Really wondered what I was going to find when I visited the Big Chickenhouse this morning. I imagined all the incumbent hens welcoming the newcomers, inviting them to tea, sharing memorable egg photos. Maybe a nice Tupperware party to help them get settled…
No – I’m not quite that inexperienced. I just hoped there was no blood.
And in fact the three were pretty much exactly where I suspected they would be…
Yeah. But then I got busy hauling scary new stuff inside, spreading straw, drilling and screwing stuff – activity guaranteed to convince even the most antisocial hen that a mutual threat does exist. Far less than halfway through my commotion, they might not have been best mates but they were certainly all out in the chicken yard together.
Now there’s twice the pellet storage capacity, if nothing else.
Since the flock is officially changing ownership, with Neighbor L taking over monthly subsidies and therefore management decisions from Landlady – I figured I’d better give the shelves their annual scrape. This batch of hens decided to roost up there, so they get six inches deep in shit pretty much moments after I clean them off. I put in the nesting box from the Fortress coop – it has two, but they only ever used one of them. And I set up a second feeder and waterer.
Should work out fine.
I’m doing this tonight. The thought being that I am going to introduce them at night so less initial craziness. Let us know how it goes over the next few days. I’m putting two young hens into a coop with six one year olds.