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

[peepie]

Got our new girls last week. There is a definite divide between the two old ones and the 2 new ones as 2 will be in the run and 2 in the garden. There had been a bit of pecking but I bumper bitted the old ones before the new girls arrived so nothing really nasty.

 

Yesterday I was at work all day so I left them in the run all together. I had let them free range first thing and then shut them in the run where the 2 new girls were quickly "sent" inside the eglu. When I popped home at lunch time, the 2 new girls were inside again and the older ones patrolling just outside the door of the eglu. One of the old girls had laid in the nest though so presumably had turfed the new girls out to do that. When I came back at 4pm, the new girls were back in the eglu with the military patrol outside again. I made sure that the new girsl then had good acess to the food and water before bed time.

 

Today I put a dish of warm mash in the eglu while I took the kids to school and did a bit of shopping but one of them had obviously sat on it and they hadn't eaten it. Once I showed them what it was they tucked in happily. They're free ranging again at the moment.

 

I have got 2 grub and glugs in the run and the extra wet mash inside the eglu. I just worry that by keeping the new ones hostage they aren't eating enough. Does anyone know how much weight of layers pellets a chicken should eat each day??? I don't really want to separate them again as I feel this would be a backward step. They will have another couple of hours out again tonight when the kids are back from school.

 

Also has anyone managed to get water to stay put inside the eglu itself - there's nowhere to hang a glug and the dish I put down just gets knocked over.

 

Thanks

xxx

[Patricia W]

It's still very early to expect them to be together all the time. I've been ultra slow and we've been at it since July ( OK - don't copy me!) and I still don't leave them alone when I'm not there, even though they sleep together. as we had a nasty incident with one of them trapping and attacking a newby a week or so ago.

 

I would go back to separating them when you're not around, then use the water pistol technique when you are and can supervise.

 

It's better to be slow than to risk damage to the new girls.

 

Others will have ideas I'm sure as there are many experts on intros around.

 

Tricia

[cluckingmad]

I agree with Tricia - a week really isn't long enough for them to get used to each other. We keep our newbies in a rabbit run INSIDE the walk in run with a cat carrier to sleep in, they free range fine with the older girls now but are still separate when we're not around and at night. They've been like this since we got them in September and slowly but surely they're all getting used to each other

[Leicester_H]

It's still very early to expect them to be together all the time. I've been ultra slow and we've been at it since July ( OK - don't copy me!) and I still don't leave them alone when I'm not there, even though they sleep together. as we had a nasty incident with one of them trapping and attacking a newby a week or so ago.

 

I would go back to separating them when you're not around, then use the water pistol technique when you are and can supervise.

 

It's better to be slow than to risk damage to the new girls.

 

Tricia

 

My experience is nearly identical (so glad its not just me!).

I wouldn't trust Boo in a confined space with my new 2 (Aug 2nd).

 

H

[cordelia]

it took me two weeks and seperate living quarters to get my first three together, I took out the top hen and let the other two bond...

newest hen is third in pecking order

 

my new girls I got at the weekend, lived togehter, and all seem bonded, except for the odd peck...but nothing untoward so far..

 

best of luck

[Leicester_H]

my new girls I got at the weekend, lived togehter, and all seem bonded, except for the odd peck...but nothing untoward so far..

Lucky you - just shows - you can't predict chickens!

H

[cluckingmad]

true

 

BY way of an example... yesterday all my lot were free ranging, the occasional minor scuffle but nothing severe. The newest girls tend to give the hybrid ladies a wide berth, however as soon as the mealworms came out.... threw a handful in to the walk in run to get the hybrid girls inside for the night, turned to sdhut the door and discovered all 13 hens happily chopping away next to each other, no issues at all Having said that, as soon as the treat were gone, Martha started getting n asty towards Etty so will be keeping them separate for now, at least till I'm confident about leavingthem all together in a confined space!

 

 

Funnily enough, the newest girls have bonded beautifully with the babies even given the significant size/age difference - am guessing the babies haven't really become too territorial, whereas the hybrids have been here a year and so this is THEIR patch... its so lovely to see massive Flo pottering around with the younger ones around her - very matronly (and a beautiful girl to boot, but then I am biased )

[peepie]

Thanks for the tips. It's been a pretty fraught week here with one thing and another but the girls seem oblivious to us humans and our crises!!! Yesterday we had to travel to a family funeral and left them all in together from 9am till about 7pm. Our only other option is not really fox proof. I again put 3 lots of food and water out for them with wet mash in the eglu. When we came back they were all asleep snuggled up together in the eglu. This morning the 4 of them have had a bit of free ranging and then shut in while I took the kids the kids to school. When I got back all 4 were out in the run scratching round so it looks like the siege may be ending .

 

Petunia over the last few days seems to have made friends with Speckle quite nicely, it's just Snowy and Pecky that still seem to have the occasional flap and run episodes but nothing very much. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

xxx

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Fingers crossed things continue smoothly

 

Sha x