Single hen

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Hi Forumites,

 

So the Cube should be here soon and thoughts Chez Webmuppet have turned to adding a few mini chooks to our little gang. I've read the threads on intros but before I instruct Mr Webmuppet and LMW in the fine art of chooky matchmaking I thought I'd run the plan past the forum

 

1, Assemble Cube, buy new chooks and put new chooks in Cube, leaving Bumble & co in their wooden coop ( temporarily on the veg patch)

 

2, Once new chooks have settled in, allow Bumble & co to free range in the garden, whilst the newbies are safely in the Cube run.

 

3, Once they have introduced themselves via step 2 and everyone is happy allow all of them to free range in the garden , standing by to break up any scuffles.

 

4, If every thing works out after a few days of free ranging together, put them all to bed in the Cube but separate in the morning.

 

5, leave everyone in the Cube with the feeder and water container from the old run as extras to avoid fisticuffs at breakfast time.

 

Have I got it right?

[Chillicat]

That's exactly how I would plan it

You must be sooooo excited, you posted very early

I will be watching your updates with great anticipation as I will be doing exactly that in April! Good luck

[Egluntyne]

Sounds ideal....but best to your stage 2 do it slowly for minimal scuffles, and get them used to sharing treats along the edge of the cube run.

 

Another cube owner. Fantastic.

[alih]

Sounds great - exacty what I did with mine and it worked a treat, no rpobs at al. As Egluntine says, the slower the better. I was a complete wimp and very cautious about shutting them in together but it all happened by osmosis almost so you wil be able to judge when is right. My only advice would be: if in doubt take it more rather than less slowly.

 

What colour cube????

[dancing cloud]

Pretty much what I'm planning with my newbies, though they will be in an eglu and the little monsters in their cube.

 

Hope the matchmaking goes well - and congrats on the incoming cube (you won't regret it!)

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Thank you for your wisdom......I just wanted re-assurance that I had got it right, before I started telling the other two Webmuppets how to do it.

 

In case you wondered what on earth I was doing up at that stupid time...........I had to go to work for an early shift, but I am day off tommorrow and Friday I have various places to go so I won't be spending all day Thursday and Friday pacing up and down but rest assured as soon as the Cube appears I will let you know (it's coming Night Freight. )

[Falkor]

Nightfreight delivered my Cube on Friday and there were five lovely clean undamabged boxes waiting in my hall when i got home from work. It was dispatched by Omlet on the Wednesday on a 2-3 day delivey so could of been Fri or Mon.

 

Also, I called Omlet at around lunch time on Friday to see if they had rough idea of when cube would be delivered and Omlet said they would check and call me back. They called me back and said between 4 and 5pm. The cube was delivered at 4.30

 

Also OH had a chat with Nightfreight guy and he has recently purchased a cube and chickens too

 

I am sure you will be fine (famous last words? )

[Janty]

Any thoughts yet on what girlies you want?

[Olly]

definitely take it slowly, I'd allow a couple of weeks if you can between first introduction and letting them all in together. I rushed it too much with Pippi and had to go back to Stage 1 for a bit.

 

Also, even though they may have been free-ranging happily, don't expect perfect peace when you put them all together. They need to sort out the pecking-order and there will be a bit of mugging going on, especially when treats/food is at issue. As long as there's no serious bullying or damage being done, let them get on with it and they will sort themselves out.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

There's plenty of time for introductions, I don't need the veg patch until April so Bumble and co can live there happily for a good few weeks. The soil will be amazing, all the chook poo.

 

The plan so far is to get three mini chooks- a mini Wyandotte, a mini Orpington and another bantam (to be chosen on the day) after all one each is only fair I will no doubt be at work when they go to chose them but I have been assured by Hen House that they have Wyandotte's and Orpingtons in stock. I have even ordered a nice new pet carrier for them to travel in, instead of some dodgy cardboard box aquired from the supermarket.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

The new chooks arrived last nght and seem to be quite happy in the Cube.

 

Bumble, Scurry and Snowy had to be let out this morning while I cleaned them out. I kept a close eye for trouble but Bumble & co didn't seem that bothered by the newbies and the newbies just carried out scratching around in the hemcore in the Cube run. Treats all round at the end of cleaning out time. Then Bumble, Scurry and Snowy went back into their run happily.

 

I shall keep stage 2 going for a good while until I am sure that theres no problems, before moving on to the next stage.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Yesterday and today LMW and Mr W have let all the chooks out together, all seems to be going well except for the fact that Scurry seems to scared of the new chooks ( there's been no fisticuffs - she is just scared of them) and has been quite vocal. The others seem completely unfazed by the whole thing and just carry on bimbling around the garden.

 

Does anyone have any tips? Do we just keep letting them out together until Scurry calms down?

 

Mr W has even tried picking her up and cuddling her but she was even noisier ( you'd have thought she was about to have something horrid done to her).

 

On Monday the newbies wandered into the old wooden run and Bumble, Scurry and Snowy hid in the coop.

[alih]

I would keep going until everyone is happy. That way when you start confining them more they will adapt better. I am having to summon Patience and Prudence at the mo as I have ex bats and am dying to merge them but they are terrified of the bruisers...but it sounds as though yours are doing really well so not long now!