4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[chickeroo]

Isobel is becoming a very mean hen!!

She is definately top of flock.....she struts about the garden and walks around the house as if she owns it (has made it upstairs to daughters bedroom before now!), goes for the poor dog but is fine with me ( no I'm top ckicken!!).

 

SO......we have newbie girls a blubelle and two colombines who have their own eglu so that we can do intros slowly....oldies have cube with extended run...all will happily roam the garden and feed on scattered treats together.

 

BUT when letting the new girls into the run of the cube (oldies house) Isobel will not let them alone if I remove her then it settles a little.The newbies will go in willingly if she isn't about (stuffed firmly under my arm!!) but she intends to draw blood!.......I can't seem to get past the "I'M NOT SHARINIG MY HOUSE stage"...this is week 4!

 

Any help appreciated as I'm loathed to put newbies in for a night for fear of bloodbath!!

[ubereglu]

Get them to share the cube at night and then take out the newbies in the morning when you go to let them out and put them back into their eglu.

 

If you do this for at least half a week they'll get used to sharing the space they have. Then slowly let them go into the eglu cube run in the mornings to be fed together-it might be an idea to put in extra feeders, so they all have somewhere to get their food from.

 

Eventually, after about two weeks they should be getting on better.

 

If they do get pecked and blood is drawn get some gentian violet spray and spray it on the injured chickens, this will act as an anti-pecking device.

[chickeroo]

Thank you,

 

Will they not go for each other at night?

 

Already have violet spray as one older has had some feathers removed!

 

It all looks soooo vicious when Isobel takes a flying leap for them!!

[Olly]

generally they won't peck at night, because once they go to bed in the dark, they're too sleepy - also their eyesight is poor at night, so they probably can't tell who's a friend and who's a foe! You will need to be sure to get them out promptly in the morning though, before they wake up too much.

 

It does look horrible, but as long as no physical damage is being done, it's best to let them get on with it.

[CluckyBucks]

Ive read somewhere if you introduce the newbies at night by putting them into the eglu with the 'problem' chicken and lightly spray them with a harmless scented mist and close the door, by morning, they should be fine.

 

Why at night? chickens are much more docile at night and im sure that they cant really be bothered to make a squawking match then.

 

I think the spray allows the top chook to recognise the others if they smell the same as she does and stops them fighting.

 

if this doesnt work, try introducing them at night without the scented spray and see how things go in the morning.

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

xx xx

[beulah59]

Could you sin bin Isobel during the day, so she can see the others but not get at them? After a day or two, she might decide she prefers her freedom ...

[FiggyPudding]

I had my 2 girls, Noddy & Lola in one eglu & the 2 exbatts in the borrowed eglu. I let Noddy & Lola free range & they were frequently 'having a go' at the exbatts. After a couple of weeks I let them all run in the garden. I also made sure I had extra food bowls, because someone mentioned the girls being worried about not enough food. They did have a few spates, but after a few days they all went to bed together & they've been fine ever since.

 

Noddy is top dog though & frequently pulls the other 2 exbatts out of the way.

I almost cried (with relief & happiness) the first night they went to bed