Illia ~ I know how you feel! Right now I have 5 cockerels and 5 pullets. The lone hatch cockerel, Pip, is still the lowest bird on the totem pole! I opened up the chicklet run today to let them mingle with the "big" birds. The young ones didn't have any problems, even when Fuglee roo came over to show authority over them. They just stood there and held their ground. Old Fugs just turned and walked away from them! Then, the lowest on the young chick pecking order went after Pip, and he runs screaming! Not a good sign. My big pullets are way meaner to the new ones than the cockerel, but these youngins' are close to their size and don't run screaming away from them, so I think they have a better chance to affiliate themselves into the flock. They are all in the big coop tonight because of the cold and wind, and I think they will stay there. They are in a seperate pen within the coop, but tomorrow I will let them all mingle. Poor Pip will have a traumatic day for sure, but he'd better grow a pair if he's to survive!
Next week I hope the builders will be here to start on the new coop. Then Fuglee can have a pad to himself, with his favorite gal. Maybe then Pip will come into his own, but I don't know, as he's scared to death of the pullets too! What to do, what to do??
