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

[beach chick]

I'm hoping to get a POL Bovans Nera and a Coral next week, to live with Paris and Chardonnay, and need to ask about the logistics of the introduction! (sorry if this has been asked before).

 

is it best to put them in the rabbit coop next to the eglu for the first few days, so they can all see each other and meet through the wire (which is working fine with the babies in the other eglu, who are confined to the run at the mo).

if I did this, Paris and Char could still freerange all day with no worries about the newbies escaping.

 

BUT, would this mean they saw the rabbit coop as 'home' and then be harder to transfer to the eglu? if I kept them in the rabbit coop they could have the omlet netting up after 5 days to gently accustom them to the great outdoors, but then I can foresee the entire garden being taken up by different arrangements for different batches of chooks!! ideally, I want all the big girls sleeping in the eglu and freeranging in the day.

 

thanks in advance for any advice!

[Egluntyne]

Have a look **here** .

[beach chick]

oh dur, why couldnt I find that?? many many thanks egluntine and claret for both articles - vvvv useful! and I think I'm on the right track. glad to shortcut the omlet netting bit too...

[beach chick]

an update and further request for advice please! - bit long, sorry.

 

the 3 bantam babes and 1 sussex, aged 11 weeks, are in the new eglu & run (we've had them 3 weeks now).

 

the 2 new girls - Sugar and Meringue, approx 22 weeks old but both quite small - are in a rabbit run right next to and alongside the above - a gap of about 6 inches between the 2.

 

rabbit run is a temporary, and not ideal for longterm, home, hopefully til about monday, but we only got them yesterday, so they need to settle in (eating, drinking and pooing fine, just v. shy).

 

the big girls, Paris and Char have been all over the place, ranging up and down along both sides of both new runs, and I've been scattering treats all round the edges of both - so they are now used to feeding near each other. Paris seems ok with all the new girls, Char is fine with the babies but has been pecking through the wire at Sugar and Meringue.

 

my plan for monday is to put the omlet netting up around all the new girls and then let Sugar and Meringue out for a wander.

 

could I let the banties out for their first roam at the same time? - the sooner I can integrate everyone the better I feel.

and can banties fit through the holes in the omlet netting? (in which case its alcatraz for them for quite a while).

 

I think I should keep Paris and Char out of the omlet netting zone, partly because they know how to escape through it (!) and also the old pecking order thing - does this make sense?

 

finally, I was thinking about putting Sugar and Meringue into the big girls eglu while they are freeranging during the day; good idea, but how do you get them out again? they are certainly not tame enough to come at a call or anything, and I dont like the idea of using a broom or something to get them into the eglu so I can lift them out and transfer them to the rabbit coop for bedtime.

 

phew, that was long, well done if you made it to the end and thanks for any advice!

[beach chick]

I must have rambled on too long above... anyone got any ideas as to whether I'm on the right track?!

thanks

[beach chick]

oh well, I am talking to myself... which is helpful!

I have put Sugar and Meringue into the big girls' eglu run before cleaning out theirs; lots of squawking initially, but they made themselves instantly at home.

I will put their rabbit coop back together, and get them into eglu using a broom I guess and make the transfer.

plan to do this again tomorrow; not the cleaning tho! and then get netting up on mon.

[Egluntyne]

Sorry...it is a nice day and I have been assembling a compost bin and mowing lawns.

 

To be honest, because you have such a range of ages and sizes, I would take it very slowly, especially as one group are only 11 weeks old. The big girls could do them some serious damage if they had a mind to.

 

Also.......yes, bantams have been known to squeeze through Omlet netting, although many don't.

[beach chick]

thanks egluntine!

 

been out all day at a party, but yesterday I put Sugar & Meringue into the eglu run for the day - they loved it. however, when I tried to get them out again, they both got past me! got Meringue back quickly, but then spent quite a lot of the evening trying to catch Sugar, who is lightning quick.... eventually gave up when she holed up in a patch of nettles, thought it was the last we'd see of her.

 

good news is she was back this morning pacing around looking for food and I managed to trap her and get her back in with Meringue.

