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

[Busybird]

Now I know already that introductions are best done slow and steady.

 

Audi and Porsche have been with us for just under 3 weeks and are about 18 weeks old. After initial attempts to integrate them with our existing two girls, which resulted in some ferocious looking pecking attacks, we have kept them side by side in a separated run and allowed each pair free ranging time each day while the others were confined.

 

Yesterday I again tried to let them free range together late in the afternoon. No progress appears to have been made.

 

I have two problems:

1) We go on holiday at the start of November

2) My friend wants her cat carrier back

 

So, I need to get the newbies into the Eglu and the girls sharing an undivided run within the next four weeks.

 

I really need advise on how to speed up this process. Loads of you get new hens so must be able to introduce them. I really don't want to have to get rid of an old flock in order to get newbies. I am feeling very down about this. Please help.

[Egluntyne]

Plenty of time to take it slowly and get them sorted well before November. Nil desperandum.

 

Can you borrow another cat carrier from elsewhere, or even buy one and then put it on ebay when you have done?

[Clur]

I didn't get a chance to get a cat carrier, so have used a council plastic recycling box to great effect instead! That might help?

[Busybird]

I am loath to buy a cat carrier but if that were the only issue then yes I could. What is really getting me down is that we are several weeks into this and don't appear to have made any progress. What do I do next?

 

A cat carrier is not good hen housing for wet / cold weather (we have been very lucky so far in that respect). My chicken sitter is not comfortable letting the girls free range so when we go away they will be confined to the Eglu and run for 5 days. I need to know how to make progress

[Space Chick]

Whilst I agree that Intros need to be done slowly and gently, I would invest the time in letting them have free range time together, and squirting any bully with a water pistol.

 

One tip that Mostin gave me was a divide and conquer approach, so maybe let one oldie at a time free range with the new girls. This worked a treat when I was integrating my ex batts

 

Good luck!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It is tricky if they live in an Omlet run . I would say the key to my fairly successful (although not out of the woods yet) introductions is giving the newbies space to escape. No help to you, I know . Although, do you have perches in your Omlet run? That might be enough to let the newbies get away from the bullies.

 

In your case, I would go for a) distraction - hanging corn on the cob, peckablock, etc in the run and b) aversion therapy - a water pistol or plant sprayer on squirt rather than spray. I squirted Maisie whenever I could. The other day, she was bearing down on Penny & Poppy, saw me with the plant sprayer and turned around and walked off .

 

I'm also going to try the "spray with a weak vinegar solution" technique when I put mine all in the eglu together.

 

As Egluntine says, you have plenty of time so don't despair . I'm going away in October so hope all is happy in my hen house by then .

[Busybird]

Thank you Space Chick. I shall try rigging up the hose pipe (we have no water pistols at present although one could be bought). I hadn't heard about the divide and conquer idea so will give that one a go too.

 

ANH, do I spray all four chickens with vinegar and how weak do I make the solution please?

 

I do not have perchs in the run as it was so low and small and the girls free ranged a lot. Since getting the newbies I have extended it (now 4m) and planned to put my old wooden roosting bars on canes in it when I opened it up for all four girls. I also have an old car tyre to put in but, again, when I can remove the dividing canes.

 

When the oldies attacked the newbies they were free ranging so had plenty of space to escape but still got chased and pecked. As soon as the oldies spotted the newbies they would run at them and try to corner them, pecking viciously.

 

We had a tub of corn ready (a favourite treat) but this was not enough to put them off attacking (although they happily gobbled it up afterwards).

[cluckingmad]

I like the united we stand, divided we give-up-and-accept-the-newbies-approach

[ClaireG]

You could also try putting some sweetcorn, or any other treat you know your old girls will eat, along the barrier between them and the new girls. The old girls will then associate the new ones with nice things hopefully. I also recommend a plant spray or water pistol.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I shall try rigging up the hose pipe (we have no water pistols at present although one could be bought).

 

I bought a small plant sprayer from Homebase for under £1 . Works a treat .

 

ANH, do I spray all four chickens with vinegar and how weak do I make the solution please?

 

You do spray all of them apparently so they all smell similar. No idea about the strength . Not done it yet .

[keir]

Sorry if i'm a little rough, but they are chickens, and have to establish a pecking order, and they do that by squabbling with each other and by pulling a few feathers. Put them all together in the house one night, and let them wake up together - then let them out and let them squabble it out - it will be sorted in a couple of days. The more space they have to move around the better - that way the weaker / smaller ones can get away from the bullies, but so long as none of them actually draw blood, just let them get on with it.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That is certainly OK in theory but bear in mind that some people have actually had chickens pecked to death . Not common, I know, but I'm happy to take things slowly!

[laurmurf]

omleteers have had some astonishingly awful injuries when their hens attacked each other. The reason that there is so much advice about taking it slowly is that it's based on experience.

 

I've done 3 big introductions now and have never had any problems but that's because when i first introduced 3x 15 week old hens to an established flock of older hybrids I did it over the course of 7 weeks with separate housing throughout until the end.

[Busybird]

Thank you all for your input. I have spent the last 2 1/2 hrs in the garden with the chooks (boy do I need this coffee...). Armed with a plant sprayer, with corn cobs in the run, water bowls and treats around the garden, I let the newbies out and then one oldie. When she tried to attack the newbies I sprayed her. She learnt quickly

 

After half an hour or so of fairly quiet free ranging I confined the oldie and let my other girl out. She is top chook and was a bit more determined but the plant sprayer worked a treat. Again, after half an hour or so we were doing fine.

