I can’t reach the coop - rapid integration needed?

[gotta_start_somewhere]

Hi wonderful chicken peoples!

A hive of bees moved in near our chicken coop. The bees seem to be leaving the chickens alone but they don’t let me near the area anymore. yesterday one chased me away ( I was feeding my chickens) by repeatedly ramming it’s head into the back of my head and neck. A bee even chased me at night. im grateful that I have not been stung because I am severely allergic to bees.

the coop is too heavy for me to move.
apparently the local bee people are swamped. It’ll be at least another week before we can get the hive removed.

i Have another flock and coop that’s well away from the bees. I am considering the option of trying to rapidly integrate the two flocks. They are mellow-ish chickens. Orpingtons and EE. I’ve never integreated before but I’ve watched some YouTube videos on it.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I’d love to hear any ideas or input.
thank you!! Y’all are the best!

 

[Mrs. K]

A lot will depend on numbers, and space. To integrate, you need more space, several feed stations set up all over the run, and set up so that a bird eating at one station cannot see a bird at another station. You need more than enough space, over crowding will make this worse.

You need clutter, or junk. Mini walls, boxes on their side, pallets, roosts, ladders, saw horses. It needs to be highly cluttered, with stuff birds can get up on top of, or down underneath. It will seem more crowded, but actually gives more space to birds by making use of the vertical space.

And this will work best, if you have about equal numbers and larger numbers in both flocks. If you have all of the above - I would go ahead and try it. Watch them, you will have a lot of bluster, but it should settle fairly quickly.

I do not recommend this if you have a huge discrepancy in the number of birds in each pen. Or even if you only have 1-2 birds in each flock. The more birds, the easier it will be, the least birds the rockier it can be.

ps. If you have roosters in each flock, this is more apt to go wrong.

Mrs K

 

[gotta_start_somewhere]

A lot will depend on numbers, and space. To integrate, you need more space, several feed stations set up all over the run, and set up so that a bird eating at one station cannot see a bird at another station. You need more than enough space, over crowding will make this worse.

You need clutter, or junk. Mini walls, boxes on their side, pallets, roosts, ladders, saw horses. It needs to be highly cluttered, with stuff birds can get up on top of, or down underneath. It will seem more crowded, but actually gives more space to birds by making use of the vertical space.

And this will work best, if you have about equal numbers and larger numbers in both flocks. If you have all of the above - I would go ahead and try it. Watch them, you will have a lot of bluster, but it should settle fairly quickly.

I do not recommend this if you have a huge discrepancy in the number of birds in each pen. Or even if you only have 1-2 birds in each flock. The more birds, the easier it will be, the least birds the rockier it can be.

ps. If you have roosters in each flock, this is more apt to go wrong.

Mrs K

It worked! There has been squabbling and a few fights that I broke up, but now things seem to be smoothing over. They are in a pretty big area with lots of hiding spaces, like you said. Right now the two flocks are cliquish, but not fighting anymore.

 

[Penpal]

Make a mix of water with a few drops of peppermint. At night, spray the hive. When the queen leaves, the others will follow. A few will stay behind to watch the baby bees, they they will all be gone.

I used this method on two types of hornets.

 

[Mrs. K]

Good! I am glad it worked.