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Thought it was about time I introduced myself after 6 months of lurking around the forum.
I started with 5 POL girls in spring this year and thanks to the forum have learnt so much, poultry shield and diatom powder must be one of the best inventions ever for red mite! They are laying really well and hardly miss a day at the moment.
The hen keeping bug well and truly caught and I rescued 5 hens who were homeless (and I had the room). They were in awful state and I kept them seperate from my girls while I wormed and powdered them. The red mite and lice the hens had were truly awful and I'm pleased to say the Poultry shield and diatom powder had them sorted in two days. After a couple of weeks I introduced the groups together - how nerve racking is that! They could see each other in their seprate pens for the first couple of weeks the they went in the same pen seperated by chicken wire. (all learnt off the forum I might add - thanks!)
All have settled well apart from 2 who are now in full moult. They are being picked on by 3 of my hens, they really don't leave them alone and today I had enough of watching and put the three worst offenders behind chicken wire to give the new girls a break. Tonight was the worst yet. One of my girls just wouldnt let the new girl in the house until I intervened by picking her up until new girl got settled. Its bizarre because this bullying behaviour is getting worse day by day, in the early days of being together they were relatively nice to each other.
They are all on warm layers mash + poultry spice to help the moutlers as well as layers during the day. Do you have any advice on moulting or getting them settled together? I just want them all to be friends.....
Look forward to meeting you all....
I started with 5 POL girls in spring this year and thanks to the forum have learnt so much, poultry shield and diatom powder must be one of the best inventions ever for red mite! They are laying really well and hardly miss a day at the moment.
The hen keeping bug well and truly caught and I rescued 5 hens who were homeless (and I had the room). They were in awful state and I kept them seperate from my girls while I wormed and powdered them. The red mite and lice the hens had were truly awful and I'm pleased to say the Poultry shield and diatom powder had them sorted in two days. After a couple of weeks I introduced the groups together - how nerve racking is that! They could see each other in their seprate pens for the first couple of weeks the they went in the same pen seperated by chicken wire. (all learnt off the forum I might add - thanks!)
All have settled well apart from 2 who are now in full moult. They are being picked on by 3 of my hens, they really don't leave them alone and today I had enough of watching and put the three worst offenders behind chicken wire to give the new girls a break. Tonight was the worst yet. One of my girls just wouldnt let the new girl in the house until I intervened by picking her up until new girl got settled. Its bizarre because this bullying behaviour is getting worse day by day, in the early days of being together they were relatively nice to each other.
They are all on warm layers mash + poultry spice to help the moutlers as well as layers during the day. Do you have any advice on moulting or getting them settled together? I just want them all to be friends.....
Look forward to meeting you all....
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