Chicken shack Posted February 1, 2011 Share Posted February 1, 2011 (edited) Tomorrow will be two weeks since I butally placed my two new girls in the with my three original girls. I can say that I will never do it this way again. I have let the newbies FR when I can, they use the egg port as the entrance. The original three are allowed out later and they all FR together and sleep together side by side. The newbies will not go into the run and I still have to feed them in thier sleeping quarters. Plum as you suggested I have put a perch outside the entrance with small pots of food to encourage them out. I just they will venture into the run soon as they are throwing the food everywhere . They can't stay in there forever can they Edited February 18, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 When you have a couple of hours on your hands, why not wrap up warm, get a mug of coffee or a glass of wine, pull up a seat and just shut all the hens in their run together with no way back into the house, keeping close watch, to ensure fair play. You could perhaps offer the odd treat by hand every now and again. Just an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Agree but armed with water pistol Think I would have to do something active if only putting them in a dogcrate for a while in the run so they are protected from the others otherwise its reinforcing the segregation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 I will buy a water pistol ASAP and hopefully I will get the opotunity over the weekend to sit with them. Chickens are such funny little things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Do let us know how it goes. It is quite a learning point for me how difficult introductions can be as I've had it easy with introductions so far. I wonder if this is because I have a cockerel and he does the work of integrating the new girls. I've always bought POL chooks and Dill seems to think 'there's nothing as good as old girls except young ones' or perhaps it is because Silkies and Frizzles are docile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneyolktoanother Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 When you have a couple of hours on your hands, why not wrap up warm, get a mug of coffee or a glass of wine, pull up a seat and just shut all the hens in their run together with no way back into the house, keeping close watch, to ensure fair play. You could perhaps offer the odd treat by hand every now and again. Just an idea. good idea to see how they will get on, i love the glass of wine idea we used a water pistol to stop our feather pecking, touchwood it worked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Agree but armed with water pistol Think I would have to do something active if only putting them in a dogcrate for a while in the run so they are protected from the others otherwise its reinforcing the segregation Hi Plum and my Omletear friends The girls are getting along much better when they are FR although they stay in seperate group. The newbies still hate the run as that is where they were first bullied I guess . I cleaned them out this afternoon while they were FR and made the decision not to feed them their layer pellets in the only water and afternoon treets. I have rigged food containers just outside the door at each end of the perch to encourage them out and will little by little move the food so they have to venture further out. They won't starve themselves will they Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I am glad they are getting on better. You must be so relieved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneyolktoanother Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Agree but armed with water pistol Think I would have to do something active if only putting them in a dogcrate for a while in the run so they are protected from the others otherwise its reinforcing the segregation Hi Plum and my Omletear friends The girls are getting along much better when they are FR although they stay in seperate group. The newbies still hate the run as that is where they were first bullied I guess . I cleaned them out this afternoon while they were FR and made the decision not to feed them their layer pellets in the only water and afternoon treets. I have rigged food containers just outside the door at each end of the perch to encourage them out and will little by little move the food so they have to venture further out. They won't starve themselves will they no they won't starve their selves, as soon as their hungry they will pop out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 It's now 17 days since the new girls arrived. I have stopped the new girls using the egg port as a way out to FR. If they want to FR they have to use the door and go through the run. The original three are FR as normal and the new girls are venturing into the run. It was nice to see them dust bath. I stopped feeding them in the house and they are perching just out side the door and eating from a small container. One is also venturing down when they are all in the run. I think it will only be a matter of days before normality resumes. I am back at work tomorrow so they will be confined to the run again. My next problen is I think one or more may have visitors. I don't know what though. Do I treat them all for both lice and NF Once treated how often do you re-treat them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
