Integration has begun

[ziggywiggy1]

Today is the first day I’m letting the big girls and the new recruits share the run together, I’m listening from the screened porch and getting the occasional squeal but it’s 3 big girls to 5 new chicks so hopefully that disperses some of the angst. The new recruits are 8 week old salmon favs and the originals are silver laced Wyandottes. I figure it’s going to get worse before it gets better? The salmon fav roo is the only one that’s tried to go toe to toe with big boss Betty and that didn’t go so well for him Otherwise they run away in a panic if the big girls look at them funny.

 

[Mrs. K]

do make sure you have hide outs, multiple feed places where a bird eating can't see another bird eating.

 

[ziggywiggy1]

oh definitely, the old small coop is inside the run still and the new coop was also open. The new girls seemed to take refuge in the big coop so i just made sure they had water in there. They are all in the big coop tonight to sleep but I think everyone was too drowsy to pay each other mind. Just going to make sure we have multiple feed and water spots for a few days.

 

[aart]

Just going to make sure we have multiple feed and water spots for a few days.

Gonna take more than a few days....more like a few weeks, or more.

 

[3KillerBs]

Gonna take more than a few days....more like a few weeks, or more.

I always have at least 2 feeders and 2 waterers -- just in case.

 

[Sally PB]

do make sure you have hide outs, multiple feed places where a bird eating can't see another bird eating.

This was critical for me. It seems like, "out of sight, out of mind," is truly a chicken-brain thing. Once a little one was out of line of sight of the big one, the chase was done.

 

[ziggywiggy1]

It’s been about 2 weeks and at most I have only had to break up one spat where one of the newbies got cornered by the big girls but it didn’t seem she was worse for wear after she got away. I have one chicken (the lowest of the original three) that really doesn’t want to let the newbies run around so today I have her confined to the smaller coop while everyone else is free. But even now the newbies are just chilling in the big coop, so I guess it will take some more time. I have been putting the big girls in the big coop at night and I don’t hear any fighting when I go to let them out in the morning.

Everyone has access to food and water so I guess if no one is being pummeled I’ll let them do their thing.