I have been feeling that the new girls were ready to integrate with the main flock but we had family staying for the weekend so I decided to leave it until they had left so that I could spend time keeping an eye on the flock.
I intend to try to get the new girls to go in the chicken shed at bedtime so I moved their coop back to it’s usual nest box position on the patio area.
I added a few more feeding stations with chick crumb and water dishes. The problem was that the new girls were now imprinted on their part of the run and I couldn’t get them to move from there.
The new girls stayed in the area they were used to
I tried herding them to the other part of the run but they would just run straight back to their part. I decided to remove the feeding station and close off this part of the run so that it was like it had been before but with the new girls on the other side of the gate.
The new girls are in the dryer top part of the run
Jasmine was the only one to chase the new girls from the food. As usual it is the bottom girl who wants to assert herself and move up the pecking order.
I put a feeding station either side of the wire as Jasmine couldn’t be in both places at once and added one more dish of chick crumb by the little shelter. I thought this might encourage them to use the shelter.
While in their part of the run the new girls had found all of the perches so I am hopeful that they will perch in the chicken shed at bedtime. I think that once they have spent a night in the chicken shed they will become more used to the top part of the run.
I will open up their part of the run tomorrow but with no feeding station in there. It will give them more places to get away but will hopefully get them used to the rest of the run where the food and water is.
I will report back tomorrow on how it goes at bedtime.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Doing well.
It has gone well for the first day especially as as it has rained all day. Just got to get them to bed tonight and then tomorrow I will open all of the run and let them get used to their new surroundings.
I’m amazed at how easily you manage to integrate your girls! xx
It hasn’t always been like this. I have had really difficult integrations in the past. The three amigos took a long time. I think it may be because I am adding young girls which aren’t a threat and a bigger number. I am thinking now that before I have added two or three at a time but now I have added one or five. Maybe the number helps too. Who knows! I am glad it’s going easier is all I can say. xx
One of my seramas wasn’t well on Friday – hunched, dozing, not eating and generally looking miserable. I took her inside Friday evening and put her in my indoor rabbit cage. I took her to the vets on Saturday and they didn’t really know what the problem was and gave me a course of antibiotics. Anyway she has made a miraculous recovery so yesterday I thought I’d put a friend in with her to make integrations easier when I put her back out in the chicken shed. Immediate fighting after only being apart for a day and a half!! I’m not looking forward to putting her back out with the four others at all!! 🙁 xx
Oh I am so sorry to hear that. I have been thinking about it more since I replied to your last comment and I think a big factor is that we now have no aggressive girls. Peaches and Barley were terrible bullies and then to my surprise Rusty was terribly aggressive and turned into a monster when we added the three amigos. Nature has taken the aggressive girls and now none of my current girls are like that. Jasmine chases a bit but it’s because she was bottom girl and now has to show the new girls she is above them but it’s not pecking just light chasing which doesn’t bother them too much. When I have bought unwell girls into the bathroom and returned them there has never been a problem but perhaps it’s because I haven’t kept them indoors overnight. I am feeling lucky that recent integrations have gone so much easier than in the past. xx