Eglu Go Up with 2M run for sale Wrexham

[Old Hazel]

Hi

I posted a while ago on experiencing some stress in introducing new girls to the old. In particular, my two Araucanas are causing a huge amount of trouble. They seem ok in the run and they are fine when free-ranging together but it all goes horribly wrong every night at bedtime.

 

The Araucanas either guard the door of the Cube so no one can come in or they herd 4 or 5 of our new Sussexes into the nesting box. They are all squashed in and sitting on top of each other. One or two of the new girls manage usually to get into the main roosting area but I can only imagine they aren't happy squished next to the aggro two! We've started finding softies when we poo pick which we imagine are coming from the girls sleeping in the main Cube area.

 

Do you think the softies are being caused by stress or is it just that the Sussexes haven't started laying yet? We haven't had any regular eggs yet just 4 softies. The Sussexes are big, soft, placid girls who don't peck back!

 

We've tried making the Cube into a sleep-only place and our Eglu into a nesting box (as suggested here) only but it seemed to confuse the new girls. Maybe it would be worth trying that again? We're going on holiday in a month and I need to sort this out before we go. I can't expect my neighbour to be a bedtime bouncer every night!

 

I really don't know what to do - my husband says just let them all work it out but it seems to me that sometimes it just doesn't work out. I've read such terrible stories of chickens killing other chickens on this forum. Do you think it might get better when the new girls are all laying?

 

Sorry to write so much and ask so many questions - when I know there are no definite answers. I think maybe I'm feeling more stressed than the hens

 

Hazel

[counturchickens]

I'm no eggspert! But we had some softies when we introduced 3 new es batts to the old ones. They are now all in the cube, but the 3 new ones sleep in the nesting box where the 2 old ones did. Have there been any injuries, if not perhaps just give them a bit more time to sort things out, ours have settled down now.

[Old Hazel]

Hi

Thanks very much counturchickens for coming back. We got our first egg from the new girls today - it is very small! I don't know which chicken it came from! Hopefully, this was from the one producing the softies and now she is a bit more sorted out.

 

I shut the two Araucanas in the eglu last night in the hope it would cut the stress down. I wonder if now one of the girls has become a fully-fledged egg-producer that it might change the dynamic. I just want them to not be terrified at bedtime. It's been two weeks that they have all been in together. I guess I must be patient.

 

Have a great weekend

 

Hazel

[counturchickens]

Hello again, any progress?

[Old Hazel]

Hi

One new Sussex is laying now but we are still getting occasional softies in the poo tray so they are from one of the Sussexes who sleeps in the man roosting area of the Cube.

 

In the meantime, the aggression seems worse at bedtime when we tried to intervene. If we try to help by letting the Sussexes settle, it just seems to wind them up more. My OH is of the opinion we should leave them all to sort it out but I do fear that the Araucanas are happy being able to dominate this space night after night. I don't see why they would stop.

 

I can't bear to go up there at bedtime now. Usually 4 of the big Sussexes have been corralled into the nesting box.

 

All of them seem great when they are free-ranging! We're trying to not get so stressed.

 

Thanks very much for asking!

 

Hazel