Disquiet in the flock and roosting on the roof

[spanner4444]

Hello all!

I'm worried that I've really messed up my flock. I had 2 old girls, Vin (head of the house) and Satay (who no longer lays and is very much just for pats).

A few months ago we got some new pullets, Lemon, Salt and Pepper. Initially we were going to keep them seperated for a few weeks, but they were bugger than expected and when we put them in the yard together didn't go too badly. There was a bit of fighting and feather pulling, but they had a few roosts out of reach of the 2 oldies and I wasn't too concerned.

It has been nearly 3 months and things have not settled down. The pullets aren't laying, and worst of all they won't go into the henhouse at night because Vin sits at the entry and pecks them. It's getting cold here, so I have to go out every night and remove them from the roof of the house and place them inside.

I have tried putting a light inside the house- it just kept the old girls awake longer and more alert when I moved in the young ones.

Is there anything else I can do?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

This is a common sort of problem to have during integration.

What are the dimensions of your coop? Could you show us photos of your setup?

 

[spanner4444]

I don't have any photos, but the coop is 2m X 1.5m, and it's about .75m off the ground, with a ramp up to it.

Inside we have 2 roosts at opposite ends of the coop, but the one that Vin sits on is very close to the doorway.

 

[aart]

I don't have any photos, but the coop is 2m X 1.5m, and it's about .75m off the ground, with a ramp up to it.

Could you get some?

Inside we have 2 roosts at opposite ends of the coop, but the one that Vin sits on is very close to the doorway.

Can Vin reach the entering pullets while on the roost...or does she stay on the floor to deter them?
Are both roosts the same height?
Could you raise the roost farther from the door?
Vin might then choose that roost, leaving the entry clear.