Dilemma....Input, Please... *well, that didn't exactly work*

[tigercreek]

With a harem like that, Rex will be one happy teenager!! ..........stan

 

[speckledhen]

Well, I'm sure that he'll be completely intimidated by the older women for awhile, which is really fine, because I mainly want him to keep the BRs his own age fertile. I just hope he doesn't let those Delaware girls mess with his wattles and comb like they do Isaac, but I figure he won't let them get near him for quite some time.

 

[speckledhen]

I have decided that either tomorrow or Friday is the Big Day. The main coop will have a screened divider put up between the 8' side and the 12' side, then Rex and his young women will be moved into the 12' side to get used to that room, roosts, feeder, etc., for a day and one night without hassle from the current residents, who will be relegated to the 8x8 side.

Shadow, the banty Cochin, and elderly Reba and Sunny will be moved into the bantam coop with the 7 D'Anvers and the Phoenix pullet (should be some interesting fireworks there). The two Brahmas will stay in that coop and I'll add to them Isaac with Tiny, June and Emily as planned, so Ike will have 5 hens in a coop he's already lived in twice in his life.


Nugget and her 9 week old son, Ranger, who hasn't been rehomed just yet, will move into the main coop. Tomorrow, the barrier will come down and the newbies to that coop will meet the older residents and get acquainted with the new much larger pen and have the pleasure of being hounded and chased all over.


ETA: It's done. Everyone is where they were going, except I decided for the time being to put Nugget in the bantam coop with her 9 week old son-when he is rehomed, she may end up back in the main flock, just depends. Have to go check to see where everyone ended up roosting for the night.

 

[speckledhen]

Okey dokey, just undid all I'd done and went with Option #3.

Everyone was doing okay except for one thing-Isaac was too rowdy for just five girls. The Brahmas were not thrilled to have him back and he was really over the top and I was afraid he was going to hurt those two older ladies. So, today, Rex and his lovelies were put into that former old ladies'/ former Ike and his ladies' coop, along with Nugget and her 10 wk old son (she kept wanting to go back there to lay her daily egg anyway). Isaac, plus his five, were all returned to the main coop, so he has 19 hens (one is not in there since she is currently broody and sitting on eggs). He can spread around the love, then.

The two elderly hens, Sunny and Reba, and the banty Cochin are still in the bantam coop with the D'Anvers and there they shall remain.

 

[southerndesert]

Whoops late.....

 

[speckledhen]

Omigosh, would you believe I had to remove Nugget from the coop with the 15 week olds? Usually bullied by everyone else, including my banty Cochin, Nugget decided that she and her 10 week old son, Ranger, would be the ONLY ones allowed to use the roost. So, she made every one of the 9 kids leave the roost bars and perch on the edges of the nests while she sat on the top roost bar with Ranger with several empty rungs below her. Finally, I pulled her out and returned her to the bantam coop with Sunny and Reba and left Ranger, bewildered, sitting on the roost with the 15 week olds, separated from his mama for the very first time. I've never seen Nugget throw her weight around, but she was really using her position to make that bunch of kids suffer!

 

[BooBear]

She was Queen for a short while. Poor Nugget vanquished and looses her son to boot!
Hopefully Ranger will be alright.

Well the option to build another coop is always available.......

 

[speckledhen]

No, no, I won't build another coop, I won't! Can't make me. No, won't do it.

I already have a chicken village here. Just sold the Firetower to gavinandallison so I'm down one coop already and like having that blank space so much I moved my young magnolia tree into it.