Lets integrate!

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Hey y'all! I got some new hens plus some chicks and I need to integrate. I got 2 splash Cochin Bantam hens to go with my black Cochin Bantam hen who lost her rooster. I tried the stick em together, maybe they'll love each other! But that didnt work, so now I have the good ole see no touch method. There is one fence seperating them. When I go out there, I put food on either side of the fence so they can eat with each other. Sweet Pea (Black hen) like to fight with everyone. Goose (lighter splash hen) is pretty chill and hasn't started a fight. Willow (darker splash hen) likes to fight with Sweet Pea. Now, in about a week, I'm going to try slowly putting them together. Once these go together, I have 3 Blue Cochin Bantam pullets (Dani, Pebbles jr, and squirrel, all 6 weeks old) and 1 Blue Cochin Bantam rooster (Hope, 6 weeks old) to put with them. In the end, we should have a BBS breeding pen! Who wants to join me on my crazy integration journey? Answer in the poll

 

[Fuchsia]

I love bantam Cochins! Good luck with them!

 

[Mrs. K]

My two cents:

• some will be chill, some will be wicked - put the wicked in a time out or add them last
• add a lot of clutter to your run, things birds can get under, on top of, step out of sight: things like ladders, sawhorses, pallets leaned against a wall, pallets up on cement blocks, tree branches, mini walls out of cardboard or plywood
• multiple feed bowls, but they must be placed so that will eating at one place, a bird can't see another bird at a second or third bowl.
• pull the original birds out of the set up and put the new birds in that set up for several hours. I let mine free range, while locking up the new birds. This lets them get some territorial rights, find the hide outs, and the extra food without being chased

good luck

Mrs K

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I'm not sure that I can safely seperate for multiple hours. Maybe I can clutter the run and let the Splash in for a while. The biggest issue is that I cant get in the run. I'll show you when I get home.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I never got a picture. Sorry! I kinda forgot I was supposed to. However, I have good news! The splash hens are successfully in with Sweet Pea. My biggest issue was teying to not stop their fighting. Everytime I got nervous and wanted to seperate them. So I told myself that I would only seperate if they fought for more then 3 rounds. Eventually, the splash hens submitted to Sweet Pea and ran when she looked at them. Its been a little while and they are happily living together in one coop. And sleeping together at night! The splashes are even laying in Sweet Peas nesting boxes. And they are eating together. I also got the 2 new blue pullets. At first, Dani (the original blue pullet) and Desi (a golden laced Sebright cockerel) were pecking them. Now they are eating and sleeping together. Though Desi still picks on them but Hope (the blue cockerel) defends them. The next task will come later. What is the next task? Combing the 4 Blue Cochin Bantams (and maybe a silkie because she has no place to go) with the 2 splash and the black hen.