Sooo much pooping

[Darren Beaumont]

I have had my two new hens separate from my existing two for the last two weeks, although they could see one another. This weekend i devoted some time supervising them free ranging together, with supersoaker at the ready. Only needed to use it half a dozen times so in all pretty good. After work today I let them out again and it all started fine. Then while refilling the grub the original pair had cornered one if the new hens. It moved in to crouch position while the two hens took turns to peck at her. There is no way I can put them in the same run yet. The new hens are now 19 weeks old and one has started laying. When will they start standing up for themselves? I so want them to get on and share the cube.

[chelsea]

Just keep doing what you're doing, you are doing a grand job by the sounds of things. It does take time and if you could just hold out a bit longer it will be worth it in the end for a smooth introduction. I've just moved my newbies in with the big girls after 9 weeks (they've been in my eglu - so no rush) and apart from the odd "I'm the boss peck" there have been no squabbles at all.

[Patricia W]

As Chelsea says, carry on - but be prepared for the long haul. It took me 9 months to merger 2 news ones with a group of three, and even then I have to isolate the 2 bullies for a few days from time to time as they up the bullying with Babs my bottom chook. And like yours, she simply hides her head, exposes her back and they all pile in on her. Once I remove the bullies, it all settles down again for a couple of months.

 

Chickens!

 

Tricia

[erinvickers71]

By way of background, I bought four "hens" (or so I thought) at the beginning of June - two fully grown and two youngsters. We named them Flora and Fauna (cuckoo marans) Merriweather (brown hybrid) and Aurora (black Araucana) .

 

Long story short, on Saturday morning, Fauna started trying to crow , and later on in the day to "tread" on Merriweather which of course tipped us off that Fauna is a cockerel!

 

She (I guess I should say, he) carried on with his bad behaviour on Sunday and we realised that separating them was a matter of urgency.

 

I found a chap out in Nuneaton, Alan, who was willing to take Fauna - what he does is, people bring him unwanted poultry (usually cockerels) and then he figures out a way to sell them on - with cockerels, he'll find a female of the same breed and then sell them on as a pair. He keeps a stud farm and about 100 chickens and ducks at any one time.

 

I spoke with him yesterday morning and I said that I have a maran cockerel and a maran hen (which I thought Flora still was at that point!) and would he trade a hen he has for the pair. He said sure, come on down, I'll be here until 5:30 - so I had to leave work early (THAT was fun, explaining to the boss!)

 

I went home and luckily my husband was able to come home and help me to "chicken wrangle" the two marans into their carriers - I'd never have been able to do it without him! - We had to get just the marans into the run (leaving Merriweather and Aurora out in the garden), then into the Eglu, shut the doors and open the egg hatch on the side, and lift them from there- they kicked up SUCH a ruckus! Flora and Fauna are NOT used to being handled - they're too skittish.

 

Long story short, Alan was able to tell within seconds that both Flora and Fauna are adolescent cockerels - it's not something you'd be able to tell "from a distance" but they both have small nubbins on their legs that will develop into spurs (only cockerels have spurs).

 

We had a look around the farm and his poultry and they looked very happy and healthy. My husband took a fancy to another ginger hybrid and a black rock, so we decided to "adopt" them and bring them home in place of Flora and Fauna. After much hysterics, we decided to name them Jolene and Lucille!

 

We got the two new hens home and put them straight into the run (Aurora and Merriweather were still out in the garden). All four hens spent the next 4 hours puling at each other - at one point, Merriweather and Jolene (the new black one) were pecking at each other through the bars of the run (not in a nice way).

 

We had assumed that Merriweather would remain Queen - well, that idea went out the door within 3 minutes of all four hens being in the run together at bedtime: Merriweather and Jolene immediately went at it, and Merriweather came out the loser. Jolene is a bit bigger than her - I guess size matters.

 

I got upset and had to walk away - I know it's nature, and I know it has to happen but it's not nice and I don't like it. Hopefully they'll get sorted soon otherwise Jolene is going back to Nuneaton! My husband is working from home today, keeping an eye on the Girls and tells me that Merriweather has accepted that she is Number 2 now, so fingers crossed!

[Patricia W]

You can do it more gently by providing separate accommodation for a while, and introducing them to each other gradually. I'm sure a mod will post you a thread to introductions.

 

It's important to watch out for real damage i.e. blood being drawn. Get hold of some purple spray and if you see blood, spray it - otherwise they automatically go for the blood. They can badly damage or kill each other - it has been known.