 

bad news is that while they were both out Paris and Char really went for them both (no harm done thank goodness), so I will take your advice and go really slowly. going to try them out in the omlet netting tomorrow, because they need more space than they have in the rabbit coop.

 

meanwhile, the babies can stay in alcatraz!!! my nerves not up to more escapees.

[beach chick]

hope no one minds if I talk to myself here, I'm finding it quite useful as a record of the intros.

 

well, despite saying I wouldnt let the babies out into the netting run I did it the very next day - and they have settled in beautifully, having a whale of a time, and getting on fine with Sugar and Meringue (who are prob 10 weeks older).

 

Sugar is a dirty stop out, after her night out on Saturday I thought she'd be a flighty piece. when I went out last night at about 8.00 Meringue was in the purple eglu with the babies - and Sugar was OUTSIDE the netting with Paris and Char in reasonably close proximity and no violence. got Paris and Char into their eglu, and went inside to think how I might catch Sugar. when I went out half an hour later she was back inside the netting, and sitting in the rabbit coop all on her own. I think tonight I might put her in the purple eglu with the others if the same happens again. OH has rechristened her Hilts, from the Great Escape...

 

slightly worried about Meringue, tho she is eating and drinking she seems a bit lethargic and hunched up. am going to phone the breeder later when he's back from his egg round.

[WitchHazel]

Any news on Meringue?

[beach chick]

havent phoned the breeder, because she suddenly seems to have perked up, could have been the sight of the corn that did it! I think she is just much slower than the others, perhaps a more laid back bird. she was looking a bit hunched up before, but now seems perfectly fine, eating drinking pooing etc.

thanks for asking!

[beach chick]

escapologist Sugar did it again - out of the netting, freeranging with the big girls. an hour later, she had got back inside the netting and put herself to bed with Meringue in the rabbit coop. going to leave them to it for the next couple of nights, see who wants to do what and then might try Sugar (and poss Meringue) in the eglu with the big girls, which is my ideal solution.

 

Sugar is much more mature than Meringue, bright red comb etc, and I'm wondering if this is why she is so keen to be with the big girls and they seem to tolerate her very well - kind of like the way one 13 year old girl is a pony mad child, and the other is wearing full on make-up?

[beach chick]

ha! caught Sugar tonight. she'd made her usual evening escape and was freeranging with the big girls - a wide space between them, but all quite happy. went out 30 mins later - babies in the purple eglu, big girls in the pink one, Meringue in the rabbit coop. finally found Sugar - roosting on a branch 7 foot up, the only way she could have got up there was by hopping off the omlet netting.

got OH out, to extricate her from the tree and returned her to the rabbit coop.

 

wing clipping comes next, methinks - must find out how to do it as have never had to before.

 

thinking about moving Sugar and Meringue in with the big girls, but think I will wait til they are laying, or at least til Sugar is. she has a lovely red comb, but no signs of submitting to me (the quasi cockerel) yet. Meringue is a long way off, she looks very immature in comparison.

 

wondering if best to wait til they are BOTH laying, as otherwise maybe it counts as 2 introductions?

[beach chick]

Sugar is indeed a dirty stop out. she's out again tonight, and havent managed to find her as she obviously knew I would look up last night's tree. I went out several times and scoured the garden, but we've an acre and a half, a lot of which is pretty wild, and finding a chicken that doesnt want to be found is rather difficult. can only hope she's found a safe roost and will appear in the morning.

didnt manage the wing clipping today as OH left early and was back late - try tomorrow if the wanderer turns up.

someone told me leghorns were flighty - too right!

 

also found the dog in the run twice today - he has developed a technique of bulldozing the netting down and getting in quick so it springs back up behind him. chooks totally unfazed, all he wants to do is snaffle their food - bl**dy Labradors! he knows he shouldnt do it and looks guilty as sin when I catch him. the irony is, he's a Fox Red Lab!!

[beach chick]

Lynrd Skynrd (Free Bird) is now back safe and sound. big girls helped me catch her in the netting, and she was chucked back inside and went straight off to stuff her face. wingclipping today.

