How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[FlyingRamses]

Hello

 

We are still trying after two weeks to mix our 3 new girls with 3 existing hens. Their ages are about three months apart.

 

They generally free range OK and sleep together in the Cube but if we put them together in the Cube in the day, the old girls give the new ones a really hard time and I eventually release them as the squawks are awful to listen too. It just seems to be feather pulling and pecking and does not seem that hard and has not actually pulled out feathers but the new girls get in a real flap and upset. Marge, the largest new girl (Mendlesham Blue) stands over the other two (Suffolk Blacktails) and protects them from any pecking by taking it herself, she is a real sweetie!!

 

When it kicks off outside the Cube the new girls run to me and land on my lap, usually end up snoozing in a big bundle of feathers there for 20 mins and then eventually go to free range again!!

 

I hate seeing them being bullied but should I just leave them in the run together over a day when I am home to check on them occasionally and ensure there is no actual injury?

 

Any advice much appreciated. I have read the main advice given here about mixing old with new but wonder if anyone has anything to add for my particular circumstances.

 

Thanks

 

Simon

[Egluntyne]

Have you got your Eglu still?

 

Why not try a period of disorientation?

 

 

Leave the new girls in the cube and put the old girls in the Eglu for a few days.

 

Continue with the free ranging though, and enccourage them to eat together.

 

Then reintroduce the old girls to the Cube. They should have got over doing the "Oi, this is my house" routine and things may just work a little more smoothly for you.

 

No guarantees though.

 

If you persevere as things are, all you can do is observe and intervene when things get nasty.

 

It will settle eventually.

 

If food issues are the problem, it might help if you put two or three food bowls out.

 

Good luck.

[alih]

When I bit the bullet and wanted them to be in the run together I did it by leaving them a few minutes longer each time - only once the aggro had pretty much ceased when they were ranging- I let them range until they would do it nicely, then confined them to the netted area until they could do that nicely then into the run but only for bit at a time until it settled even more. Took 3-4 weeks in total. lots of food stations even until recently to reduce tension!