Adding to our flock...

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

2 weeks isn't all that long. They are all adults? It definitely could take much longer for everyone to forget who belongs and who doesn't. I would just keep at it. I wouldn't force anyone together yet, especially since you are seeing blood.

Yes i would call them all adults. My original 10 are all laying hens that i got as chicks back in April. And the new girls are 18monthe to 2 years old.

I will keep at it with some free ranging introductions and see how it goes.

Thanks!

 

[aart]

but when an old girl and a new girl are both in the coop it’s a disaster.

How big is your coop, in feet by feet?
Do you have a run too?
Dimensions, and pics, would help us help you find some solutions.

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

@aart
@Mrs. K @oldhenlikesdogs

So i think we r all integrated! There are still some squabbles but they chose to go into the main coop last week. Granted there are moments i think they wish they didn’t, it seems to be going well.

I try to get them out of the run each day and have given a number of treats and items to decrease boredom.

At this point i am still waiting for the EE to lay. She was molting terribly during the move and she was obviously the old roosters favorite. Luckily for her we don’t have a rooster.

Is that common for EE? She also does not leave the coop much. She stays perched in the cold with her feathers fluffed up during the day.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

@aart
@Mrs. K @oldhenlikesdogs

So i think we r all integrated! There are still some squabbles but they chose to go into the main coop last week. Granted there are moments i think they wish they didn’t, it seems to be going well.

I try to get them out of the run each day and have given a number of treats and items to decrease boredom.

At this point i am still waiting for the EE to lay. She was molting terribly during the move and she was obviously the old roosters favorite. Luckily for her we don’t have a rooster.

Is that common for EE? She also does not leave the coop much. She stays perched in the cold with her feathers fluffed up during the day.

Some of my EE resumed in December to January, and others not until April to May. Feeding a higher protein ration can help them recover and resume quicker. I recommend 18-20% protein. Either and all flock or non medicated grower with a separate bowl of oyster shells for the calcium needs.

 

[azygous]

Your EE, is she eating? Or is she on the perch in the coop, not venturing out at all?

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

Your EE, is she eating? Or is she on the perch in the coop, not venturing out at all?

She eats when the other girls go out in the run or the yard. She just kind of keeps to herself the rest of the time. When she does go out the RIR twins that she came with kind of act like body guards and protect her but if she has something they want they go right at her. She did creep outside today for like10 minutes but she walked out the man door with me. She has yet to use the chicken door that i have witnessed.

 

[azygous]

It sounds like a hen with a timid temperament. Some hens take longer to adjust to a new environment.

However, I recommend keeping an eye on her for any behavior that indicates she may not feel well.

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

It sounds like a hen with a timid temperament. Some hens take longer to adjust to a new environment.

However, I recommend keeping an eye on her for any behavior that indicates she may not feel well.

I am trying to be patient with her. She looks soooo much better than she did when i got her. But she definitely is way more shy than any of my other hens.

Her previous flock got touched up by a raccoon right before i picked her up. And her and the RIR twins were the only survivors. So she has been through a lot. I just want to make sure i am paying enough attention in case it’s something else.