Meet the new girls

We were going to collect the new girls on Thursday but I just couldn’t wait any longer and as the week is looking fairly quiet we decided to go and collect them at four o’clock today.

They sat quietly in the cage on the way home and I then put the cage against the coop door giving them a small run with food and water plus access to the coop. They went straight into the coop and stayed there. I put a halved apple and tomato in with them.

When we bought our original girls home we did this and they too went straight in the coop so I’m not worried. I know they feel more secure in there and it gets them used to where the safe place for sleeping is.

I am staying with descriptive names and am calling them Honey and Amber. I will sort out who is which tomorrow when I can see them together outside.

Honey and Amber

The set up

This gives them a small run if they want to venture out but I think they will stay in the coop until bedtime like our other girls did on the first afternoon.

I went back to check on them at intervals and they were still sat in the same spot.

Staying in the coop

The run

I have put a cardboard box in the run for the bantams to hide behind if they need to get out of the way. The girls are taking no notice of the newcomers yet.

When I next went out to check on them, I knew the new girls had been out in the cage because there was some poop outside, the tomato had gone and there were just a few small bits of apple outside plus some pellets in the water. This is a good sign that they are eating and drinking.

When I went back out again about an hour before dark the new girls were out in the cage and the old girls were lined up watching them. I was pleased as all was calm, no shouting just curious looking. By the time I got my camera only Dotty was still nearby and the other two had gone back to the garden area.

Venturing out of the coop

Why not stand in the food bowl before going back in!

Dotty inspects the new girls

I’m making this up as I go along, half an hour before dark the new girls have settled on the coop floor and look to be dozing so I have decided to shut the coop door manually and remove the cage. This leaves the old girls to carry out their usual bedtime routine and as they want to roost on the coop roof at the moment I am going to let them assume the position. I will then lift them down and pop them in the coop and wait to see what happens.

At dusk we went up and popped the old girls into the coop. There was the usual little bit of gentle chatter but nothing out of the ordinary. I had taken a torch with me, and lifted the nest box to take a peek in at them. I shine the torch on the ground outside so that it gives me a little light to see in but doesn’t disturb the girls. I was pleased to see the girls in their usual positions, with Pepper and Dotty on the bottom perch, Bluebell on the floor in front of them and the new girls on the floor between Bluebell and the back wall of the coop. They are in their usual spots but with the new girls beside Bluebell. All is peaceful so at this stage I am really pleased with how it’s going.

I am going to go out at half past five in the morning to let them out and watch over them for a bit to see how they get on. I was slightly nervous about tonight but it couldn’t have gone better and I am a bit nervous about tomorrow but really hoping it continues to go this well. We will see what happens in the morning but at the moment I am feeling really happy.