6 Comets and 2 BSLs

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

Among other things above mentioned, you might want to consider grabbing the elusive ones at night and clipping a wing. Here's an article that explains how. I hope with some help, things should settle down for you there.

 

[Tookie]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined us. Good luck integrating your girls.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! It's so nice to meet you! Please make yourself at home!

 

[N F C]

Hi, thanks for joining us!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Integration can take months before there is peace in a flock, but you need a lot of space and several food and water stations for this to progress forward. The adult flock can't guard every inch nor the food and water areas. So big spaces with levels to escape, places to take a break, and side feeders that they can get sustenance. You may need to help them all to bed at night making sure the new birds have a space in the roost bar. Chickens need 1 ft of space on the bar so add more bars if yours isn't big enough for the entire flock.

Best wishes!

 

[Big Mama Chicken]

Welcome to BYC! I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with them.
If you have some pictures of your coop and run, maybe we can make suggestions.
Also, Id love to see your redneck garden.

Welcome to BYC! Sorry to hear about your predicament. How big is your coop and run? Do you have pictures of your setup?

The chicken pen is 8 feet by 16 feet which includes a 9 ft by 3 foot redneck raised bed. I transpant things from the garden (usually at night after the girls are in the roost) into the RRB which usually don't last until mid morning. They love to "forage". I have bought red wigglers and put them out in the RRB and in the dog run and they usually have them "scratched out" in a couple of days. The dog run is attached to the pen and is 3 1/2 feet by 7 1/4 feet. Both have feeders and waterers. The original coop is in the pen and has two nest boxes. Some of the girls use those nest boxes and some use the hanging wall boxes (sorry that the "curtains" are dirty) There is also a single nest box in the dog run. I have a hanging feeder in the pen as well as a wall feeder that is lower than the hanging nest boxes but between them and the coop. In the RRB is a "planter" that has mealworms as a treat for the girls.
My BSLs are currently in the dog run and I have it closed off. I have let them do the chicken version of Trading Places and the BSLs will generally sit on top of one of the 2 homemade sawhorses or hide out behind the waterer cinderblock. When I open the entire place to both sets, the BSLs (the little girls who are bigger than the comets) usually retreat behind the cinderblock or on top of the coop. They will stay there even after the big girls go to the dog run. The comets love to return to their old hangout and do the chicken version of interior decorating (digging for bugs/worms, eating the little girls food, sitting on the roost bar etc). In both places I have the ability to hang treats--sometimes a zucchini, cucumber, frozen corn, cabbage, grapes, etc. It's really fun to watch one of the girls grab a grape and see 4 or 5 others chase for it! There are 3 hawks in the trees over my back yard so I don't let the girls out of the pen (unless one manages to slip by me when I'm going in and then I quickly retrieve her and return her home).
I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

[Big Mama Chicken]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Integration can take months before there is peace in a flock, but you need a lot of space and several food and water stations for this to progress forward. The adult flock can't guard every inch nor the food and water areas. So big spaces with levels to escape, places to take a break, and side feeders that they can get sustenance. You may need to help them all to bed at night making sure the new birds have a space in the roost bar. Chickens need 1 ft of space on the bar so add more bars if yours isn't big enough for the entire flock.

Best wishes!

I have enough room on the roost bars but worried that the BSLs might be picked on if they are on the roost bars. If I do put them on the roost bars, would it be better to put them in first and then let the comets in or vice versa? The BSLs don't sleep on the roost bar in the dog run. One sleeps on the bridge that runs the width of the run and the other sleeps on top of the waterer. They both slept on a broomstick when I had them in a dog crate in the house before they discovered the great outdoors!

 

[Big Mama Chicken]

Welcome to BYC! I'm sorry you are having such a hard time with them.
If you have some pictures of your coop and run, maybe we can make suggestions.
Also, Id love to see your redneck garden.

Welcome to BYC! Sorry to hear about your predicament. How big is your coop and run? Do you have pictures of your setup?

The chicken pen is 8 feet by 16 feet which includes a 9 ft by 3 foot redneck raised bed. I transpant things from the garden (usually at night after the girls are in the roost) into the RRB which usually don't last until mid morning. They love to "forage". I have bought red wigglers and put them out in the RRB and in the dog run and they usually have them "scratched out" in a couple of days. The dog run is attached to the pen and is 3 1/2 feet by 7 1/4 feet. Both have feeders and waterers. The original coop is in the pen and has two nest boxes. Some of the girls use those nest boxes and some use the hanging wall boxes (sorry that the "curtains" are dirty) There is also a single nest box in the dog run. I have a hanging feeder in the pen as well as a wall feeder that is lower than the hanging nest boxes but between them and the coop. In the RRB is a "planter" that has mealworms as a treat for the girls.
My BSLs are currently in the dog run and I have it closed off. I have let them do the chicken version of Trading Places and the BSLs will generally sit on top of one of the 2 homemade sawhorses or hide out behind the waterer cinderblock. When I open the entire place to both sets, the BSLs (the little girls who are bigger than the comets) usually retreat behind the cinderblock or on top of the coop. They will stay there even after the big girls go to the dog run. The comets love to return to their old hangout and do the chicken version of interior decorating (digging for bugs/worms, eating the little girls food, sitting on the roost bar etc). In both places I have the ability to hang treats--sometimes a zucchini, cucumber, frozen corn, cabbage, grapes, etc. It's really fun to watch one of the girls grab a grape and see 4 or 5 others chase for it! There are 3 hawks in the trees over my back yard so I don't let the girls out of the pen (unless one manages to slip by me when I'm going in and then I quickly retrieve her and return her home).
I would appreciate any suggestions.