We built a new coop for our 14 new babies who are now about 2 1/2 months old. Over the past couple of weeks we have been letting them mingle off and on both inside and outside the pen, with our 5 1yr old hens, thinking they would get used to each other.
This weekend we moved the 5 1yr old hens into the new coop with the younger ones. We moved the old nesting boxes and everything, completely emptying the old set-up, so we can clean it up and move our OEGs and Bantam Cochins into it. As expected, the older girls chased and bullied the new ones, so the "littles" did their best to stay away from the "bigs". Every time the littles tried to go inside to eat, the bigs would chase them out, to the point that I was worried the littles wouldn't get anything to eat.
Then our BO hen, the biggest bully, started going nuts at the edge of the pen that looks on to the old set-up. She was screaming and pacing. She would go into the coop and run out anyone who was inside and pace and scream in there. One of the other 1yr olds pinned her down in the corner, stood on top of her and pecked and pecked until I could get to her. I picked her up and tried to calm her down, but when that didn't work, I put her outside the new pen to wander where she wanted to go. She went over to the old pen and walked around and around, inside and out, screaming and clucking. I knew she was confused and stressed, and so was I - not knowing exactly what to do. I just let her explore and left all the doors open so she could wander in an out of the old pen.
Finally she went back to the fence around the new pen, so I put her back in the new coop, thinking that she might settle down. She chased everyone else out of the coop and then she came outside. I noticed that she was huddled down nearly under the coop and the 4 other, older hens were crouched around her. Then they all walked off and I found she had layed an egg in the grass, so my suspicion was confirmed. She was looking for the nesting boxes in the old coop.
I sat and watched them all for a little while, then it dawned on me to cover the end of the new pen that looks onto the old, so they couldn't see it and to see if that would help. After just a few minutes, the older girls headed into the coop where most of the littles had already gone to roost for the night. I heard a little squawking and moving around, but eventually they settled down for the night, so I closed the pop door and went to bed. Much to my dismay, there was one RIR outside the coop, but in the pen when I went to let them out this morning! I guess I was so upset and it was dark and he/she was probably hiding from the bigs, under the coop, so I didn't see him/her. Thankfully we had put a couple of saw horses in the pen, so he/she had a place to roost, away from the edge of the pen. I felt awful.
Do you think the bigs will finally settle down and quit chasing the littles? Will my precious BO hen finally settle down in her new home? I am so worried what I will find when I get home this afternoon!
This weekend we moved the 5 1yr old hens into the new coop with the younger ones. We moved the old nesting boxes and everything, completely emptying the old set-up, so we can clean it up and move our OEGs and Bantam Cochins into it. As expected, the older girls chased and bullied the new ones, so the "littles" did their best to stay away from the "bigs". Every time the littles tried to go inside to eat, the bigs would chase them out, to the point that I was worried the littles wouldn't get anything to eat.
Then our BO hen, the biggest bully, started going nuts at the edge of the pen that looks on to the old set-up. She was screaming and pacing. She would go into the coop and run out anyone who was inside and pace and scream in there. One of the other 1yr olds pinned her down in the corner, stood on top of her and pecked and pecked until I could get to her. I picked her up and tried to calm her down, but when that didn't work, I put her outside the new pen to wander where she wanted to go. She went over to the old pen and walked around and around, inside and out, screaming and clucking. I knew she was confused and stressed, and so was I - not knowing exactly what to do. I just let her explore and left all the doors open so she could wander in an out of the old pen.
Finally she went back to the fence around the new pen, so I put her back in the new coop, thinking that she might settle down. She chased everyone else out of the coop and then she came outside. I noticed that she was huddled down nearly under the coop and the 4 other, older hens were crouched around her. Then they all walked off and I found she had layed an egg in the grass, so my suspicion was confirmed. She was looking for the nesting boxes in the old coop.
I sat and watched them all for a little while, then it dawned on me to cover the end of the new pen that looks onto the old, so they couldn't see it and to see if that would help. After just a few minutes, the older girls headed into the coop where most of the littles had already gone to roost for the night. I heard a little squawking and moving around, but eventually they settled down for the night, so I closed the pop door and went to bed. Much to my dismay, there was one RIR outside the coop, but in the pen when I went to let them out this morning! I guess I was so upset and it was dark and he/she was probably hiding from the bigs, under the coop, so I didn't see him/her. Thankfully we had put a couple of saw horses in the pen, so he/she had a place to roost, away from the edge of the pen. I felt awful.
Do you think the bigs will finally settle down and quit chasing the littles? Will my precious BO hen finally settle down in her new home? I am so worried what I will find when I get home this afternoon!
