Autumn is doing really well

What a difference a week makes. Autumn is now really settled. She is eating, drinking and pooping. She is dust bathing and preening. She runs to the treats and can now easily eat spinach leaves. She is comfortable around me and I can easily pick her up at bedtime and she is happy with the camera. She now goes straight to the food dish when I let her out in the morning instead straight past it.

Autumn doesn’t go in to the little coop at bedtime but settles in the corner of the run nearest to the flock. She doesn’t protest when I lift her and put her in though. We can see that she would love to get out and join the other girls but she needs to stay on growers pellets for at least a month.

During that time I will let her spend time with the flock to start the integration process. I want to get to a point where she will easily join the flock when she can be moved on to layers pellets.

In other news both Sugar and Gold are through their broody spell which makes things much easier with the nest boxes and the laying girls.

Mango and Cloud haven’t yet got the hang of going into the chicken shed at bedtime on their own. They hang around by the pop hole after the other girls have gone in. I have tried directing them in but they keep coming back out.

When the pop hole has closed I hold the door open for them and they both go in. I then lift them to the perch. It’s not ideal but I’m not worried because new girls always get the hang of it eventually and these two are so easy to handle that it’s not difficult.

I am very pleased with how it is all going so far and look forward to eventually having the flock integrated.