Yesterday I left the girls together all day and it seemed fairly calm. I decided it’s time to get them properly together. We have had the new girls seven weeks now so this has been a very slow integration.
I unblocked the corner by the chickens’ patio. I hoped at bedtime this would help the new girls to follow the other girls in to the chicken shed. It didn’t work!
At bedtime the main flock were in the shed and Mango and Cloud were on top of the nest box waiting for me to put them in as usual. Red and Snow were in their usual bedtime position between their little coop and the corner of the patio even though they were sitting next to an open gap instead of it being blocked off.
I picked them up one at a time and perched them in the chicken shed. This morning the girls were all out together without any agro.
I decided to put the run completely back to normal apart from the extra feeding stations. I opened up the wire netting at the bottom of the run. I propped the gate open. I put the little coup/nest box back in it’s position on the patio area. I hope without it in their part of the run they might be more inclined to follow the other girls in but I am not holding my breath.
Red and Snow are still sticking together and not really mixing but at least it’s a start.
Where Snow goes Red follows. The last hurdle now is training them to go in at bedtime. I really hope they get the hang of it and I don’t end up having four girls to put in each night. I am sure that if one of them goes in the other will follow. Snow is the most likely to catch on first.
For now though I am happy that we have made progress at last.
In other news Sugar has now gone broody after laying only six eggs. The tiny egg followed by five normal eggs. I will put her in the broody crate for a couple of nights to break her out of it. Gold stopped being broody a couple of days ago.
We are now back to our usual three layers, this time Dot, Cloud and Snow.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Significant progress – great!
Last night I kept checking before bedtime. Red and Snow kept getting as far as the patio then would go back out in the run. I went back about fifteen minutes before the pop hole would close. Mango and Cloud were still out in the run and Red and Snow had settled on top of the nest box. They were on the one next to the cabinet (Mango and Cloud settle on the one next to the shed) and were tight together in the corner. I put them in and waited for Mango and Cloud to come up and put them in. By then the pop hole closed.
Glad to hear they are all getting on together. Hope they soon follow the others in at night.
I am happy to have them all getting along. I hope they will soon follow the others in rather than me having to put four in instead of two. I am hopeful as it’s early days yet that they will get the hang of it.