We've got a new girl....donated by our neighbour!

[julesapple]

I wasn't planning on any more chooks (I've said that before, and I was wrong back then too) but we had a neighbour call on us last evening to ask if we'd like her only hen whom, she suspects (rightly) is very lonely since they lost their other two birds.

So, she's tucked up by herself in our broody coop as I type. Tomorrow we'll put her little coop in a fenced off area next to our girls and she what she thinks of company. She had a silly name, so we're thinking of something more fitting - Ruby maybe.

I'll post a pic later, but she's red like Warrens or RIRs, with a little pencilling to her feathers and a sweet face and disposition. I just hope we can integrate her well after her being away from a flock for so long (3 months) and our lot being a tight-knit group.

Any suggestions and/or advice?

Jules

[Snadger]

Good luck with yours Jules!

About half of mine are 'rescued'. One allotment plot holder asked around before getting rid of his chooks.
He came to me and basially said "You can ave em for nowt, if you don't want em I'm going to have to neck em"

What could I do, I ask you?

PS Ruby must be a popular name as my most recent grandaughter is called that!

[petal]

how about lucky

[ginger ninger]

Good on ya girl. She's a luck Lady to have you come to her rescue...looking forward to seeing the photos.

[julesapple]

I think our neighbour was more worried about her girl being lonely, she wouldn't have dispatched her. And she seems quite self-contained, ignoring the girls through the mesh and looking down her beak at Ginger, who's making a fool of himself. Obviously his chat up lines are rubbish!

We've had an egg this morning. Lovely big brown egg. Suggestions for names? I'm thinking about Esme.....she doesn't suit Ruby.







Jules

[Flummery]

She's a gorgeous girl, no doubt about that! I like Esme - but then I'm a sucker for the witches in Tarry Pratchett's books!

[Glutton4...]

She is the double of my Ginger, who was an ex-Batt. But you have a Ginger, so why not Amber - she is very pretty!

[julesapple]

Progress Report: Things were scary for a while this morning. Our butter-wouldn't-melt newbie is quite a feisty girl! Ginger, stupid beggar, decided to chat her up through the mesh and when she ignored her he reached through and pecked her comb. We've cleaned & patched with DD's BOP first aid kit.

Then, after someone's car alarm screeched well, alarmingly, Hattie the CL took fright and flight and landed in with Ruby/Esme/Amber/Lucky and she took umbrage at the intrusion and all hell let loose. Hattie is unscathed but another nipped comb was sustained by our newbie. We've cleaned & patched with DD's BOP first aid kit again. There is now a double line of mesh with a no-man's-land gap between so there's looking but no contact, hopefully.

It's quite stressy, this introductory business. Don't think I'll choose a dating agency as a job any time soon!

Jules

PS I like 'Amber' that's just her colour! Will suggest it to family at dinner.

[ginger ninger]

I bet she stands out like a Jewel, she looks like "Topaz".... I can see lot's of lovely colours in her feathers Jules.

[Flummery]

Hey you lot! Stop pinching my chickens' names! Amber, Topaz and Garnet - all shades of little red hen!

[julesapple]

Poppy (I think we've settled on Poppy) has taken herself off to bed, as good as gold. I'm impressed given that it's a strange new house she's in.

Does anyone know how long integration could take? We were planning on a week or so in the separate pen & house, followed by overnight in the big hen house but in the separate pen during the day for a few weeks. Although this is flexible depending on the girls, Ginger & Poppy.

Hopefully, Ginger will be gone by the weekend though.

Jules

[polo]

Mine took a good three weeks to settle down into a truce situation and that was adding 5 to 5 and they had been next to each other for two weeks! Had a couple of feisty ones in that bunch. I reckon your plans for integration sound reasonable based on my lot!

Good luck

Polo

[Hilary B]

Settling in a new girl might be easier with a cockerel around. Sometimes having a bloke abut reduces friction between the ladies....

[Snadger]

Settling in a new girl might be easier with a cockerel around. Sometimes having a bloke abut reduces friction between the ladies....

Agreed!!!!!!

[julesapple]

Agreed!!!!!!

Dang! We we're planning to bump the noisy one off this weekend......we'd still have the banty boy though, but maybe he's not big enough to referee?

Jules