We keep trying out different ideas

Yesterday by the time we had finished our work and I mixed the girls it was too near bedtime to have any useful effect. The original flock stuck close to the patio area as they knew it was near to the time when they have bedtime corn and the new girls kept away at the far end of the run.

It was frustrating because I could see that it wouldn’t move on the integration process if the girls stayed at opposite ends of the run. I decided to give up and try to finish earlier today.

I had an idea this morning to try to make the new girls aware of the chicken shed and patio area. At seven o’clock I shut the main flock in the part of the run beyond the hatch. Then I opened the little coop into the cat box and closed the three girls inside it . I then set the cat box down inside the chicken shed and opened it, shutting the shed door so that they would have to discover the pop hole.

Cinnamon and Dandelion were straight out of the pop hole and left the patio area swiftly. Apricot took her time and pecked around the pop hole before making her exit too.

The newbies soon find the pop hole

Where am I?

Are you looking at me?

Apricot isn’t in such a hurry to leave as Cinnamon and Dandelion

They didn’t pause long enough to discover that this is where the food and water is but I hoped that it might help them to recognise the patio and the chicken shed in future.

I let the other girls out and gave them five minutes together and then separated them again as I needed to get on with my day.

This afternoon I mixed the girls again. The  bigger girls are not too bad but Rusty and Freckles, mostly Rusty, still chase them and they once again end up at the bottom of the run. Before ending up at the bottom of the run Rusty and Apricot, or Rusty and Cinnamon, ran round the circle of the two parts of the run like, as my husband put it, scalextric cars. They must be getting plenty of exercise as the speed of these little girls is incredible.

My husband then had an idea to try to get them to know each other better. He suggested we hold Rusty and Apricot facing each other but just out of beaks reach and let them get better acquainted. He said we should let them do a bit of chicken whispering.

I held Apricot while he held Rusty and I talked to them in a calm voice telling them that everything was okay and they could be fine together if they could be good girls. We then set them down on the patio and Apricot legged it.

Next I handed my husband Cinnamon and I held Freckles and we repeated the procedure. Once on the patio Cinnamon legged it.

It did seem like there was less attacking after this though and it was just chasing or the death stare from Rusty or she would look nonchalant as if she hadn’t noticed them.

Peaches and Barley have discovered that they can reach some green leaves from here

Apricot spends most of her time up here out of harms way

These two stick very close together

I got the girls back to their respective parts of the run and Apricot showed another new trick.

Apricot is now happy to scratch and peck in the shelter

I am pleased that she is now comfortable with being in here but I am aware that it doesn’t necessarily mean she would go in there on cold and windy days. It does give her the option though if she wanted to.

I think things are getting a little better but there is still a long way to go. This is going to be a long integration process compared with past integrations. However we are not on a time limit so it can just take it’s time.

This weekend we have a function on Saturday, an afternoon tea on Sunday, plus loads of lunches to prepare for Monday. It’s going to be a full on working weekend so it won’t be until the following weekend that I will have time to spend trying to move things on a bit further.

By next weekend we will have had the new girls a month. Will they be more ready to mix by then? Only time will tell. We will continue with small steps, a bit at a time.