- Dec 17, 2012
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Hello BYC'ers,
Before getting into this, I have read and re-read the advice page on introducing new chickens to your flock. All that read and said, I have a few questions for those of you who have experience. **Also, not looking for a lecture, just advice**
I have two 10 month old hens, whom recently lost their alpha, to a respiratory disease that the other two did not become infected with. (They also got a round of antibiotics anyways before I brought in the newbies). They are pretty docile girls by nature, raised originally in duck pens, they are not very aggressive at all. They have a 4x8 coop where they roost at night, and has all their food and water. Every morning as soon as they wake me up I let them out into a 25x35 run, with juniper bushes to hide around.
This Saturday I picked up four new girls. Two Amaraucana pullets, maybe 3 months old. Two barn hatch game birds, maybe 7-8 months, good layers. They all came from a very healthy and dependable feed store, and are very visibly healthy. The game birds are adjusting fine, aside from me having to heighten their run, after I found them in a tree above the run on their first night 'home'. They get chased around a bit by the 'alpha' of my original flock, but nothing out of the ordinary.
My question mostly revolves around the pullets. I have never had girls quite this young, I've only cared for 5+ months, so maybe this is normal. The pullets will not leave the coop. They tend to hang out in the back of a nesting box for most of their time, or on the roosting poles in the coop. They are eating and drinking water. Is it normal for young girls to be so inactive? I see them wandering around the coop a bit, scratching and pecking, but they do not venture outside.
The game birds go and pick on them every so often when they are tired of getting chased around, but give up quickly, seems normal. However, when my original hens go in to lay, they want the pullets OUT of all nesting boxes. The pullets are so helpless that they cower in the corner of the nesting box, rather than running away. No blood so far, but I'm worried about their lack of spunk. These pullets were in a mixed cage, with hens and roosters of 3-5 years.
Is it normal for pullets of this age to be so inactive? Any advice is appreciated.
Before getting into this, I have read and re-read the advice page on introducing new chickens to your flock. All that read and said, I have a few questions for those of you who have experience. **Also, not looking for a lecture, just advice**
I have two 10 month old hens, whom recently lost their alpha, to a respiratory disease that the other two did not become infected with. (They also got a round of antibiotics anyways before I brought in the newbies). They are pretty docile girls by nature, raised originally in duck pens, they are not very aggressive at all. They have a 4x8 coop where they roost at night, and has all their food and water. Every morning as soon as they wake me up I let them out into a 25x35 run, with juniper bushes to hide around.
This Saturday I picked up four new girls. Two Amaraucana pullets, maybe 3 months old. Two barn hatch game birds, maybe 7-8 months, good layers. They all came from a very healthy and dependable feed store, and are very visibly healthy. The game birds are adjusting fine, aside from me having to heighten their run, after I found them in a tree above the run on their first night 'home'. They get chased around a bit by the 'alpha' of my original flock, but nothing out of the ordinary.
My question mostly revolves around the pullets. I have never had girls quite this young, I've only cared for 5+ months, so maybe this is normal. The pullets will not leave the coop. They tend to hang out in the back of a nesting box for most of their time, or on the roosting poles in the coop. They are eating and drinking water. Is it normal for young girls to be so inactive? I see them wandering around the coop a bit, scratching and pecking, but they do not venture outside.
The game birds go and pick on them every so often when they are tired of getting chased around, but give up quickly, seems normal. However, when my original hens go in to lay, they want the pullets OUT of all nesting boxes. The pullets are so helpless that they cower in the corner of the nesting box, rather than running away. No blood so far, but I'm worried about their lack of spunk. These pullets were in a mixed cage, with hens and roosters of 3-5 years.
Is it normal for pullets of this age to be so inactive? Any advice is appreciated.
