Eglu Go Up (with 2m run) - South Wales

[Taylor]

Hello,

 

I wonder if anyone can give me some advice.

Ive had two speckeldy's for about a year now. They are placid and tame and probably rather spoiled. In the need of more eggs, i have bought another two speckeldys. I have read that introducing at night in the henhouse is a good option, but with only two hens, i think they might notice.

So, i decided to give the new ones thier own house and run within the existing run to give all the chance to get to know one another with a save divide.

The old ones seemed to ignore the existence of the two new ones for the past two days and i stupidly read this to be that they werent so bothered and so today, let them all mingle.

My lovely placid hens turned into bruts and both started attacking the small new ones. I tried to let it continue to see if it passed but it seemed to get worse so i have once again separated them.

The hens have a large run so there is plenty of room.

Should i continue to keep them separate for a few more days or let them fight?

I want to do whats best but dont want to watch tiny hens being attacked.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

[Christian]

How old are the new speckledys? They should be at least 20 weeks old before you try and mix the two 'flocks'.

 

Keeping them separate for a while longer will help as long as they can see each other.

 

All the best

[Egluntyne]

Welcome to the forum.

 

Article on managing intros in the FAQ section, which is full of useful info **here**

[Taylor]

Thank you so much for your reply and link to information. Very helpful.

The new hens are approx 20 - 24 weeks i believe.

I shall continue to keep them separate for a while longer and then try again.

Many Thanks

[Motherhen3]

Hi

 

We recently introduced 2 new hens at POL to our original 2 girls aged 15months. We followed the fantastic tips on Omlet.......

 

For four weeks we separated the omlet run with garden canes....that way all girls could see each other. At night we transferred the newbies into the eglu pod (they had the run door end)....when all was pretty much quiet. There was the odd mutter, peck and mumble but we persevered and continued. In the morning the original two would rush out first and the newbies sheltered in the pod, if they made the mistake of stepping out the original girls would give them a quick peck. The newbies were then placed in their zone in the run. Each day the hens were allowed to free range together, yes there was the odd confrontation and we attempted to ignore as the advice. However, armed with a hosepipe the girls then tended to be two lots of two....on return to the pen each pair would have their own area. The funniest part being the oldies would check the newbies part of the run at free range time.

 

One month down the line and we removed the canes and stood armed with a small water spray. The spraying worked and whilst the newbies acknowledged the supremacy of the older girls and spent time within the pod when told to by the oldies.....We did ensure that food and water was placed both at the top and bottom of the run.....and fed them all plenty of treats together in the enclosed run.

 

We now have a happy band of four......yes two and two quite often in the garden, but they all appear to appreciate each others' company and we have harmony.

 

Although at first I really wondered whether we had done the right thing. Our patience and care has been rewarded and all four girls are now laying....two smaller eggs and two larger ones. We even have a register on the fridge door.

 

Deep breaths, patience and I'm sure all will be well.