Single hen

[Falkor]

SORRY.....I know these questions have been asked but with two newbies due this weekend I just want to get this right!

 

I have read the intros tips in the FAQ section but have a few questions.

 

The newbies, a bluebelle and Amber Star will be about 17 weeks when they arrive and my two orps are 7 month+. I plan to move the Orps into the Cube and new WIR and put the newbies in the Eglu.

 

Should I leave the eglu and run outside the WIR or put it inside?

Do I need to wait until the newbies are older to start the free ranging together?

 

I am at home six days out of seven so have lots of time to do the intros so I don`t mind it taking a while.

 

The other option is (OH suggestion) put orps and newbies into the Cube and WIR at bedtime as it will be new to all of them and see how it goes. This option SCARES me.....but could it work?

Edited March 23, 2009 by Guest

[Cooks]

I personally only have my recent intro experience to go by, however, everything worked well for me

 

I would keep them seperate myself and go with the softly softly approach, the girls will only be 17 weeks and your girls are likely to be bigger then they are and able to push them about a bit (my girls were smaller!! *shock* )

 

You could always let the new girls have the cube, so they are already established in there when you finally mix them.??? I am sure others with more experience will be along soon.

[westleigh]

oow two new girls you got laods more room in the hope all goes well

[Cooks]

pssssst she's getting two more in August! LOL

[westleigh]

pssssst she's getting two more in August! LOL

still room for more cookie

[Cooks]

give Em chance I am sure she'll fill it LOL

[Falkor]

give Em chance I am sure she'll fill it LOL

 

 

OH says I can have six in total so best not push my luck with anymore.....although does an ickle pekin bantam technically count as one whole hen?

 

OK, def going for the softly softly approach. Will leave the Eglu and run in the garden for the newbies for a week or two and the big girls can free range around them. Then move the Eglu and run into the WIR and go from there.

 

Cookie I have a feeling that I may be calling you every five mins saying stupid things like "Gin just looked at Snowball a bit funny....HELP!" I will try not to though but you have been warned

[Cooks]

LOLOLOL your welcome to call when you like you know that! although I am no expert am I! LOL

 

edited to say all mine slept together in the nestbox last night, I need a nestbox extension if I get anymore girls LOL

[Falkor]

Well the newbies arrived on Saturday and I put them in the Eglu and moved the old girls into the Cube and WIR.

 

Now I have two sets of unsettled girls and I am thinking I should of left the old girls in the Eglu and put the newbies into the Cube.

 

The old girls have spent two nights in the cube now and just stare longingly at the Eglu from the WIR and as soon as I let them into the garden they goe straight for the Eglu run door. Is this interest in the newbies or them really wanting their Eglu back?

 

Plus with Gin only coming into lay just over a week ago I am worried that she will stop. OSH who used to be SO quiet has discovered her voice but only for the first hour when they get up. Again this could be protesting at the cube, protesting at the newbies or poss hormones, thinking about coming into lay as Gin got a bit vocal for a few weeks before laying.

 

Ideas/advice or just reassurance greatly appreciated.

 

Em

x

[atsw]

For what it's worth, I think you did it the right way around, and it's certainly the way I would have done it, if I were in your shoes. Given that the WiR will be the final home for them all once the early introductions are over, putting the older girls into that environment first has to be the right way round. I say this because otherwise you'd be adding old girls to a new run that already had (un?)settled inhabitants, and I think that would be much more trouble in the long run.

 

I'd stick with 'Plan A' a little longer.

 

Andrew

[moomin]

If it's any help my 2 were a bit put out when I first got my Pekins. Skye used to shout at them in the morning (very early ),

 

The old girls have calmed down now and although it will be a long time before I integrate them (my little ones are only 12 weeks), I am optimistic that it will work!!

[Falkor]

I may have spoken to soon (really hope so). I have just got back from town to find an egg in the nestbox of the cube The last two nights I have picked them up and put them in the cube for bed and yesterday when Gin was due to lay I picked her up and put her in the cube.

 

So she does know what she is doing and where new home is Hopefully they will put themselves to bed tonight

[Cooks]

ahhh she's a clever little fluff ball isn't she!

[Falkor]

And they put themselves to bed tonight and are all tucked in in the nesting box

[Cooks]

they are far too clever for their own good if you ask me LOLOLOL

[mostin]

I've done 2 introductions so far with the softly softly approach. Both times my old girls have been very vocal for the first 2 weeks and given the new girls the "evil eye" for at least a month.

 

I put the two houses and runs side by side for a couple of weeks until they stopped shouting at each other. I let them free range together after a couple of weeks and I found a water spray very useful to spray in face of any bossy, pecky oldies. I still had to sin bin the oldies a couple of times.

 

After 4 weeks they were friendly enough to free range together without me watching them all the time. I left them to it on an evening and the two groups would each go into their own seperate houses.

 

After about 5/6 weeks I went out one night and they had all just decided to go into one eglu together, cest finis .

[Cooks]

mine are all happy bunnies together now.... well not bunnies chickens, but you get the jist. LOL

 

It's lovely to see them not peck each other, no pecking at all now and sleeping together in the nestbox 'wing'

 

Omlet I want an extention on my nestbox! lol

[Falkor]

I've done 2 introductions so far with the softly softly approach. Both times my old girls have been very vocal for the first 2 weeks and given the new girls the "evil eye" for at least a month.

 

I put the two houses and runs side by side for a couple of weeks until they stopped shouting at each other. I let them free range together after a couple of weeks and I found a water spray very useful to spray in face of any bossy, pecky oldies. I still had to sin bin the oldies a couple of times.

 

After 4 weeks they were friendly enough to free range together without me watching them all the time. I left them to it on an evening and the two groups would each go into their own seperate houses.

 

After about 5/6 weeks I went out one night and they had all just decided to go into one eglu together, cest finis .

 

That sounds great Mostin!

 

As the newbies are 17weeks (is that right Cookie?) and SO much smaller than the Orps I intend on taking the very slow approach. Eglu and run will be moving into the WIR when they all get cleaned out on Saturday.

 

We had NO shouting today

[mostin]

We had NO shouting today

 

That's good . I'm always relieved when the first few weeks of shouting are over. They make me laugh more when they move onto grumbling and glaring .