evidently my last question was so weird it garnered no response <g>.

time i was hoping for some advice on re-forming my flocks as they
will be
moving into new houses & yard soon, but, i wanted to still keep two
seperate
flocks (i think).

we have a little flock of 3 isa brown pullets, due to start laying
in about
a month. we have another flock of 10 hens, 3 isas and 7 game hens.

what i was intending to do was to take 1 or 2 of the bottom-most
game hens
from the big flock, & put them in with the little isas when everyone
moves
to the new set-up. one game hen in particular is victimised terribly
in the
big flock, & it might be a chance for her to recover & be less
oppressed
with the little isas, who are very peaceful atm (but may not stay so
with
one or two newbies). a month or two ago it was very, very bad & i
was
considering isolating by most-oppressed little hen for her own
safety. it's
somewhat better now but i still hope to re-balance flock numbers one
way or
another i think, and so i'm tempted to put her, or both her & the
next one
up who also gets a really hard time, in with the pullets & see if it
helps.

have i got the whole thing wrong? any advice? would there be a
better way to
re-form the flocks - or should i just throw the whole lot in
together, even?

I've found that my hens have been able to be mixed IF I put them next
to each others in pens for a few weeks so they could look at each
other through the wire and IF I mixed about the same numbers from one
flock into the other when time did come for mixing.

have i got the whole thing wrong? any advice? would there be a
better way to
re-form the flocks - or should i just throw the whole lot in
together, even?

No to the latter IMHO - the picked on, stay picked on. Sometimes it
works to remove the picked on ones entirely and get them refeathered
and bigger and healthier but not always.

"Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote in message

together, even?

No to the latter IMHO - the picked on, stay picked on. Sometimes
it
works to remove the picked on ones entirely and get them
refeathered
and bigger and healthier but not always.

hm, shame. do you mean my unfortunate hens would probably just be
picked on
by the little isas instead of the big ones?

on by others instead, is it a good idea anyway? or in your opinion
is it as
well if they stay with their pre-existing flock because there's
probably not
going to be any benefit to anyone?

"0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message

"Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote in message


or should i just throw the whole lot in

together, even?

No to the latter IMHO - the picked on, stay picked on. Sometimes

it

works to remove the picked on ones entirely and get them

refeathered

and bigger and healthier but not always.

hm, shame. do you mean my unfortunate hens would probably just be

picked on

by the little isas instead of the big ones?


Sorry, I realise now what I wrote was not clear - I wouldn't bung them
all together because the picked on ones will stay at the bottom of the
dung heap as the others see what the other hens do to the picked on
ones. They may be able to assert themselves if they go into a new
mob. They may not either and especially if they look like they've
been picked on ie featherless and ready to take to their heels at the
first sign of picking - that sort of behaviour makes them the eternal
victim - a bit like people really.

even if they did just get picked

on by others instead, is it a good idea anyway? or in your opinion

is it as

well if they stay with their pre-existing flock because there's

probably not

going to be any benefit to anyone?


I'd try putting them with the Isa Browns - what have you (or the
picked on ones) got to lose? It may or may not work, but try to get
the picked on ones looking good and eyeballing the Isa Browns before
you put them together. More pens to build perhaps???? Try to keep
the same number introduced as the flock your introducing them to (and
the introducees the same colour too if you can - my birds have always
seemed to be colour sensitive - sound silly but that's what I've
observed).


My most recent "integrating" was with babies and older chooks. The babies had

"0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message
"Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote in message

or should i just throw the whole lot in
together, even?

No to the latter IMHO - the picked on, stay picked on. Sometimes
it
works to remove the picked on ones entirely and get them
refeathered
and bigger and healthier but not always.

hm, shame. do you mean my unfortunate hens would probably just be
picked on
by the little isas instead of the big ones?

