What is the easiest way to introduce new chickens to an existing flock?

[Battylady]

Hello! My two ex-batts who arrived yesterday are big girls and they have really big sticky up combs... they've been trying to get their heads in the "Grub" but their combs keep getting in the way - the holes don't seem to be big enough for them! One kept trying for a while and then gave up, the other ended up dragging some of the food out with her foot and eating it off the floor. I just checked the shop, but there don't seem to be Grub feeders available with bigger head holes, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do. On the little video that shows the hens feeding they seem to have much smaller heads and combs. I did put some food in a bowl but one of them just kicked it over and ate it off the ground again, not the ideal solution! I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Thanks!

[Egg Lou]

Hi congratulations on you new girls!

 

You could try using the water glug instead of grub for the pellets.. or a heavy ceramic dog bowl??

[Egluntyne]

Their combs will shrink over the next few weeks, so you should be able to use the grubs eventually.

 

In the meantime, why not take Egg Lou's suggestion and use a heavy ceramic dog bowl?

[helenmb]

I bought a very cheap and heavy dog bowl for my girls and got my DH to make a little wooden plinth for it so they couldn't so easily get their big feet into it. I works really well and they prefer this to any other more expensive feeders I have tried. You could even put the bowl in a large flower pot 'saucer' to stop the feed going onto the ground too.

[Battylady]

Oooh, thank you for the suggestions! What I have done for the moment is put the food in the water glug and the water in a ceramic dog bowl, and both seem to have got the 'wings up' from the girls. I'm trying to work out how to keep the food dry in the glug, at the mo I've got clear plastic pegged around the outside of that part of the run - come the first heavy shower I'll find out if it works!

Their combs shrink?? I didn't know that - how and why does that happen? Would be very interested to know more.

[Egluntyne]

Their combs shrink?? I didn't know that - how and why does that happen? Would be very interested to know more.

 

Their combs over develop in the battery system as it is a very hot environment, and they lose heat through their combs.

 

As they acclimatise to life outside the slammer, the combs shrink and redden accordingly.

 

My ex-batts had huge pale pink floppy combs, but now they are the same as the other girls.