Should we try to adopt a neighbor’s chickens?

[alinas2010]

Rosy would be a cute name. Just a thought.

Mine always do that with newcomers, but don’t just pop her in and hope for the best. Let them see her but not touch her. Then supervised slowly move her in with them, eventually letting her sleep with them.

Rosy would be cute. I’ll have to feel her out for a little bit.

Thanks, I was really disappointed when they fought this morning. It’s so vicious. We’ll try to integrate this way - seeing not touching - for a week or so and see how it goes. If you’re saying the fighting is normal and you and others have had luck integrating this way, that makes me hopeful.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Rosy would be cute. I’ll have to feel her out for a little bit.

Thanks, I was really disappointed when they fought this morning. It’s so vicious. We’ll try to integrate this way - seeing not touching - for a week or so and see how it goes. If you’re saying the fighting is normal and you and others have had luck integrating this way, that makes me hopeful.

Yes, it’s totally normal. I would be surprised if a flock simply didn’t care about a newcomer. Mine are very vicious when it comes to new chickens, everything goes well in the end. I wouldn’t worry to much.

 

[alinas2010]

I think we’re calling her Ravioli. The other girls don’t want to come into the coop where she is. Is that normal? It could be because they don’t like the kennel she’s in? I know chickens hate change, hopefully after a week or so they’ll get over it.

 

[Isadora]

I think we’re calling her Ravioli.

I love it

 

[Chicken poppy]

I think we’re calling her Ravioli.

Such a cute name! I nickname one of mine that, her names Rizo so i call her “Rizo Razioli” or “Rizzoli”

 

[alinas2010]

Such a cute name! I nickname one of mine that, her names Rizo so i call her “Rizo Razioli” or “Rizzoli”

Love it the nicknames get out of control here! We’ve got a French Fry who gets called Fry Fry, French Fry Apple Pie, French Fritos, French Freckles…about everything but her real name.

 

[Aki no niwatori]

Once they start it is almost impossible to stop them. I have heard there are ways to get them to stop but its more akin to muzzling or doing something to their beak to make it hard for them to break up the shell than anything. If you want to rescue them I suggest putting them in a different coop and keeping them as pets.

To prevent encouraging this issue in other chickens it is advised to break up and dry out the shell so it is more like grit or flakes so they don't identify it as egg shells. That being said it would make sense for a mother to eat the shells of hatched chicks as a source of nutrition.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Love it the nicknames get out of control here! We’ve got a French Fry who gets called Fry Fry, French Fry Apple Pie, French Fritos, French Freckles…about everything but her real name.

I can relate! I think all pet owners go a bit nuts with the nicknames, i had someone come to my house and they heard me call my cat “Mee-jet” and her name was Kiwi. I told them not to ask any questions.

 

[alinas2010]

Once they start it is almost impossible to stop them. I have heard there are ways to get them to stop but its more akin to muzzling or doing something to their beak to make it hard for them to break up the shell than anything. If you want to rescue them I suggest putting them in a different coop and keeping them as pets.

To prevent encouraging this issue in other chickens it is advised to break up and dry out the shell so it is more like grit or flakes so they don't identify it as egg shells. That being said it would make sense for a mother to eat the shells of hatched chicks as a source of nutrition.

Egg eater or productive flock member, we took her in. She’s here to stay, now, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter much at this point, we’ll do everything we can to give her a good life.

We’ve gone two days and she hasn’t eaten any yet. She laid one both days and left it there in the nest. I’m probably speaking wayyy too soon, though. Ive seen her nose around the eggs a bit and maybe she was thinking of cracking them open, but idk, I didn’t let it go on for too long before I collected them. I’m fortunate in that I am able to work from home, so I can frequently collect their eggs. We also have a camera to watch them, so that helps me be able to go out there right away when a hen gets off the nest. Hoping if i collect them quick enough and leave only the fake ones in there to be pecked at, she’ll learn and we’ll be okay.

Either way she’s welcome to stay. As you said, separating her in her own little coop is an option if she can’t break the habit.

 

[Aki no niwatori]

Good to hear so far. Another thing is eliminating stress and providing adequate forage may help her as well.