mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 hello ladies and gents, well i officially have all my girls! i picked up 2 more yesterday from jody and david at raw green cottages. so now i have cherry, pixie, violet, and (amber links) baby. they are all lovely girls but pixie is really picking on the new 2, the new 2 slept cuddled up in the nest box together. yesterday when i did the intros my black rock really pushed the amber links into the corner (hence the name baby...no one puts baby in the corner!) and wouldnt let her eat or drink, i scatter food on the run floor so she cant dominate her 24/7 with food but im worried about them all to be honest now!! have been out this morning and the 2 new are still sat in the nest box and not sure if they have been out at all yet saw pixie give baby a lil peck again and squirted her gently with a water pistol! should i get the 2 new out into the run and shut the coop door for 5 mins (whilst watching to make sure the new 2 can run if pecked) or should i just leave them to it and all will settle in a day or 2? someone please allay my chicken fears!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Is there an age difference? If they're POL, see here and if younger see here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 thanks jools, had already read that and followed advice but it doesnt stop me worrying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Are the new girls in separate housing, or are they all in together? As Jools says, is there an age difference between old and new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 thanks girls, they are pol and in the same housing and run, loads of food and water for them to go at. on a side point, and this is NOT a negative but was just wondering if it was normal. when i went to pick them up from jody (she seemed v busy and rushed bless her, i was grateful as i dont think they normally open thru the week but she said she would open up for me.) she already had picked them out for me and they were under her "wing" ( ) together. i am a v new chicken keeper so to be honest i didnt give it much thought, but i would have liked to have picked out myself really and seen them running around to make sure they were healthy and the hens i wanted etc.is that normal for a breeder to do that? again NOT a negative, just wondering, jody knows i already have 2 hens from her so was wondering if she was just letting them sit together for a while before giving me them, the hens had only come in that morning so didnt really know eachother.(for the long journey home) my new girls are really good little friends tho and seem to be cowering against my other girls together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Quoting extracts from the advice in the introducting hens sticky which will help you: Introducing new chickens to an established flock. Separate temporary accommodation is necessary as a period of quarantine is essential. You may be unlucky and have been sold a sick hen and it could be potentially dangerous to introduce her to your existing flock. Also your new hens may carry parasites such as lice or redmite and again you would not want to introduce them to your flock. (When) you are sure that they are not ill, move them to where they can see, hear and smell the other hens, and vice versa. Allow the old hens to free range around them, but watch that any pecking through the bars doesn’t get out of hand or cause injury. Food is often an issue when new hens are introduced. The old girls see the new ones as a threat and may try to prevent them from eating and drinking if they are put straight in with them, so as a bit of a team building exercise, it is a good idea to get them used to eating together before being fully merged. The best way to do this is to sprinkle (food) along the perimeter of the new girls run. That way, they will see that the new girls are not going to steal all the food, and will associate feeding with them with pleasurable ideas. After a week or so, allow them to free range together. It is best if you can hover and supervise minimally the first time. Inevitably there will be some quite nasty looking squabbles, with hackles raised, chasing and pecking. Although this is difficult to watch, it is all perfectly normal, they are merely sorting out the pecking order, and a lot of it is just for show. (Separate) them if blood is drawn. Remove the injured hen and treat her injuries with Gentian Violet spray before returning her. After a couple of days of free ranging together, it is time to bite the bullet and merge them completely. Offer plenty of distractions in the run, such as dried mixed corn scattered on the ground for them to scratch for and greens to peck at. It is a good idea for a while to have several feed and drink stations as there may be squabbles around food, and this way no-one will starve. There will be mini squabbles for a couple of weeks. In general, peace breaks out within about three weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 What size is your run? Could you divide it at all, to give them a chance to get used to each other before putting them all in together? I know that some people do put them all together and let them sort it out, but I have only ever done slow introductions as per the forum advice. However you do it, there will be some argy bargy until the new pecking order is sorted out. Just make sure that no blood is drawn. As for the point about the breeder, I wouldn't worry. I have had different experiences at different breeders, some have the hens ready and waiting in a box, others have let me pick my own birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 thanks tweety, makes me feel a bit better. i have no sep housing and had decided to let them peck it out but it is proving emotionally harder than i thought it would be!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweety Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I know - it's horrible to watch them. Just keep an eye on them and be prepared to intervene if it gets nasty. Do you have an extended run with your eglu? If not, it is definitely too small for 4 POl chickens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 yes the girls have a large wooden run attached and also they can all fr in the afternoons when i am home from work. tonight i took my amber links out to let her fr alone so she could eat and have a drink and also so i could clip her wing, she really is so lovely and might be my fave...but only because she is being so badly bullied, she is already crouching to me. bless, i love chicken keeping so far...apart from the mean bluebell!!! cherry, pixie, violet and baby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 i think i might let all of them fr 2moro and see how they go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 I'd try to borrow another hen house for a couple of weeks and let them get used to each other slowly. It is a good idea to have a week or two of quarantine, just in case you are unlucky, and the new hens bring illness to your old ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
