New to Chickens - Part 2...

[Enchanted1s]

Hi All - I have another thread here that starts at the beginning, but a brief recap and lots of new questions! Around June, one of the neighbors hens came to our side of the shared fence. Neighbor continued to throw food to the hen, and our two goats LOVED that too much - not good for goats. Shortly after, the neighbors dogs killed all of his chickens - while our hen must have watched. They got more chickens and a couple of roosters. One day he says his roosters are fighting, how about he throws one over for the hen? I thought he was kidding, but alas - that is how we came to have our pair. I built a pen around the corner that shares the fence with the neighbors chickens to keep the Goats out (not the chickens in). Sept. starts coming to a close and they are still roaming freely - quite happy, but no real shelter and storms + winter is coming. Between the storms and flash floods, knee deep in mud - we built them a coop.

SO - now we have a walk in coop for them, and have them going to bed at night. So proud of the hen, today she laid an egg IN THE LAYING BOX! BUT... this morning, we had two new chickens in the coop! It turns out that the neighbor bought 6 young chickens at the flea market yesterday, and two of them decided they liked it better at our house! Neighbor asked if we wanted to keep them?? We decided to give it a few days to see how things go?

Neighbor thinks they are both hens. I think we have another pair?? One is much bigger than the other, and he is acting male - if that makes since? He? is terrified of Roo (our rooster) Tonight, I figured I would lock the two big ones in their nest (like I have been doing every night) and let the little ones just stay in the coop. Little ones were too scared to go in the coop with the big ones, even though they were really hungry and made a couple of attempts at the food - one look at the big rooster and they ran away every time. I did finally get everyone put to bed for tonight, but how should I be approaching this? Do the hens usually sleep together with the roosters? I figure during the day, I will just let them work it out themselves - but what should I do at night. Our two are just barely learning their routine and Roo does not seem to pleased that there are two new birds around.

I have no idea what kind of chickens we have acquired??

 

[ChickNanny13]

The bottom pic, looks like 2 EE pullets (guessing, depending on age). When you "lock the two big ones in their nest", they're not sleeping in the nest box but on a roost, right? They all sleep together on the roost at night, you could put the 2 new ones on the roost with the older ones at night when it's DARK.
When adding to your original flock, it's best to quarantine for at least a month to observe for illness or diseases. When you integrate the new to the original, it's usually done slowly, allowing them to see each other but not touch each other. I've read "wire cage" in the run but think you may have a handle on it. Just make sure the new ones have their own water/feeder since the Roo tends to intimidate but look. Thinking the new ones are pullets, it may go easier. Good luck

 

[Enchanted1s]

Thanks ChickNanny13. There is a roost in the nest box that the big ones are sleeping in. BUT, the hen has chosen to sleep in the laying box portion of the nest box. I built her a separate laying box that is in the coop, but not in their nesting box. I was going to figure a way to partition that off and force her to sleep on the perch, but she likes it in there AND today she even laid an egg where she was supposed to!

The older ones were going into their box on their own. Tonight was the first night with these new ones. Hopefully - in a week or so they will all learn to get along and sleep together. If not, these young ones will have to go back over the fence where they came from.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Just checking in, we have been having a new roof installed thanks to the hail storms that started all of this... BUT, I think we are getting the hang of being responsible chicken owners. I put a PVC water system in the coop for them. After a few days, I removed the cage that I had put in there for the babies. Added more roosts, a swing and another ladder into the nest box. They have a choice of both round and square perches throughout the coop - but all of them prefer to sleep anywhere BUT the perches.

We have finally named the older two - Rudy and Tootie - they both sleep in the laying box attached to the main nest box in the coop. Tootie continues to leave is one light brown egg - in her Red Laying Box, every day. I am still convinced that one of the babies is a boy - despite his near perfect hen feathers in the rear! He acts like a Roo and he is doing his best to crow like a Roo! Everyone is going to the coop at night, but the bigger baby (the boy) remains very skittish and seems to be scared to death of Rudy. Both babies are still small enough that they can run right thru our fences. They spend most of the day running in and out of the fence (off & on the property), but they know where home is and never go more than a few feet from the fence. Tootie can no longer fit thru the fence & Rudy never could. The babies sleep in the corner of the coop - closest to their siblings across the fence.