[laurabee]

Hi chicken loving insomniacs,

Firstly, thanks to those who responded to my last post about healthy chicken weight, grit and other paranoias. Sorry I didn't get back to you - I work away from home a lot so did a bit of a "post and run" - the advice was much appreciated and I don't mean to be ungrateful...

One more question since a few of you still seem to be online. I got a couple of new chickens today to go with my existing pair. I have sectioned off one end of the run to keep them separate from the others to start off with. I don't have a spare hen house though so my initial plan was to divide the existing house in half (easy to do as there are doors on both sides of the outside) and transfer the new chickens into their half of the house when it got dark. Unfortunately, they are both pretty nervous at the moment and I don't want to freak them out too much. So, plan b was a big cat basket on bricks in their bit of the run, with some bedding inside and a towel rigged up so I could lower it over the front of the cat basket from outside once they had gone in for the night - better than nothing I thought. Obviously the chickens don't agree, as they've decided to camp out on the towel on top of the basket. I have tried moving them into the basket now it's darker, but they have just come straight out again and onto the towel, so have left them there. Will they be ok overnight? I don't like to think of them shivering out there while I'm tucked up in bed...

[Roughlee Handled]

Are they in an enclosed run with a roof on? Put them in the cat basket and if it has a door close it. 
Personaly I would put them in the coop with the others. Then let them out with the others tommorrow and monitor. Be strong there will be fighting but its just the others telling the newbies who is boss.

[Vember]

I agree with Roughlee, best if they were in the coop


Sarah

[laurabee]

Thanks for the reply! It's a mesh run built in a corner between two walls with a tarp over the top, so dry and fairly sheltered. They look happily snuggled up together, so I was a bit loath to disturb them again. So you all reckon they'd be too cold overnight then?

I probably am being a wimp - but one of them's just a little bantam (sooo cute) and I want to minimise any aggro. Plus they get all flappy and update whenever I go too close. Sure my last two were more chilled out!

[laurabee]

"uptight" that was meant to be!

[Brambles]

I would not be happy with a basket unless the whole thing was in a really secure run.  I too would definitely put the new chickens in with the older ones at night, watch when they come out in the morning, if you are unsure, separate them, and continue to do this until the chooks get used to one another... they should be fine all together at night.  I have found that doing it this way it takes about a week.

[laurabee]

OK, since you all agree I will be brave and move them into the coop. Thanks for the advice! Night night all

[Kate and her Ducks]

Good luck!