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

[stoice]

OK, sorry for the long winded post below. It's never simple is it?

 

I got 2 16wk old girls on saturday (Mable the bluebelle and Betty the Black Rock) They're beautiful. After Egluntines sound advice about introducing the youngsters to 2 ex-batts i have divided their permanent run, put out more food & water stations and put a separate house in the run (Made from an old cupboard) Even though the ex-batts pick on them a lot (I've let them roam together under supervision but there were squabbles) the new girls were desperate to sleep with them in the normal house and wouldn't use their temp house. They fretted and fretted so i let them in the big house when it was dark (No fuss, no squabbles, just slept together fine)

But come the morning, they wouldn't leave as they were scared of the ex-batts. They just sat on the highest perch to get away from them

Question 1 - Why the attitude change from bedtime to daytime? As a result I've followed Claret's advice (Through the link from Egluntine which is "Remember to get up early and hoik them out before they all wake up and start pecking each other") Do you think this will be ok?

 

So far it seems ok, plus i get to cuddle the new girls a little when i put them in the half of the run without access to the house (As the ex-batts are laying and needed a nest box I thought this would be ok)

 

As a result though, the new girls are very nervous birds. They don't even blink when i throw in some sweetcorn either side of the divide which drives the ex-batts loopy as they can see it but can't touch.

 

Question 2 is, will the new girls ever get used to me or will it happen more easily when they come into lay? When i rescued the ex-batts I had them eating of my hand by day two!

 

Sorry for all the questions, just concerned. I want a happy flock

[chucknette]

Hi Stoice

 

Your new girls are still quite new and Im afraid it does take a while for them to all accept each other.

 

When I got six new girls, I had to introduce them to my two three year olds.

 

I kept them seperate for a while but let them see each other and feed near each other with fencing down the middle. After about a couple of weeks I bit the bullet and took the fence down, There was some agrro from my pepperpot backed up by the gingernut but it only lasted about a week.

I just kept an eye on them so that there was no blood drawn.

 

They all still slept in their seperate quarters and after a week of them mixing I put the two originals into the sleeping quarters of the other six.

 

Peace was found!

 

Hope this helps

[Egluntyne]

Just give it time.

 

The new girls have a lot to get used to, all at once.

 

As soon s they start laying the will become much tamer.

 

Taking them out of the nest box at night and stroking them and talking to them gets them used to being handled,

[stoice]

One thing i found really sweet when i tried to scoop one up from her perch is she walked along my arm. She just stood there looking at me - like a parrot on a pirates arm! Very cute.