We spent a big part of the weekend moving chickens around. At this point, I think we’re making a bigger deal out of this than it should be because there’s no way we should be having so much trouble.
The coop pictures were all before we painted them!
Bigger Coop
In the big coop, we put the 13 chicks we got earlier this year. Ten red laying hens and 3 Black Tailed White Japanese Bantams. Nothing has changed there. The four hens that had survived the dog attack got moved over with the 6 bantams but one of those hens was mean to the bantams so we put her in with the three Dominique chickens. She has been harassing those two hens. The two Dominique hens are so docile and kind and that red hen spent her day terrorizing them. The rooster intervened some but I think he got tired of trying to stay between them. Saturday night Vince said . . too bad for the red hen but I’m just putting her outside and we’ll see if she can make it on her own.
Small Coop
The small coop is just a little storebought coop but it’s been good for a nursery, a chicken jail and a chicken hospital. Yesterday evening, before dark, I talked Vince into having mercy on the mean red hen and putting her in there. But, the three chicks we got a while back were in there so we decided to move the three red hens from the bantam coop and put them in with the Dominique chickens.
New Roommates
The seem fine!
Duplex
In the duplex, we had the three Dominique chickens – 2 hens and 1 rooster. They’ve been in the north side of the duplex since the beginning. In the south side of the duplex were the silkie bantams, who all died in the dog attack but 6 of the eggs they had been sitting on hatched so those 6 chicks were in there.
We put the three new chicks in with the 6 bantams. They aren’t exactly all thrilled to be living together but there wasn’t much bickering.
Bantam Coop Residents
The six bantams are in the far corner and the three new chicks are in the foreground.
It has been frustrating for us and I know it’s been frustrating for the chickens! I surely hope they’re all in quarters where they can stay.
Judy H says
And where will you put the chickens that hatch out of the eggs you’re planning to incubate?
JudyL says
We’re building a new double coop that will be set up so that I can keep the chickens together but separate a few of them when I want to keep them apart for whatever reasons. It takes 21 days for the eggs to hatch and then about a month in the brooder so we have about 7 weeks to get the new coop built.
Marion Morgan says
I’m worn out just reading about all the moves, good thing they don’t have anything to move with them, just themselves. No baggage . . .
Linda in NE says
Musical chicken coops!! I’m sure by now I’d have gotten tired of the whole business & just tossed everybody in together. Any chicken who caused trouble would become Sunday dinner. You and Vince have the patience of Job.
JudyL says
We have so few laying hens right now that I hate to get rid of the one red mean laying hen. The silkie that got put in “jail” tonight . . they are bantams and have totally black meat so they’re not going to be dinner. He will probably be sent to a new home or . .worse.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Sometimes on cooking shows, they have to work with “black chicken.” Is that bantam, or some specially treated chicken?
I guess I can go look it up, but the thought occurred to me upon reading your description. I’m certain that the cooks are usually rather flummoxed by it.
Angie says
At least you can slide-move the two, or is three chicken coops. Possibly four? I think I would have zeroed in on one breed of chicken and if they couldn’t get along happily in one coop—into the frying pan they go!
JudyL says
We like having different breeds. They’re all different and it’s fun to watch the personalities . . most are nice, just a few are not nice. No matter whether you have one or more breeds, it’s hard to integrate different batches of chickens. Even the silkies that are so mild mannered can have a bully every now and then.
Vicky says
I’ve gone back and forth for a few years on wanting chickens. I like reading your chicken stories. What is a bantam?