Burtie14 Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 We have four chickens. They are all good pals, except when they're a bit bored or stroppy, when they pull feathers out of each other - in particular, the hen at the bottom of the pecking order, Jim. Unfortunately, and despite being very happy otherwise, Jim now has a big bald patch all round his tail and bottom, so we decided enough is enough. Dusty and Ginger are a bit tatty too, while queen-hen Betty has the most lustrous feathers you can imagine. We decided that the best thing to do was to separate the chief antagonist, Betty, and her right-hand hen Ginger, from the other two. So we split our WIR between them earlier today using netting, with separate food and drink and activities, set up an additional sleeping ark for Betty and Ginge, and everyone seemed happy. Until bedtime. Jim and Dusty went to bed in the Cube as usual. However, Betty and Ginger, faced with the prospect of going to a new bedroom, got more and more distressed at not being able to get to their usual place, culminating with Ginger doing a very impressive (but very dangerous) jump over the netting to get to 'home'. Shining the torch on the stairs didn't work. Picking them up and putting them in the ark didn't work. They simply wanted to get back to their usual bedroom, which we eventually let them do as they were so upset. Is it worth persevering with the split? Would it be better to take them out at night and put them into their new bedroom while they're dozing, so that it seems more normal? We've literally tried everything else (apart from bumper bits) to stop the pecking. Will they get used to their new sleeping arrangements? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
