets on their feathers it looks like a blood bath.

Glad that Kate and others were able to be so much help - and take heart - it WILL get better - promise

[Phosphorus]

Just wanted to wish you all the best for today. Not much experience of this all myself as only had my existing girls for 5 weeks. Keep going, it doesn't sound fun at the moment but I'm sure it will all sort itself out.

 

We are all here for you

[Faye&Ant]

What a horrid day you had I hope you are feeling better today and I hope all settles down with your girls - im sure it will

 

Faye x

[ChrisP]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Speaking from experience, it is horrible when that happens. You could try, for a few days, just letting them see each other, but not be able to reach other (i/e keep some in the eglu run etc) and see how they interact/behave amongst each other. This could get them used to each other, and the noir one realise that the others mean no harm.

What i personally found to help was if i ever gave them treats, i made sure all the girls could see me giving all of them treats, and equal amounts of treats, so that they all knew they were all equal. I found this to help, but then again it could just be my girls are a little bit strange!!

I really do hope things work out, it's a lovely thing to see all your girls together in the garden, I hope that this can happen for you soon. And there are always people who can and will help you!

[E4eggs]

Poor you! Have you thought about trying the Bumper Bits on the bullies? They worked for me, I was beginning to think it was all such a bad idea - then fitted the Bumpa Bits and within 5 minutes calm had been restored.

 

Anyway, see what other advice you receive.

 

Good luck. The bullying is very stressful and upsetting and does make you think "Why am I putting myself through this"? Then when it's finally (hopefully!) sorted you realise why.

[Egg Lou]

Oh Diane so sorry to hear what a bad time you have had! I hope you can work through it with help and get them all settled soon..

[Ange1]

Dianne I'm sending a cyber hug over!

 

At least it's not raining today.

 

I hope thing calm down very soon.

[Mrs Frugal]

You've got my Eglu for as long as you need it, Diane, so you can play it by ear. I wouldn't rush to put them all together if you don't have to. The longer they can get used to each other being in the garden, the better, I think. I kept the Sussex Girls apart from the others for a good fortnight as they were much smaller and younger and that worked really well as there was very little bullying when they all went together. Keep doing what you're doing by putting their treats either side of the run so they get used to feeding together and have lots of feeding stations in the run when they do all eventually start running around together.

 

It might be worth trying TAJ's suggestion of introducing the noir to the original girls in a week or so. It might put her in her place to be pecked a bit by more established hens. My only worry with that is from experience watching Coffee and Jenny here. Jenny is head hen and Coffee is second in line. If Jenny pecks Coffee, she immediately takes it out on one of the Sussex Girls - usually poor old Pandora, bless her, and this might be troublesome when the noir goes in with the crested girls but play it by ear and don't worry unless it happens .

 

I hope the Purple Spray works its magic and the crested girls are soon on the mend.

 

Thinking of you because it's a horrible experience to see blood on your hens.

 

Big hugs.

[Guest]

oh how rotten, hope the sun is shining for you today and things look a little brighter.

 

xxxxxxxx

[superjules]

Oh Diane, sorry you had such a horrible day.

 

I hate introductions, I'm a complete wuss and keep any new girls separate but within sight of the old ones for 2-3 weeks. Even so, when I eventually let my skylines (merrydale crested by another name) into the main run with the others, they hid under the eglu (one brick high) for 2 weeks, they seem very timid and submissive, I don't know if it's a breed thing.

 

I hope you are having a better day today and that they settle down soon.

[BeckyBoo]

You poor thing, how awful, what a horrid horrid day, I hope you had a long soak in a bubble bath after to try to relax. They WILL get better but it will take time. Leave them as they are for a week or two so you can start to relax and enjoy them without having to watch the pecking order again.

 

Pour a big glass of something nice and chill, the sun is shining here, hope it's shining on you too

 

Mrs B

[surferdog]

Sorry you had such a terrible day Diane. Hope today is going better. The bullying is absolutely horrible and makes it really hard to take to the culprit. Sounds like you're doing all the right things so it should settle down soon

[Karen & co.]

Sorry you have had a rotten time it may sound glib, but it will get better

 

Karen x

[Omletina Kyckling]

Thank you thank you thank you all for your support. It makes such a difference.

 

Today is much better! My crested girls are doing normal chicken things today, dustbathing, pecking around and looking pretty funky with their purple tails!! Matilda is pacing up and down on her own in the Eglu run, but I've told her why that is!

 

It looks really funny in there with my red eglu, green cube and Kate's pea green Mk1 eglu!! It's like an Omlet showroom down there!!

 

Once again, thanks to all of you. I'm going to leave them as they are now for a few weeks I think, until hubby is home for a weekend and then we can try introductions again - it'll be easier for me if he is here to support me!

 

Diane

[Abbey Road Girl]

What a traumatic initiation, Diane. I wish you sunshine, peace and tranquility in the days to come.

 

Thank goodness for Kate, eh? Well done, Kate!

 

I'm not quite sure I can visualise the situation with the Cube correctly, but perhaps in a crisis the top can be removed. There would be a risk of any chicken inside flying out (and no fun for someone unused to handling hens), but sometimes it might be the best thing to do.

 

As the old Irish saying goes, May the best day of the first of your life be the worst day of the rest of your life!

[Omletina Kyckling]

Hi,

Just an update to the traumas of the other week.....

 

Guy was home for the weekend so on Friday we decided to get all the girls out together...so I opened the runs up on the Eglu, Cube and Kate's Eglu....there was some pecking from the old girls but the newbies managed to escape and get out of their way. Matilda seemed a lot calmer once she realised she wasn't top chicken after all, I think a week in solitary calmed her down. That night I closed the run on Kate's Eglu so the three new girls slept in the Cube together.

 

Four days later and all the girls are free ranging, sticking to two groups of three. The Omlet girls will have a brief go at the newbies if they get in their way, but nothing too vicious and the newbies scarper when it happens. I used a hosepipe the first day and blasted any offenders.

 

We've decided to keep the Eglu after all, so there's now no rush to force them together. I'd like them all in the Cube eventually but I'll let nature take its course for a while yet and let things really calm down.

 

Thanks to all of you for your support when I had my bad few days a few weeks ago and was at the end of my tether, it made all the difference...

[Chickvic]

I'm glad it worked out in the end!

[Faye&Ant]

Really happy for you that they are settling down

 

Faye x

[Egluntyne]

Lovely to hear that things are turning out well.

[Seagazer]

Good news that its worked out in the end

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've only just caught up with your thread - you poor thing, it sounds like you had a horrible time . It must be hard when you're coping with something like that on your own I'm glad things are settling down now.

[Egg Lou]

So pleased to hear things are running smoother now

[moomin]

That's brilliant news I'm so happy for you. You'll be able to start enjoying them now.

 

It puts me off getting any more hearing all the stories on here - I'm a complete wuss too when it comes to seeing animals in distress!