Last night at chore time poor Lucy 2 was so wet and bedraggled I wondered if she could manage to fly up to a safe roost for the night. So I set out to catch her (okay, it was easy), and deposited her in a straw-filled dog crate with some layer crumbles and water. (Those little chick feeders and waterers come in handy once in awhile!) This morning she was mostly dry, so it was decision time. Rick thought I should put her in with our chickens, since her "owners" are obviously negligent and it's only a matter of time until she's something's chicken dinner. I carried her in to the chicken yard and set her down, standing guard for a little while. Not only did she draw negative attention to herself, her presence seemed to instigate fights between the other, established hens. No good. I caught her once again and let her loose.
If only it were so easy to put her put in Boulderneigh's "bed & breakfast" every night. Rick says, "It's just a chicken." Sigh. My heart thinks differently.
That's it for now at . . .
7 comments:
Every new chicken will have that "ripple" effect. And although it is hard to watch, it is natural and will settle down.
Next time, try putting her in after dark, when everyone is roosting. They wake up in the morning and viola! there's a new chicken. That first day, and maybe the second, put out twice the number of feeders so everyone can eat where ever and when ever they want, and Lucy 2 will find her spot.
Oh, yeah, and you go inside while they work it out. It's the best way...
Poor Lucy - it's the bad playground experience on chicken terms.
Melanie's right - try introducing her after dark. Also, you can put the dog carrier w/chicken food and water in the hen house with the others for a couple of days (or less). That introduces her to her mates but everyone is "safe". Let her out of the box at night (after dark) after the allotted time and she'll fit right in. There WILL be some pecking but as long as she has an out (room to run or get away from the others) she'll be right.
You've her of pecking order? Yes, it came from watching chickens :) and of course every flock animal goes through it. I agree with Melanie, that's a great idea to put her in after dark, and the scuffling with settle down in a couple of days.
Whenever we got new chickens, my mom would shut them into the chicken house for two or three days before releasing them into the yard. Then they seemed to know where they lived and would return every evening to go to bed. Maybe, if Lucy 2 is too picked on, you could try shutting her into the dog crate for a couple of days, with food and water, of course. Then she would recognize the crate as her nest and probably return to it each evening, provided that it was open and available to her.
Poor Lucy 2. I hope things work out for her safety soon.
Michelle, I definitely know how you're feeling. It's so hard to watch the establishment of the pecking order, regardless of the type of animal. But I've heard that chickens can be especially wicked to each other. Bottom line though; either give it a valiant try or leave her out and allow her to have her freedom and run the risk of...nature. It's not easy.
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