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sarkymite

Introductions Update

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We spent most of the morning today "redeveloping" the WIR. It now has a shelf along the back which acts as a 2nd floor, a second high perch, a sand pit and a cat basket (this is one of the carriers we use when we need to transport the chickens; it's been in use as a 2nd nest/bolthole since we brought the newbies home). We spread new chippings all over the ground and moved the feeders and drinkers around.

 

This had two desired effects:

1) it gave the littlies somewhere to hide / escape up high and

2) it confused the heck out of Petula!

 

While we were doing all this I also spent the entire morning chasing Petula away from treats etc (think like a chicken...) to give her a taste of her own medicine. She started to get the message I think. We allowed the littlies to stay in the WIR while we worked and they were very interested in it all. We kept the biggies out until it was completely finished.

 

When the run was done We spread loads of treats (mealworms, corn, etc) and shut them all in together. Petula drew an imaginary line across the middle of the run and seemed terrified of crossing it whilst the two littlies stayed the other side of said "line" and/or up high. Petula couldn't work out how to get up to the shelf, though she did try. We then had a very peaceful afternoon. Both littlies ventured down and out of comfort zone at times and there were some minor skirmishes but nothing huge.

 

I went down at dusk to find Nova (the black n gold baby) standing patiently outside the Eglu attempting to go to bed bless her. They weren't letting her in though. I stood and watched for a while to see how it would pan out and ultimately she hopped back up to the shelf and put herself in the cat basket with Nancy (the cream baby). Nancy clearly hadn't tried to get in the Eglu. So I shut Eglu door and popped them both in the egg port again. Will reopen Eglu door before I turn in and am expecting another 6am alarm call in the morning.

 

The only thing worrying me at the moment is whether Nancy has had enough water today as she's spent so much time staying well out of the way. There are two drinking stations in the run at the moment, I'm thinking of adding a third up on the shelf.

 

Although the big girls behaviour appears vicious and Nancy is clearly very intimidated by them (but she's the least mature, being a few weeks off coming into lay I think) , we've had only very minimal feather loss and no blood drawn despite it feeling like a pretty intensive 3 days. We've also had a daily egg from Nova so she can't be too stressed, and 4 eggs from the biggies which over 3 days between them is actually pretty good going these days. I'm hoping that means it's going ok. If we have excessive misbehaviour in the morning I might fit a bumpa bit to Petula just for the remainder of the week as I'm back at work on Wednesday and therefore not on hand to supervise and I feel like segregation would be going backwards again at this point in the game... any thlughts on the bumpa bit idea much appreciated - i havent used one before.

 

Egg of the chocolate variety for me now and then an early night!!!!

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I haven't divided them up this morning. I scattered mealworms at 6am which occupied them for a while but we've had on/off bouts of swearing and screeching since about 6.40. I'm afraid I've just left them to it this morning to see what occurs.

I will let them all out for free range time shortly...

This is much more stressful than I thought it would be, primarily because I'm terrified about upsetting the neighbours!

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So when they're all shut in the run the babies stay up high and out of the way. Which is a pity because we almost had "normal" while free ranging today.

However... this evening I swapped them around in the run so just before dusk babies were popped in the Eglu run and divider closed for half an hour. They put themselves to bed and then I went back up to let the biggies in, and in they went without any fuss at all! So they are getting used to bedding down all together even if nothing else...!

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Haha oh dear it seems I'm basically writing an introductions diary here! Sorry!!

 

This morning I am back at work. After last night's peaceful bedtime I waited indoors this morn to see what they'd do. Either it was all peaceful or I was exhausfed rnlugh to have slept through it - far as i'm aware there wasnt a peep from them until 7.20, which is considerably better than 5.50!!

 

When I popped down to check at 7.05 (as they were so quiet I thought maybe there was something wrong!) I found they were self-segregated into 2 teams but basically letting one another alone. The noise started about 15 mins later and as far as I can work out it was all about moving around so that Petula could get in a nest box. Wilma has gone after the babies once or twice while I was watching but they seem to sort it pretty quick - it's not epic violence. She runs at them and they hop out of her way. For the most part they're choosing to maintain a healthy distance from the biggies where they can.

 

So.... I've left them all loose in the entire run, no dividers, for the day while I'm at work. I've added a third drinking and feeding station up on the shelf just in case anyone gets "trapped" up there. When I left Petula had worked out the shelf and was using the nest up there which isn't what I had planned at all, but the two littlies were also up there and seemingly oblivious to her and vice versa. Im just hoping there aren't too many swearing episodes during the day. I'm thinking of taking the neighbours some eggs and apologising for the noise over the Easter weekend as a pre-emptive measure. Would that be an ok thing to do?

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It's hard to watch, but it sounds as if your introductions are going to plan - they will soon settle into a united flock but even then you'll see the top chicken occasionally hand out a reprimand to a lower chicken that tries to get in her way.

 

I'd take the eggs round, but don't apologise unless they mention the noise - it probably wasn't as bad as you think.

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Sounds like peace may have been declared :D They're always horrible creatures to newbies, but it does wear off - and when you get you're next newbies, the current mob will gang up together against them :roll:

 

I agree with Olly re taking eggs but not apologising up front. I had to listen to next door's children screaming all Easter weekend (and I do mean screaming) and they haven't given me any eggs :shock::lol: (and before anyone asks, yes, I do still ensure the screams are in play and not in pain, even though the girls are now aged about 10 and 8 and have been screaming since birth :shh::shh::shh:)

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the noise - it probably wasn't as bad as you think.

 

Gosh I hope so. It sounded pretty horrendous from inside our bedroom at stupid o clock in the morning, I have to say. But maybe it was worse to me because I was on edge waiting/listening for it, and maybe it was louder in our garden than anywhere else, as it will have echoed straight up to our house whereas it had to travel through fences and trees etc everywhere else. I saw one of the neighbours today and said hi and he didn't mention anything. Fingers crossed!!

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Sounds like peace may have been declared :D They're always horrible creatures to newbies, but it does wear off - and when you get you're next newbies, the current mob will gang up together against them :roll:

 

I agree with Olly re taking eggs but not apologising up front. I had to listen to next door's children screaming all Easter weekend (and I do mean screaming) and they haven't given me any eggs :shock::lol: (and before anyone asks, yes, I do still ensure the screams are in play and not in pain, even though the girls are now aged about 10 and 8 and have been screaming since birth :shh::shh::shh:)

 

Yes, I've rethought the apologies plan so thanks both for your thoughts. We've got screamers next door one side too (young children) and yappy/barky dogs in 2 of the 4 other gardens that border ours. We should probably all be giving each other eggs... :roll::lol:

 

Not so sure that peace has entirely been declared as yet. There have clearly been skirmishes while we were out at work: one of the food stations had somehow been tipped and scattered everywhere, as had the additional water supply which was in a large plastic bowl for want of anything more suitable. The two pairs are still avoiding one another. But using the same technique as yesterday, they did all go to bed without a fuss again so that's something.

 

We're getting an adorable little collection of dinky little pullet eggs too, they're just so cute. I don't remember our original ones laying consistently tiny eggs when they were new. I know they laid some variable ones and I remember getting an occasional tiny one, but this unbroken run of absolutely perfectly formed eggs-in-miniature is a new one on me! !egg!

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