TheRealKirsten
Hatching
- Aug 24, 2024
- 2
- 0
- 9
Hi. My integration story was ultimately successful but I think it took longer than it needed to and I wish I'd known what I know now when I started, so I'm posting in case it helps somebody else. I didn't see any posts about my particular circumstances -- one baby, two adults, in an Eglu.
I integrated a 14-week-old Rhode Island Red pullet into a flock of two grown Rhode Island Red hens in a Eglu Cube tractor with a 12' run. Let's call the pullet "the baby." One of the grown hens really had it in for the baby, let's call her "the bully." The other grown hen would sometimes attack the bully when the bully attacked the baby, but sometimes she ganged up on the baby with the bully, let's call her "the boss." They never drew blood but the hens wouldn't let the baby be in the same area of the run with them, and the baby was lonely. Seemed like to me she submitted every time they attacked her. It was hard to watch.
My isolation pen attaches to the Eglu run and I use a little pet house with a door for an isolation coop. I put the baby into the Eglu run only two days after I brought her home because they all seemed to be ignoring each other. I would have waited a week if I had it to do over again.
The baby slept in the isolation coop in the isolation pen the first 17 days after introduction but then she started sleeping in the Eglu coop with the older hens. Sleeping together in the coop started long before the hens stopped persecuting the baby. They must have had some sort of chicken truce that applied to the coop. It seemed like all three of them wanted the baby to be in the Eglu coop at night.
I made several changes during the first 16 days after introducing her and if I had it to do over again I would have made these changes before introducing her. I don't remember the order I did this in other than that the hanging bucket was last. Here they are:
They're fine now, whew. It was discouraging sometimes because it didn't seem like they were making any progress. There is still some chasing but the baby is not lonely any more. I'm leaving the perch and the bucket in the run, it makes it more interesting for them. The baby is the only one that uses the perch. I was surprised when she started laying because the older two didn't start laying until after they got their combs and wattles. The baby has been laying for three weeks now and she doesn't have a comb or wattles.
I integrated a 14-week-old Rhode Island Red pullet into a flock of two grown Rhode Island Red hens in a Eglu Cube tractor with a 12' run. Let's call the pullet "the baby." One of the grown hens really had it in for the baby, let's call her "the bully." The other grown hen would sometimes attack the bully when the bully attacked the baby, but sometimes she ganged up on the baby with the bully, let's call her "the boss." They never drew blood but the hens wouldn't let the baby be in the same area of the run with them, and the baby was lonely. Seemed like to me she submitted every time they attacked her. It was hard to watch.
My isolation pen attaches to the Eglu run and I use a little pet house with a door for an isolation coop. I put the baby into the Eglu run only two days after I brought her home because they all seemed to be ignoring each other. I would have waited a week if I had it to do over again.
The baby slept in the isolation coop in the isolation pen the first 17 days after introduction but then she started sleeping in the Eglu coop with the older hens. Sleeping together in the coop started long before the hens stopped persecuting the baby. They must have had some sort of chicken truce that applied to the coop. It seemed like all three of them wanted the baby to be in the Eglu coop at night.
I made several changes during the first 16 days after introducing her and if I had it to do over again I would have made these changes before introducing her. I don't remember the order I did this in other than that the hanging bucket was last. Here they are:
- installed a perch in the run -- this gave the baby another way to evade the hens
- moved the three food dishes farther apart from each other -- I started out with three food dishes but I think I had them too close together at first
- drilled holes in a short plank of wood and hung it from the side of the pen with tie wraps so it made a triangular place for the baby to hide from the hens. Another hole and I could flip it upwards and sacrifice a tie-wrap when I moved the coop.
- day 16 of introduction: Realized that the sight of the baby was enough to make the bully build up a head of steam and decided to do something to break the line of sight. I hung an upside down 5-gallon bucket from the roof of the run using a rope and fender washers and an S-hook so it won't get knocked over and so I can lift it up when I move the coop. The day after I put this in, the baby started sleeping in the Eglu coop with the other hens
They're fine now, whew. It was discouraging sometimes because it didn't seem like they were making any progress. There is still some chasing but the baby is not lonely any more. I'm leaving the perch and the bucket in the run, it makes it more interesting for them. The baby is the only one that uses the perch. I was surprised when she started laying because the older two didn't start laying until after they got their combs and wattles. The baby has been laying for three weeks now and she doesn't have a comb or wattles.
