Rooster behavior-breaking up trio

[lilcrow]

I am looking for the best, least traumatic ways for my birds and me to re-organize. I have 2 trios of Mille Fleur d'Uccle and ideally I would like to consolidate and put all of the hens with my best roo and the other has been offered a home with a 4H'er who has "bantams" but no bantam roo. I have no idea what he has and I don't think he knows either. When I ask his father, he just hems and haws and tries to describe them, but doesn't know a name. At any rate, he would have the run of a small flock of hens. The questions I have are:
1. How stressful is it on the roo to make that change and am I setting up a potentially disastrous situation for him?
2. What are the same concerns for the hens on my end and is there anything I can do to make their transition into the new group easier?
I was thinking about putting the hens in a cage inside the pen for several days with the trio so that they would really be in the middle of things, but no one could get to them to beat them up.

 

[Lollipop]

Your plan to pen the new hens seperately among the others is a good one. While there is always some stress involved in moving birds, the only conflicts will be inroducing your hens from the two groups. If they have plenty of room, pecking order should go a lot easier, that meaning, the lesser hens can escape the more dominant ones and all should smooth out in a few days. Good plan. The kid will learn a lot with his "bantams" and in the 4-H. His new roo will think he`s gone to Heaven.........Pop

 

[lilcrow]

Oh thank goodness. I've really been torturing myself over this. I try really hard to not anthropomorphize, but I don't do very well. My first instinct is to project myself into the animals place and then I have to work back from there, reminding myself they aren't human. They respond and feel differently than we do, not no feelings, just different, and I've really struggled with chickens. They are a real puzzle to me, fascinating......but a puzzle none the less. I think I complicate things too much.
I'm relieved to hear you say that it could take only a few days for the hens to fit in if I cage them in the pen with the trio. I was afraid I might be looking at as much as a month or so.
All in all, I feel better. Thank you VERY much!
God Bless BYC'ers

Thanks Lollipop

 

[Lollipop]

My pleasure. Don`t fret about chickens. basic needs met and they can adapt to nearly anything..........Pop