I'm so grateful to hear this - I was hoping this was all part of the integration and would help speed up the process. Today they seem to barely notice each other. I love that your experience integrating has been very easy in the past. The roo is super docile and appropriate - I wonder what would...
Thank you so much for this-this makes so much sense. It's crazy that I happen to have the exact same number on each side plus a roo.
And the +'s almost cross out the -'s with five being almost laying hens but we're probably a month out. The territory is neutral as it's new for both flocks so...
Thank you! I have good news - I only have one roo! And total hens is around 16. But I want to know what you think. About half are older ladies like 3 years old and five are almost chickens so let's say three are laying as of last week but two are not yet.
And I have maybe 2 bully chickens but...
Hi!
I don't really at all - since they lived in separate coops up until last week I built the fence to split the area in two but only because I knew I needed an intro. period. The numbers are exactly equal, 8 on both sides with one roo on one of those sides. The area in total (both sides) is...
This has been SO helpful I really appreciate your help with this - newbie chicken keeper here -I don't know what I was thinking with a four foot fence splitting the two areas - the rest of the fence is 7 feet high! I was only thinking predators - I feel so dumb. I'll out the two sawhorses in the...
Yes for the most part but perhaps I need to add more roost areas - there are roost bars in the coop but that likely wouldn't help one lone bird being chased if she flew over "by accident". There are a lot of trees but no real bushes - it's a large wooded area but to your point if that between...
Thank you! So far so good and the really good news is we have only one roo on one side with the older ladies (3+ years-old). And they have tons of space to get away. Question: IF one silly bird decides to fly over to either coop - do you think the circumstances would be dire? And the small flock...
Hi all:
Ok, so after being part of this forum since last May and having chickens for about 9 months - I thought I had a great idea... I have two mobile coops and two flocks on about a 1/2 acre. The area is split in half with each coop. I have one roo on one side. There are eight birds in each...
Oh my gosh I haven't DONE this yet!! How fine do you crush them and thank you for that suggestion. I've read that but it hadn't dawned on me to try that for this - thank you!
Hi all: I'm having a similar problem and have a quick question. My EE just started laying and there is oyster shell everywhere. They have Scratch and Peck layer feed as well in bowls throughout the barn. She literally just started laying but every egg is soft shelled. Can I crush up tums and...
One more super quick Q: If I do put the two coops "together" which may mean next to each other - then the a.m. after they're moved into the area, do I just open the coop doors and let them mingle? Just like that -will that be an issue? Thanks!
Hi! Thank you so much! I'm going to talk to the guy building our second mobile coop for some ideas - we live in SW Washington and it's super mild and never gets under 40 or snows so the coop works awesome. My 8 birds have been in there since October and they love IT! BUT now I'm facing this -...
Thank you! Oh that's a good point - we are building it at 6 feet so it's super high... I actually don't have any breeding goals so having that second roo doesn't make much sense. I wanted a roo in that free range area to warn the birds with any aerial predators. UGH no - the second coop has a...
Thank you SO much for responding - I really appreciate this and thought this may be the case. One more super quick questions - the mobile coops are large enough for about 8 or 9 birds and the second one will mirror the first one and I will simply have too many birds for one if they decide they...
Newbie chicken keeping question: (pic for attention) I have two flocks. One is in a mobile coop and then other in a barn coop. The Mobile coop has a Barred Rock Roo who is fabulous. The barn coop has about 5 younger Easter Egger's that just started laying and two older Wyandotte hens. I'm...
Thank you so much - I almost wasted a ton of food thinking I had to make that switch before my bag of starter feed ran out. I'll absolutely reuse the brooder - and I've now gathered stones and bricks as doors. Thank you so much for all your help. I feel way more confident now and will report...
Thank you so much - I totally wasn't sure so appreciate you clarifying. I've got the wire cutters out so the door may be a block of wood - do I need to ever close it back up? One more question - do I leave the starter food in the small feeder for them? I'll be switching everyone to grower at...
As always - this is incredibly helpful. I wasn't sure where to put the doors but I get it now and I can make them out of the existing netting and just cut a door out with wire cutters - the goal is to make them small enough but big enough for mom to get back in to? (Sorry dumb Q). I remember...
Thank you so much for this - you're so right, a few more days won't matter and overall I think we're in fine shape. Maybe it was a good idea to get them in that brooder even temporarily as the hutch didn't have the babies and mom "on display" like the brooder does and everyone wanders over to...
Thank you! I think we're on the mend... and I hate to use something so harmful to both the chickens and I - I'm going to reapply Elector PSP this week and see if this will help get rid of all of them... appreciate this.