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

[beach chick]

well, I now have a happy flock of 8, ranging from 18mths old down to 13 weeks. 3 laying everyday, the 2 'old' girls still sleeping in one eglu and the 6 'babies' in the other. for anyone else doing introductions, I guess its taken us 6 weeks to reach this stage, and we have had no real aggression at all - the odd peck or warning glance, that's all.

 

the old girls' eglu is outside the netting - but they both want to be inside it with the babies! so I've given up hoicking Paris out and after Char has laid and had a little think about being broody (I dont think so mate) I am putting her straight into the netting with the rest.

 

the babies are on growers and the big girls on layers - does it matter if they sample each others?

and how do other people manage separate feeding stations? I've got glug & grub in the babies eglu which is inside the netting, plus a drinking bowl and plastic freestanding feeder thing. for 8 birds, should I add another one? and how do I keep wild birds out of it?

 

also questions about electric fencing/run, but I think that's a different thread!

[Snowy]

well, I now have a happy flock of 8, ranging from 18mths old down to 13 weeks. 3 laying everyday, the 2 'old' girls still sleeping in one eglu and the 6 'babies' in the other. for anyone else doing introductions, I guess its taken us 6 weeks to reach this stage, and we have had no real aggression at all - the odd peck or warning glance, that's all.

 

the old girls' eglu is outside the netting - but they both want to be inside it with the babies! so I've given up hoicking Paris out and after Char has laid and had a little think about being broody (I dont think so mate) I am putting her straight into the netting with the rest.

 

the babies are on growers and the big girls on layers - does it matter if they sample each others?

and how do other people manage separate feeding stations? I've got glug & grub in the babies eglu which is inside the netting, plus a drinking bowl and plastic freestanding feeder thing. for 8 birds, should I add another one? and how do I keep wild birds out of it?

 

also questions about electric fencing/run, but I think that's a different thread!

 

Well done on a successful integration!

 

When I had some 12 week olds, I initially kept them with the youngest and smallest of my older chickens (if you see what I mean). The breeder said the older girl would be OK on growers for a few weeks (only about 5 weeks) but it may reduce her egg output.

 

The other thing to consider is that some growers pellets contain some medication against (I think) coccidiosis, so you mustn't eat the eggs - unless you use organic growers pellets, which don't contain the meds.

 

Once mine were all freeranging together it was a bit of a free for all with the youngsters nicking the layers pellets and vice versa

 

I wait with interest to see if anyone has any advice about keeping wild birds out - I've not been very successful, other than keeping the chickens confined to quarters!

[The Dogmother]

With two cats, I don't have the wild bird problem, but have integrated choks of various ages before. I fed them different food by using food containers at different heights, that way, the little girls ate only their food as they couldn't reach the other stuff, and the big girls ate... everything!!!!

[beach chick]

claret, that is a fantastic idea!!! and actually its just ocurred to me that the babies arent getting the layers at the mo, becoz theyre in the eglu outside the netting... on the other hand, the layers are eating the growers (becoz Sugar is one of the new girls - we ate a couple of hers the other day, we seem to have survived). I thought lots of people kept their new layers on growers for a couple of weeks anyway? confused, but really quite happy!