Chicken boarders

[hippy chick]

I got 5 new ex-bats 12 days ago. I am wanting to introduce them to my existing 3.

 

I have read the posts about intros. But i am still worried about one of my original chucks Glenys. She has been ill for months with a suspected tumour. She is now hopefully on the mend but........ will the new girls pick on her?

 

They have had some time looking at each other through the wire mesh and she seems ok but, one of the other originals Maureen (got picked on all the time by her inmates, but now perfectly settled) seems to have taken to cock fighting through the fence with the top chuck out of the new girls.

 

I also have 2 very bald newbies and I am really worried about "just letting them get on with it".

 

What if

A...The new girls pick on Glenys (recovering illness)

B...The existing ones pick on Fanny and Prudence (completely naked)

[Pikey]

I found that my ex-batts were very agressive ...cookie was pretty bald and she was the most vicious ...in fact she got her name becuase she was a monster....she then become cookie monster. I would suggest letting them free range together later in the afternoon.....I found this this the best way to introduce them before letting them in all together. If they pick of Glenys I would just keep them seperate for longer.

 

Good luck and congratulations on giving those girls a new lease of life

[hippy chick]

Thanks Pikey

[hippy chick]

I tried letting a couple of the new ex-bats FR with my other girls today.....It did not go well

I tried with the quietest of the newbs. She was fine eating around them and wondering around, until my sweetest chuck Glenys went to get some feed and she decided to attack her. Poor Glenys got flipped over and the newbie was really going for it. I seperated them and tried with one of the other ones. She launched herself at my other two old ladies and now they are all completely terrified of the newbies!

 

What do I do now

[coco]

Give it time, my existing girls were terrified of my ex batts when I got them. I wondered if I had done the right thing in getting them at one point and felt really guilty as my old were getting such a hard time. Ex batts can be very agressive as this is all they have known and have had to fight for everything. I free ranged them under supervision at first then watched from a distance, the bullying settled down after a week or so. i decided that as long as no blood was drawn that I would leave them to it. They have all been living together for 7 months now although the ex batts are definately top chooks. Lola is is in the sin bin at them moment as she has been getting a thuggish, she can go back with them soon though.