Easiest chicken introduction ever

BabyBantam

BabyBantam

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Well, Lilly and Crumpet where popped into the main ark on Friday night. We had a pretty quiet day yesterday with Tik and Tak upstairs and the other two down due to the rain and a few spats when the older two came down to eat. BUT after a scrabble at bedtime and a decent spat between Tak and Lilly, think it's all resolved :o
This morning, they are all in a tight bunch moving and preening together with everyone giving way in the order I thought they might be in. They all look happy and I am really relieved.
Moral of this story is, however inconvenient or expensive it is to buy or make a small coop and run, keeping the chickens separate but within sight of each other for a couple of weeks before introduction has a massive effect on the chooks when it comes to them meeting. Even if you think the health side of it isn't worth it, they get to size each other up and make friends before the big day.
Looks like I can spend the next couple of days off work Christmas shopping rather than wringing my hands at the fights....
:D
 
Good news and I agree with you entirely BabyBantam. We have three Marans at 27 weeks now. They are in a coop and run within the main enclosure surrounded by young TNN's. Three weeks in and the TNN's go over every morning and just sit with them. Whilst I expect a minor spat with the pecking order when they are let out to roam with them, I doubt blood will be drawn. They are due for release in a week or so, once they have been wormed and perhaps by then they will have started laying- we can but hope. We were a bit worried when we got them because they had always free-ranged so we expected stress problems when confined. But no problems at all -the run is an 'L' shape and they have good vision all round, so perhaps they feel safer confined, now they are in a strange environment?
 
Entirely agree about separating them beforehand, but the time of year is important as well. Introductions are always much easier in the Autumn or Winter because they are out if the breeding season. An established group is always much more terratorial once they come back into lay from New Year onwards.
Glad it went well, all the same!
 
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