Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Embilly]

Hello all,

 

We got our first chickens this weekend, 2 ex bat rescues and one POL (due to her good condition she is bigger than the rescues).All went in together (POL a few hours earlier) to establish a new flock. Pecking order seemed to be sorted quite quickly (with POL at the bottom) and when they are free ranging in our (small) garden all is much as expected.

 

However, the middle chicken (Po) sems to be 'picking on' the POL (lette) a lot. The top hen (scramble) is fine, lets her know who is boss when eating etc, but that's about it. But Po chases her around, is blocking the food etc. There's a bit of pecking, but nothing that sems to be causing harm, but lette is now really nervous in the run, she's spending most of her time in the house, and when she does come out is running up and down, trying to kep out of the way of Po. We've put in extra food and drink bowls, but she doesn't seem to be getting much -too busy hiding or running and just snatching bits as she goes.

 

I have a few questions for experienced chicken keepers!

 

- is this behaviour normal, and will it settle down, will lette be getting enough food and drink and is there anything we should be doing?

 

- In this hot weather, I'm really worried that she'll overheat, sitting in the house all day (eglu) and not drinking enough. There is some tim in the day when the egu is in full sunlight, Is this likely?

 

- We are letting them free range whenever we are here to watch them - but they will be in the run together most of tomorrow daytime as we are both at work. They have hanging treat's etc but is there anything else we can do?

 

Any advice very welcome!

 

Thanks in advance

[LunaKiw1]

We found putting in an extra food and water source on the opposite of the WIR to the Grub and Glug, and spacing those two out as well helped ease initial squabbles with our 3 new hens (all new to us but two from one barn and the 3rd from a different one so still newbies to each other. after a week they ave really settled down and now seem friends.

[chickencam]

It might be worth putting an extra water and food source near the Eglu for her to nip out to, it should sort itself out.

[Embilly]

Thank you both, We'll make sure there's lots of food and water near the eglu door, and hope they settle down! Shade seems to be working too, so less woried about her overheating.

[Egluntyne]

Some hot weather advice at the top of the section. Click

[pips_pekins]

I followed what others have said with regard to extra feeders and drinkers and spacing them apart when I first introduced my existing pair to a new pair. I also found things to distract them and used an old broom handle and a garden cane to make perches so that they could jump up and away from each other. Also, mine now have a mezzanine level made from a piece of trellis!