06/11/10, 09:13 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 951
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question, moving long time chickens
I have about 250 laying hens and about five roosters. They have basically been divided into three large groups who went into their own side of their sheds at night and basically stayed in their own groups.
I need the area on the left side for maternity pens for some of my goats. There is plenty of room in the other two sections for all the chickens.
This morning I attempted to move some of those chickens into the other ares with the others. I blocked off their escape routes and tried to entice them with food.
When that didn't work I went in there and moved the out one or two chickens at a time, pushing them through the small door and going back for more.
I have them all moved right now except about 18 hens and the main rooster.
Should I wait and try to move them at night when they are roosting, or try again in the morning to move them like I did this morning?
Also there are four or five roosters in the other sections that already havetheir "pecking" order established. Jasper is a fairly large rooster. Should I just stick him in there and let them decide who is boss? Or should I try to put him somewhere else????
I plan to shovel out the two stalls and put up plywood to shut it off completely fro the chicken area so that chicken "dust" won't get in there with the goats. (This has worked well in the back where the goats have a shed on the back of the chicken house)....
If I shovel it out well and then put hay on it, would it be alright to go ahead and let a pregnant doe goat move in or do I need to wait a month or two. They will have a large fenced area there too.
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