Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Tutti Frutti]

My two barnies have been in the for a week now and my two original girls have never shown any interest in it, always laying and going to bed in the wooden coop they've had since they arrived. But Tallulah (Big Barnie) has trespassed a few times into the coop, sneaking a couple of eggs into the nest box and twice beating the others to bed - leaving Sophia gobsmacked!

 

So I've been putting Tallulah back in the , to avoid bald Ursula being lonely/cold, to prevent squabbles, and to stop Santa getting annoyed as I nagged for ages to get the Of course, I eventually want all four girls to sleep happily together in the house of their choice (= !).

 

So would you... carry on putting Tallulah back in the Eglu? Or give in but put Ursula in the coop with the other three and risk meltdown!? Or move the original two into the Eglu with the barnies (another meltdown or, at the very least, unsettling them)? Or just let them all get on with it and go wherever they want?

 

Are they trying to tell me something? I don't know, as Roxy can be pretty mean to the others (not eye-pecking but tugging at feathers)... Thing is, it's only been 3 weeks since the barnies arrived, 2 weeks since they got to see each other, 1 week since the weldmesh partition came down and they've spent all day together (had a few squabbles)... I think they've all had enough upheaval for now?

[Redwing]

I'd let them carry on getting to know each other for now and when you feel they are all safe and happy together I would remove the wooden house from the equation, its obviously confusing matters

[Tutti Frutti]

Thank you, that really helps! I'll close the door to the coop just before bedtime so Tallulah has to go to bed in the and then it might sink it that it's her home. Then I'll wait until R&S get curious about it before letting them all go to bed together

[Ain't Nobody Here]

It took me a while to persuade my new girls to sleep with the others in the eglu. They would sleep outdoors rather than go in willingly . Once I was confident there was no more bullying, I just popped them both in a night-time - after a few nights, they went in of their own accord.

[Chucky1]

Hi Tutti,

 

I think Redwing sums it up quite well. We had a similar situation, shortly after we got our new gals. Had a couple of evenings, with Mrs Chucky1 trying to put all the gals back in their "right" places.

 

Eventually we just let them please themselves. The ideal arrangement is 6 and 7 in each, but we have 8 and 5, 12 and 1, 9 and 4 but never 13 and 0 so far.

 

I sometimes wonder if we look after them or they look after us

 

Best of luck.