Wanted - Eglu Cube Mk1 Roosting Bars

[LJ's Chooks]

Well may last year we aquired 3 new chooks, one older orp and two chicks, we kept them together to let the younger ones grow up, and then tried integration with our other girls and cockerell last aug/sep. however the older bird was badly wounded.... the cockerell would do his thing and then another girl went for her head. needless to say it wasnt pretty. We let her recover as it was just a skin wound and tried again later on. but the same thing happened. we stepped in.... next time we removed the aggressive girl and was fine, until we tried to introduce her back and it would kick off again. The one seemingly causing the trouble is not usually top chook, but seems to get aggressive whenever a new girl is around.

so they have had side by side cubes through the winter, one of the two chicks is laying, the other is not yet due to the winter, but sure she will be with the longer days. The one that is in lay got through the fence to the other girls and boy this week and was not attacked but made freinds with our chap . our boy is now verrrrry keen to be the other side of the fence and they all patrol each other so much all day long they may aswell have a corridor rather than the large area that they all have!!

The weather on saturday is looking good for a day on patrol and in the garden, so we've agreed that we'll try 'gently' again. but i'd welcome your advice....

 

I thought about a night time intro.... but worry if i cannot be there during the night and first thing in the morning if it kicks off in the cube. so i thought i'd let them into more space in the garden with lovely new grass and watch them.... or should i isolate the agressive bird and keep her separate....???

 

sorry so many questions, but I'd love to get them all together, but not at the cost of a chook. We lost one in our early days of chicken keeping and know just how horrid it can be, and they had been happily together for some time, so i'm nervous!!!

 

please let me know if you've had difficult intro's and any advice. Thanks