I really love BYC. Because of all of you fine folks, my first attempt at integrating my flock seems to be going fantastically. Thank you. 
Here are my cast of characters:
The bigs—3.5 years old
Cleo—barred rock
Mitzi—Easter Egger, big and black/copper
Fifi—Gold-laced Wyandotte (currently in a hard molt and looking rough)
The mediums —5.5 months old
Maya—Bielefelder—sunset colored
Mia—Splash Isbar—mostly white, with black, um, splashes
The littles—2-3 months old
Margie and LB (Little Bit)—Blue Isbars
Talullah and Honey—Cream Crested Legbars (Honey is short for Honey Badger, as in 'Honey badger don’t care')
I've isolated the two new groups for three weeks, then did the look-but-can't-touch thing for another month (bringing them in to my office at night, what a pain). This past weekend I put their 'coop' (big dog crate) in the run at night, then let them all out to free range in the daytime. My yard is quite overgrown, so lots of places to run and hide. *I now claim my lack of landscaping is a purposeful act for the chickens)
Yesterday morning it was raining. I went and put out the three feeders under cover in various places; the littles' feeder went under the coop itself. The littles went for it, then Mitzi, a big, went toward it. I was worried. However, she just sidled up and started eating. They scattered, then came back and I got to watch four littles and one giant big all eating at the chick feeder. Funny stuff--she's bigger than all four of them combined.
THEN, Maya and Mia, the mediums, started to head into the run, making their 'I'ma gonna get you' clucks. Mitzi turns around and totally fronts, so they leave in a hurry. As Mitzi was leaving, Fifi, another big, passed her in the run and went to eat with them, too.
This is turning into a novel, but I found it fascinating. I'm going to try to put the littles in the coop at night this weekend, so I can get up really early and let them out before things get dicey, then watch 'em.
Chickens are awesome!
Here are my cast of characters:
The bigs—3.5 years old
Cleo—barred rock
Mitzi—Easter Egger, big and black/copper
Fifi—Gold-laced Wyandotte (currently in a hard molt and looking rough)
The mediums —5.5 months old
Maya—Bielefelder—sunset colored
Mia—Splash Isbar—mostly white, with black, um, splashes
The littles—2-3 months old
Margie and LB (Little Bit)—Blue Isbars
Talullah and Honey—Cream Crested Legbars (Honey is short for Honey Badger, as in 'Honey badger don’t care')
I've isolated the two new groups for three weeks, then did the look-but-can't-touch thing for another month (bringing them in to my office at night, what a pain). This past weekend I put their 'coop' (big dog crate) in the run at night, then let them all out to free range in the daytime. My yard is quite overgrown, so lots of places to run and hide. *I now claim my lack of landscaping is a purposeful act for the chickens)
Yesterday morning it was raining. I went and put out the three feeders under cover in various places; the littles' feeder went under the coop itself. The littles went for it, then Mitzi, a big, went toward it. I was worried. However, she just sidled up and started eating. They scattered, then came back and I got to watch four littles and one giant big all eating at the chick feeder. Funny stuff--she's bigger than all four of them combined.
THEN, Maya and Mia, the mediums, started to head into the run, making their 'I'ma gonna get you' clucks. Mitzi turns around and totally fronts, so they leave in a hurry. As Mitzi was leaving, Fifi, another big, passed her in the run and went to eat with them, too.
This is turning into a novel, but I found it fascinating. I'm going to try to put the littles in the coop at night this weekend, so I can get up really early and let them out before things get dicey, then watch 'em.
Chickens are awesome!
