I was worried about the first night for the three new girls.  During the day, the pecking was minimal but when night time came around, would they go up into the coop at night?  Would my old flock allow it?  So as dusk grew near, I kept checking.  Finally they went into the coop.  I did not see anyone in the yard, but I had to be sure.

Outside I went.  As I walked over to the coop, I saw that everyone was up inside.  However, I wanted to get a bit closer of a look.  I climbed into the run and peered into the little half moon door.  Those chickens never cease to amaze me.

From all the horror stories about flock integration on the internet, I was sure that at best I would find my original flock sleeping in the nesting boxes and expect to find the 3 new girls in the opposite corner on the roost.  Instead, I discovered a situation that even I would never have imagined.  Inside mid-coop was Oyster Cracker.  She was pacing back and forth, much like a soldier guarding a castle.  As you know from my previous posts, before we knew that Chocolate was a rooster, she was taking on the role of guard chicken.  Now, she was showing me that she still was a guard chicken.  She was pacing and growling.  So funny.  I instantly thought that she was keeping both flock separate.  I looked in the corner closest to me expecting to find the new girls but they weren’t there.  I glanced over to the nesting boxes.  I found all of the chickens old and new mixed and huddled in the nesting boxes together!

I could not believe my eyes.  Was the integration going to be this easy?  Time will tell.  I think that Oyster Cracker was patrolling to be sure that no other new girl would enter the coop.  I promised her not anytime soon as we now have a full house.  I closed the door for the night, feeling confident, successful and incredibly joyous.  We are one step closer to a unified flock.  Even though they are different colors and breeds, they are all snuggled together despite their differences.  What a fabulous reminder of tolerance and acceptance from my girls especially during the holiday season!