 

I then let my other oldie out. Both were now wary of me with my sprayer. The only really bad attack was when the newbies got cornered in the run and I couldn't spray quickly enough between the run covers The newbies quickly escaped though (I had the door and egg port open) and thankfully no harm done.

 

Any idea how long this is likley to be necessary for? It works well if I am there but how long have others had to supervise in this way before the girls could safely be left together? I know that I can't expect overnight success but neither can I spend that long in my garden every day

 

Feeling better that some progress seems to have been made

[cluckingmad]

lol, makes mental note to buy plant sprayer

 

When we introduced our ex-batts we allowed them to free range for about a week before the initial pecking and stroppiness was no longer obvious - they were onyl out for 1/2 an hour to an hour a day though, as it was during last December/January so got dark usually before we got home..

 

It probably took about 3 weeks from initial free-ranging (supervised) to allowing them to spend the night together, and even then it was the hens choice not ours (they all just waddled into the cube one night together)

[Space Chick]

I would say a week of supervised free-ranging and squirting and you should see some improvement, my integration took 3 weeks (although the ex batts are still choosing to sleep in the cat carrier and not the cube, but they are laying in the cube)

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've had my newbies 4 weeks and am now happy to leave them alone together (have been for about a week now). Maisie still has the occasional go but they just run away.

[BeckyBoo]

Can I just add that although you need to protect them they do also NEED to sort out a pecking order. If you constantly intervene they will never sort out who goes where. It's a fine line but some squabbling (I think) is inevitable and necessary to normal chicken way of life.

Good luck, I always find introductions really stressful! And when they go to bed, put them all in together with a generous shake of lice powder or something to make them all smell the same, that certainly helps when they're all dozy and cosied up together

 

BeckyBoo

[Busybird]

Thanks for all the advise and suggestions. I spent a further 3 hours in the garden yesterday and ended the day with all four chooks in an undivided run. I was stopping the occasional attack attempt with the garden sprayer. Unwilling to risk spoiling a day of progress I replaced the cane barrier and they slept separately.

 

This morning I let them all out to free range together. I spent an hour with them and did not intervene when the odd peck was meted out. I then came into the house but left windows open and kept a close ear and eye on proceedings. I took this photograph.

 

 

Hazel has just laid her egg and is eating. Ranger is digging another hole in my lawn Audi and Porsche are looking for bugs on the garage door.

 

Now, I wonder will they accept each other in the run or will I have to replace the cane barrier this evening.

[Busybird]

I let the girls free range until later than usual yesterday and then put them all in an undivided run and watched to see what happened. There were no arguments of note until the big girls started to wander towards the eglu and the little girls tried to follow. The big girls were really mean and chased the little ones out several times before they gave up and went to bed in the cat carrier.

 

This morning there was a little more aggression when the little ones were perched on top of the cat carrier and a big girl jumped up with them. All would have been fine except Audi paniced, flapped wildly down and was given a few pecks for being so skittish. She and Porsche then hid in the eglu. I let them all out to free range earlier than usual and all is now quiet.

 

This is all very pleasing as it feels like a lot of progress has been made. This afternoon I need to go out for a couple of hours. Normally when I go out I make sure the girls are safely in their run. Given the current state of play with the introductions do you think that I should leave them to free range (they will be happy enough but at risk from predators) or put them together in the run?

 

Thanks

[cluckingmad]

I'd pop them in the run personally - but then we do have a verycheeky fox living near us and I woldn't trust him not to pay a visit...

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I always put mine away when I go out but they do have a lot of room and places to escape to if they get picked on.

[Busybird]

I followed your advice and put them away. They were fine when I returned.

 

I had a bit more aggression yesterday evening so went out with the garden sprayer again. I also removed the cat carrier and put up a 'perch' half way down the run. When the big girls went to bed the little girls tried to follow them into the eglu but were chased out with much squawking. I sprayed the aggresser and when she went back to bed opened the egg port and showed her my spray (I felt like the big cockeral keeping his girlfriends in order ). I then had to go out again. It was pitch black when I got back and all four girls were quiet in the eglu

 

OH checked on them when he got up for work at 5.30am and all was quiet. At 7am they were all up and fine. By 8.30am the newbies were hiding in the eglu so had obviously been bothered by the big girls while I was getting the kids off to school. I let them out to free range and we have had a fairly peaceful morning.

 

Thank you all so much for your advice and encouragement. I realise that I have pushed this introduction and been lucky so far. Still a way to go but it is such a relief to have them all in the run and eglu together even if I do still have to keep a close eye. They now have a month to accept each other properly which will hopefully be ample time given the progress made this week

 

Here are Audi and Porsche enjoying the garden

 

Here are Ranger and Hazel

 

And this is now the run setup (with Ranger)

[maggiesfarm]

What a great lunchtime read, so glad this was a happy ending. Will bookmark this as we are hoping to extend our "family" in spring.

[cluckingmad]

glad its all goig well Little Audi and Porsche look so adorable, our littlies go in to the run with the big girls this weekend, allbeit separated with mesh!