TwistedTayy
Songster
So I had an older integration post but that issue has been largely solved. Basically
We since rehomed the rooster so that left us with 9 babies, an Egyptian Fayoumi hen and two d’uccle hens. The babies are 10 weeks old now and still terrified of the older hens. I kind of have a plan but I’d like back up. The d’uccles seem to love picking on the chicks because finally there is someone weaker and smaller. They are currently house in a producers pride defender.
The d’uccles will be moving to a new pen with a new fancy d’uccle rooster that arrives next week. That was always the plan.
That leaves patty in the coop with the babies. She’s a fayoumi, they do NOT do well with confinement. Even before we got those chicks she was grumpy not to be able to free range with a 100sq ft run and living with only 3 small chickens.
My first instinct is to do a look no touch dog crate with her in it. The babies include two Roos and they are starting to figure out how to be Roos. Just need to get their confidence up and Patty is hindering that. She would be extremely unhappy with this option.
Another option would be to move patty into the d’uccle coop which is a 4x8 coop/run combo. It will be houseing 2-3 d’uccle hens and the d’uccle roo. Better than a dog crate but still small.
All of these would be temporary situations because I would eventually like to put her back where she is currently. I just think it would be more beneficial and less stressful to give the chicks some time to mature a bit more on their own somehow.
I’m hesitant to build another coop because we are planning on turning our large shed into a multi pen grow out/breeder coop with GIANT attached runs so the cost would set us back on that.
Open to more suggestions too.
We since rehomed the rooster so that left us with 9 babies, an Egyptian Fayoumi hen and two d’uccle hens. The babies are 10 weeks old now and still terrified of the older hens. I kind of have a plan but I’d like back up. The d’uccles seem to love picking on the chicks because finally there is someone weaker and smaller. They are currently house in a producers pride defender.
The d’uccles will be moving to a new pen with a new fancy d’uccle rooster that arrives next week. That was always the plan.
That leaves patty in the coop with the babies. She’s a fayoumi, they do NOT do well with confinement. Even before we got those chicks she was grumpy not to be able to free range with a 100sq ft run and living with only 3 small chickens.
My first instinct is to do a look no touch dog crate with her in it. The babies include two Roos and they are starting to figure out how to be Roos. Just need to get their confidence up and Patty is hindering that. She would be extremely unhappy with this option.
Another option would be to move patty into the d’uccle coop which is a 4x8 coop/run combo. It will be houseing 2-3 d’uccle hens and the d’uccle roo. Better than a dog crate but still small.
All of these would be temporary situations because I would eventually like to put her back where she is currently. I just think it would be more beneficial and less stressful to give the chicks some time to mature a bit more on their own somehow.
I’m hesitant to build another coop because we are planning on turning our large shed into a multi pen grow out/breeder coop with GIANT attached runs so the cost would set us back on that.
Open to more suggestions too.
