Please help- traveling plans!

[StarLover21]

Okay, we have two extremally territorial Red Star hens, two black star pullets, and one whiteleghorn pullet. We keep the pullets together in a pen, and the hens free range the yard. The pullets don't have access to the coop. Every night I carry them there, and put them in. The coop is seperated in two halves with wire, so they don't hurt eachother. Last time they were together, we ended up with blood. So we're traveling to Kentucky for two weeks this december. I don't know what to do for the chickens! Nobody is going to have the time to catch each one of those pul. lets and put them in the coop and lock them up every day! And they're too young to put together, right? (12 weeks). Because I know that The RS are very territorial. We have a freind with chickens, maybe we could set something up there....but that would be too much hassle in my opinion. We do have bad predator problems here, and they have to be locked up. We also have hawks, so i'm not comfortable letting the babies free range the yard- one of them got killed last time.

So what do I do!
Help please!

 

[ChicKat]

Hi StarLover21

This may be of no help---I was thinking that you had a run attached to the coop when I wrote it--- ;o\\
Is there any attached run to the coop of the territorial chickens? Have they seen each other during the 12 weeks? I think that one reason that chickens are so territorial is that they kick into survival mode. They either want to make sure that what food is around is there for them (not the unknown invaders) , or that this strange little creature is not some new form of rhodent that will harm them.

If you could provide two feeding/watering stations in your run, and try them out together, there is a chance that you could combine the flock before you go. If you know for sure that that won't work, it gets tougher to manage.

Perhaps if there are only 2 that would beat up on the littler ones, you could send them off to 'boarding school' during the time you are gone, and keep your other chickens in the coop. perhaps after two weeks when you brought the older ones back, they would be reorientated and since they had experienced a change of scene.... Just brainstorming here.

Perils I have heard about having others keep your chickens away from your home for awhile include everything from picking up a disease to having the people caring for the chickens fall in love with them so much that you will never get them back.

Last of all -- maybe switch so that the two are outside to be carried back and forth and the 12-week olds are inside. Maybe who ever cares for your chickens while you are gone, would find it easier to transport two than the pullets??

Post back what you decided to do and how it worked out - after your trip. I'm subscribing to hear how you will solve it. good luck.