The Barn Girls came to us in July 2012. Intensively farmed in barns, rather than cages, they are nevertheless restricted to an indoor existence, and unlike caged birds have to fight to access the feeders. So they arrived with a lot of missing feathers, and were seriously underweight.
From left to right …
Lotty, Dotty, Polly & Molly
Their combs are large and pale, as a hen’s comb is the only way she can control her body temperature. Over time they will shrink down and redden up, although they will never be as compact and erect as a hen born to free range.
Lotty has a few tail feathers but a bare rear end
Molly has only a few short tail feathers
Polly – no tail feathers
Dotty – tail feather stubs and the largest comb
They immediately showed their individual characters and it soon became clear a) who would be top hen among the Barn Girls and b) that they are all prepared to take on the current top hen of the established brood 
Integrations will only begin when the Barn Girls have adjusted to their new circumstances … and their new diet! They are too hungry to pay much attention to treats at the moment. But once they have learned the significance of corn, and will come running when they hear the corn bucket being shaken, we’ll make a start. For now, they face up to each other through the fence, so we offer frequent helpings of mash (feed pellets mixed with a little hot water and some oats) along both sides of the fence so that both broods might just get used to eating in peace around each other.
Watch this space …
Updated 9th July 2012
The Hen House archive 