I feel another part of the heartache is that these breeds are ridiculously friendly and very pretty too.
. And added bonus (again, in theory) is that my gardens will be fenced off ready for spring if I move them out of it. 
Oh my, that expression says it all. She looks like she's telling those youngsters "Don't make me come over there and give you something to cry about!"
Henry got a place eventually but they're like sardines up there.
That part surprised me as I find RIR's a bit bossy and did not want bossy RSL in my flock of very docile Brahmas. The RSLs have been very passive and accommodating to my flock. They are absolutely perfect, they just don't take any time off and well, like @Sally PB explained prefectly, these are my petstock. I'm not just in this thing for the eggs. The eggs are bonus. I just want them healthy.
I'll have to get some current ones, Shad, getting ready to go out now. I'll take my camera with me.
@Shad, I know I was capping on plastic but I really like your coop. I think you did a terrific job of the whole thing (in process I understand).The sick hen was acting more normally this evening. She ate some fish and rice and some of the commercial feed. Getting her into the new coop and roosting on a bar might be making a difference. The old coop is mite ridden and damp in places.
Nobody is roosting in the old coop now and I can't see them going back. It's been a slower process than I anticipated.
Two of the Legbars went in this evening of their own volition which is a first. They came back out and on their way got pecked by doorway sitter.
I can't help but notice that I have now in effect three coops.
The old coop run where Henry, Matilda and the Legbars roost plus Lima.
Young Lima is a smart hen. She gets on well with Matilda, Henry likes her and she has a Legbar friend from the time she was a very sick hen.
The small coop at the back where three of the relative newcomers roost.
The new coop now housing all the original Ex Battery hens.
I've got to be honest and write I may have inadvertently made/allowed this to happen. But, the first two to take up residence in the new coop were Ex Battery hens. I did nothing to encourage this bar make the coop available. Number three and four were also volunteers. I think I've helped most of the rest at some point bar the last one tonight who just followed the rest.
Lima managed to knock Henry off the perch this evening in her dermination to choose her spot. Henry was completely nerfed. He couldn't see a gap on the perch to jump up to. He even went up the ramp of the new coop and peered in.
He stood under the perch pecking Matilda on her wing to get her to budge up; Matilda moves along all the Legbars do to, like it or not. She's a big hen is Matilda in this lot.
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Wow. I guess that is the difference between the Catalonia birds free ranging and the current birds only out a few hours a day?
What I don't understand is what makes the sex linked girls lay so well and why does it shorten their lives? Get worn out I suppose. I have 2 Austra Whites (*) and wow did they start out strong. Still lay very well. Relatively small birds, more Leghorn shape than Australorp and lay big, always 60g+, often closing in on 70g. I kinda fear for their longevity as well. Gretel goes broody so she gets a break from laying that Aurora does not.
