New girls

At quarter past four yesterday afternoon our new girls arrived. I had got their corner of the run all ready for them the day before. I put them in and we waited for them to get settled.

I decided to call the buff laced wyndotte Red and the chabo Snow. As usual I worried that they weren’t going to the food or water but after last year’s experience with Autumn I am trying to be more chilled about it.

Red is fourteen months old and Snow is eighteen months old. I will have to keep them separate until Red is old enough to go on to layers pellets.

At one point they checked out the little coop and I hoped they might go in at bedtime but no such luck. They settled on top of the shelter. I waited until after the main flock had gone in before attempting to put them in.

I easily picked up Red and put her in but Snow flew away in panic. I decided to wait until she was settled back on the shelter and try again. Again she panicked and when she was trapped in the corner by the gate I picked her up and put her in.

It seems that Red is going to be like Autumn and easy to handle but Snow like Snowflake before her not so easy to handle. I don’t want her to remain unfriendly like Snowflake so I am going to try to stay as hands off as possible.

I will spend time in with them but without touching them to get them used to me. At bedtime tonight I am going to wait until it’s dark before putting them in and I will try to pick Snow up first before she has time to panic.

This morning I opened the little coop and waited for a minute but they didn’t come out.

Eventually I put my hand in and Red came out. I waited for Snow to follow.

I made a dish of mash to try to encourage them to eat. We also had some more spinach that had gone to seed at the allotment and I put a small stalk in for the new girls. They have been pecking at the spinach all day.

They had a little mash but I was still worried about them not having water. I put another dish of water by the gate and after walking through the water dish they did have a few pecks. I would like to see them having more water but am hoping that as they settle in they will start eating and drinking properly.

During the afternoon they have had a dust bath and have spent time scratching and pecking so they seem happy enough. The other girls haven’t taken much notice of them but they do want to follow me through the new girls’ gate. I have to distract them with treats and slip through quickly.

I feel as if their first full day with us has gone well although I always feel happier when I see them drinking the water. They are very pretty girls and will give us a very pretty flock when mixed together.