Omlet cube and run

[Suzy]

Hi,

 

Have had my 3 new ex-batts for 2 weeks and have for the last two weeks kept them separate to my fiesty older ex-batts.

 

We got through the first 3-4 days by screening them off as there was much shrieking and after that they got used to each other and lived in relative harmony...

 

We decided on Saturday that we needed to start the next stage and as I cleaned them all out I let them all free range whilst I cleaned the WIR. There was pecking a feather pulling but no damage as I checked the newbiwes carefully after they'd gone back to bed.

 

Since then, I've let them have an hour at the end of the day together which has seen a bit of feather pulling and chasing. Last night we left them all in the run together and they all went to bed separetely - new girls in glu2 and older girls in the original eglu.

 

Am I being over-protective? I know there must be an element of pecking order and DH says I should just let them sort it out (there's been no pecking atall between the 3 new girls, 2 are quite featherless but they appear to be growing back and one who looks fabulous for an ex-batt but I am worried that they may get hurt and this is too violent.

 

It's the first intro I have done and I'd forgotten how horrible they can be to each other. I caught Lottie on Mimi's back giving her a good tug, no feathers were pulled out, but she did shriek. is that pecking order and I am being pathetic or is that something I need to reel back in and appraoch a different way.

 

I am worried about putting them all in an eglu together to get used to sleeping together as Jo-Jo is such a tiny little hen and she sleeps in the nest and butdoes Lottie and the rest all seem to perch on the edge of the nestbox so someone would be unahppy as there wouldn't be enough room for all and it's likely to be the new girls who would be booted off to roost.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks