CheerioLounge - Desert Dreamin'

[snapshot]

Wow! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!!!! Great to see you here! I've been in absentia also due to internet problems. I hope you are around more often now and you all have a great New Year too!

 

[Denim Deb]

Merry Christmas! Glad you got the van up and running. That'll help you a lot.

And, I remember you talking about the neighbor w/the horses B4. I remember that there was a problem, just don't recall all the details now.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Merry Christmas, CL!

 

[Marianne]

It's so GREAT to hear from you! Sounds like there has been a lot of good fortune that came your way and it sounds like it will continue.

Merrrrrry Christmas, Mike. A bunch of us have really missed you.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Thanks Guys! It feels nice to be missed. Still catching up with y'all and hope to be back on a regular basis soon.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Due to a feather picking problem a while back, I moved the worst affected hen into the area I had designated for my grow-out pen. Now that they have all gone through their first molt and are fully feathered again, tonight I moved her back in with the others. This is the first time I've tried reintegration, and I am a bit nervous. In the time she has been separated and has gone through her molt, she has grown to be the largest of them all. I'm hoping she will take over the top spot in the pecking order, or at least bump the feather picker down a notch. I really need this to work so I can use the grow-out pen for my planned additions this spring. I want to add at least 6 more production reds to my existing flock of 4. I have been very pleased with their egg production and their temperament. I've thought about mixing it up with other breeds, but these girls have handled both the below freezing temps and the extreme desert heat with flying colors, so why mess with a good thing?

 

[CheerioLounge]

Well, I went out this morning as the girls were getting up and about and it appears that this integration is going to be a bit rough. The other girls are ganging up on their new roomie. It's hard for to stand by and watch, but I don't know if I should intervene. I don't want any bloodshed. She already has spot on her comb that has been cut. Do I just let them work it out? Call me silly, but I love those chickens!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sometimes you've just gotta let them work it out... BUT - if you do decide to take her out, you might consider taking one of the others out with her. Try to pick the least dominant one to put with her. The next time you try to re-integrate them you might try putting all the others in the pen with those two for a few days. Established flocks tend to be territorial so putting the newcomers in with the established ones is often recipe for problems. Also, try to do it after dark. Hope this helps.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Thanks FEM! I did make the move at night after they had all been settled in for a while. It was also cloudy so the moonlight was not an issue. I'm going to keep an eye on them today and see how it goes. They were only separated by chicken wire previously, so they are all very familiar with one another. Hopefully they can work it out.

 

[CheerioLounge]

I had to move her back to her own pen. The others had her pinned in a corner and were just being vicious. I put my sweetest girl in there with her and so far they are getting along well. I guess she was just joining in with the mob, because she is leaving her alone now. In a couple days I'll try again.