Sorry, I realise now what I wrote was not clear - I wouldn't bung them
all together because the picked on ones will stay at the bottom of the
dung heap as the others see what the other hens do to the picked on
ones.

mob. They may not either and especially if they look like they've
been picked on ie featherless and ready to take to their heels at the
first sign of picking - that sort of behaviour makes them the eternal
victim - a bit like people really.

even if they did just get picked
on by others instead, is it a good idea anyway? or in your opinion
is it as
well if they stay with their pre-existing flock because there's
probably not
going to be any benefit to anyone?

I'd try putting them with the Isa Browns - what have you (or the
picked on ones) got to lose? It may or may not work, but try to get
the picked on ones looking good and eyeballing the Isa Browns before
you put them together. More pens to build perhaps???? Try to keep
the same number introduced as the flock your introducing them to (and
the introducees the same colour too if you can - my birds have always
seemed to be colour sensitive - sound silly but that's what I've
observed).

My most recent "integrating" was with babies and older chooks. The babies
had got to about junior high school age and I let them out a couple of
times, though it's not really letting-out season - berry fruits are
ripening and there are still *some* at the lower levels that the little
birds haven't nicked. Anyway the babies thought this was FABULOUS! After
a couple of times, and since it was getting on for evening so they
couldn't do too much damage - the first enthusiasm being picking grass
fresh from the lawn - I let the grown-ups out too. Come nighty-night
time everyone was in the big chooks' house, no hassles.

A month or 2 later Big Red had gone back on the lay so I put her back in
with the big chooks and left her 2 (two! - out of I don't know how many
eggs, most of which had had chicks of some stage or other in them that had
died) tinies. They were still what I'd have thought of as too small to
put in with the big chooks but I did the same and sure enough, they
trotted into the big house where there have been no hassles at all. They
are still about a third the size of the other young ones!

I don't know if this is any use to you but suggest that maybe it would be
possible for your chooks to choose their own house-mates and go to either
house according to preference. Then a few weeks down the track you could
try it again. . . .

Mind you my little-chicky pen is right through the wire netting from the
big chooks so they already knew one another by sight.

on a side note, my wee babies are now laying!!! (well, two of them
are).

today i found two tiny eggs in a little nest they'd made on the
ground! (why
they didn't lay them in their house i'm not sure, but then, they
don't like
roosting, either. perhaps they are non-conformists? i was not
expecting
this for weeks!!
kylie who is now in a mad rush to build a nesting box onto their
little
house

"0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message

on a side note, my wee babies are now laying!!! (well, two of them
are).

Congrats, Mum.

If you're short of time,

which I know will please your recycling heart) is that old grass
catchers from mowers work well as nest boxes and can often be found at
the local tip - just stuff with straw and the chooks have a nice,
close feeling, dark environment in which to lay.

have a hole at the top on each side with a screen in then to stop the
grass flying out through the holes - a friend of mine used one of
these and abused me when she saw a snake crawl out of the holes -
dunno why I got the blame

the box, and you and I both know what an attractant a chook run is for
Joe Blakes, but...............

"Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote in message

Congrats, Mum.

and today another one!!!
beams with pride

There are some which
have a hole at the top on each side with a screen in then to stop
the
grass flying out through the holes - a friend of mine used one of
these and abused me when she saw a snake crawl out of the holes -
dunno why I got the blame

well, obviously it was all your fault

and at least the snake wasn't in the body of
the box, and you and I both know what an attractant a chook run is
for
Joe Blakes, but...............

as it is, i quickly whipped one up this morning (because i'm still
building
the other new house - my, it just goes on & on!!!!) i had tools &
wood out
anyway; so i made a flip-top box & attached it to their wee house.
they were
interested in it, i'll have to wait & see if they lay in there or
not. (i
know _i_ would if i were a chicken! it's tops. <g>)

"0tterbot" <spl@t.com> wrote in message
"Farm1" <please@askifyouwannaknow> wrote in message

Congrats, Mum.

and today another one!!!
beams with pride

But of course, you did so much to bring it into the world..........

know _i_ would if i were a chicken! it's tops. <g>)

And this, from a person who thinks they are disorganised???????????
I'll never believe you again Wonderwoman.