Violet's only companion died today - and it's freezing

[Acornewell]

Both hens are in the roost!! Hooray!

YAYYYYYY!!!

 

[KayTee]

I rarely see my chickens eating unless it's treats. I like the idea of two dishes but I'd bet Tilly eats when you're not looking. Two dishes can't hurt. I'm loving following this story.

Me neither, and yet the level of dry pellets in the bowl inside their coop goes down steadily. From time to time I catch one of them in there having a snack, but I know that it's more frequent than that.

Both hens are in the roost!! Hooray!

Hooray! Don't worry, it takes time to adjust to changes when you add a new girl.

I've just had one girl stop sleeping on the roost (she's sick and can't get up there any more), leaving only two girls roosting up there. They came from the same breeder at the same time and have always got on really well. When they first had the space to themselves, Zulu took to patrolling the entire length ( 4 metres!) of the roost at dusk, running up and down to try and stop Cookie from getting up and roosting. When Cookie did get up there, Zulu would run up to her, burrow under her feathers and try to push her off! The result was often that Cookie ended up standing on Zulu's back, before dropping off onto the floor - absolutely hilarious! This carried on every night for about a week, but Cookie has finally won out, and sleeps in the favourite space right by the wall and the door, with Zulu cuddled up next to her. Give it time, and I am sure that they will work it out.

 

[yogamebird]

Cookie sounds like a girl after my own heart!

I think the girls are getting along better. Now my issue is when I put the mash down in the run - can't get Tilly out of the coop! It's as if Violet owns the run. But I did see Tilly eating out of the pellet feeder - oh Happy Day!!

 

[Acornewell]

My girls all fight over their spots. Silly birds! Glad to hear they are coming along!

Have you thought about getting some new chicks in the spring?

 

[yogamebird]

Yes! In fact we definitely want new chicks in the spring. Here we go again with integrating chickens! We want to get 2 new pullets to join the flock. After Henrietta died, we realized that we never again want to be in the position where we leave a chicken alone and have to find an companion. So I am sure I will be back here with agonizing questions about the pecking order and whatnot. This being my first experience with chickens, I am so grateful to this group.

Ironically, my nom, Gamebird has absolutely nothing to do with poultry. The last thing I want to think about is chickens being shot for sport!

 

[LipsChicks]

I bought new baby chicks in early August and had a variety of chickens of different ages already in the coop and using the run. Since it was really warm outside, when the chicks were about 3weeks, I put them in a separate cage in the coop. The pen was hardware cloth all around. The other chickens could easily see them and got used to them. I was going to keep them there like that for two weeks. My daughter (age 25) was taking care of them for a couple of days while I was gone. Well, she got so scared of one of my roosters that she just ran through the chores and left the door of the smaller cage open. The older guys jumped in there to eat the baby's food and they all got along fine. I have integrated several batches of new babies into the coop-most of them without the extra cage in the coop-I just found it for my last batch of babies. I've never had any problems. They just all get along. I watch them but don't over think things. Where will you buy just a few chicks?

 

[yogamebird]

We'll probably get a couple of 12 week olds. There are a lot of places around here to get them. My step-daughter was able to get pullets of different colors but the same age. That's what I hope we can do. The dog crate is already ready with straw on the bottom. Can't wait for spring let alone spring chickens!!

 

[Acornewell]

We'll probably get a couple of 12 week olds. There are a lot of places around here to get them. My step-daughter was able to get pullets of different colors but the same age. That's what I hope we can do. The dog crate is already ready with straw on the bottom. Can't wait for spring let alone spring chickens!!

LOVE me some chickens...but some spring chickens!!!

I am getting ready to pull out and dust off the good ole incubator. YAY!

 

[LipsChicks]

My sentiments exactly! I'm looking for some unique baby chicks!

 

[Acornewell]

I cannot believe what some people will pay for hatching eggs around here. LOL