[Egluntyne]

Naughty girl.

[beach chick]

wing clipping achieved remarkably easily, cornered her in eglu, shut door and picked her out the port. OH held her (while he and kids watching dr. who!) and I did the deed - dont know if I did it far enough back, but didnt want to hurt her. she seemed to like being inside, sat like a little lamb on OH's lap, having a good look around - "oh, this is where YOU live". popped her back in the run, she did a huge poo and went off for more grub! here's hoping she stays in the right place tonight...

[Laura & CTB]

here's hoping she stays in the right place tonight...

 

Lets hope so

[beach chick]

she gave in v. quickly, and retired to the rabbit coop with Meringue - at last, I can relax tonigt!

[beach chick]

Sugar point of lay, hahahahaha! she's like a dreadful teenage girl, all attitude and mouth. and SO annoyed at being grounded!

but it's worked, teehee.

[beach chick]

spoke too soon - found both Sugar and Meringue out of the netting at about 7.30 last night, pecking about very happily, while the babies and the big girls were both waiting in their respective eglu runs for me to shut the gates. Trained Assistance Labrador helped me round them up by trapping them in the netting so I could pick them up and put them back inside and then do my aeroplane impression to get them in the rabbit coop. little beasts.

[Snowy]

Oh my goodness Beach Chick! What a saga - how have I missed all this? I've been chuckling at Sugar's escapades - I also have a white leghorn called Sugar and she sounds pretty similar, but not quite so determined to escape! She certainly prefers to roost in the branches of the run rather than in the cube. Sorry you've been talking to yourself - but looks like you've mastered the gradual introductions. I think every situation and chicken is different and you do have to play it by ear to a degree, depending how they react to each other. Keep up the good work - and keep posting updates!

[beach chick]

Sugar is obviously the name of choice for leghorns then snowy!!

 

am mulling over the concept of 'supervised freeranging' and cant quite decide how to do it. with so much space, it might be difficult to actually supervise properly but on the otherhand there are loads of 'escape routes' if the big girls get ratty.

 

I could take Sugar and Meringue out of the omlet netting and let them go around for a while and see how they go. I'd then like them to go in the pink eglu with Paris and Char, but am thinking of waiting til they are both laying (which could be ages, specially for Meringue).

 

or I could put Paris and Char inside the omlet netting, which is the other lot's territory, so could make them feel more confident. but then the babies are only 12 weeks, and tho they are fine with Sugar and Meringue who I guess are 18 weeks, the big girls might be way too much for them. could put the babies back in the eglu run for the duration I suppose.

 

hope no one minds me thinking aloud to myself here, the rest of the family are not up to my constant chicken musings!!

[beach chick]

put Paris and Char in with all the babies for 20 mins tonight, with a bucketful of corn between them. went pretty well, tho the big girls were definitely asserting their authority. certainly wouldnt leave them alone yet, and I think it better tomorrow if I put Sugar and Meringue out with Paris and Char rather than the other way round.... the size difference is noteable between the big girls and the babies. altho it is the teenagers which seem to bother the big girls more, I just think the babies might find it too much and either miss out on food, treats etc, or just get caught in the crossfire.

[beach chick]

bit the bullet an hour ago. went out to make sure people were in their respective eglus, and Sugar, aka Hilts/Lynryd Skynryd Freebird was out with Paris and Char.

 

so put her in the old eglu with the big girls - bit of a squawk in the run, then Sugar went straight in followed by Char (sat in nesting box as always). bit of bok bokking outside from Paris, but 5 mins later all was quiet. will have a peek in a few mins, and guess I'll be up early, but Sugar seems desperate to be a 'big girl' and I hope the other 2 will show her.

 

Meringue went to bed with the babies in the purple eglu, so hope I havent made a rod for my own back as once she is laying I want her with Sugar, Paris and Char.

 

plus side means I could get shot (temporarily) of rabbit coop, which despite being cleaned out every week like the eglus, stinks to high heaven.