First Time Chicken Owner

Date sort Score sort
JaneMc

JaneMc

In the Brooder
Feb 7, 2016
3
0
25
Hello everyone, I just got my first three chickens yesterday and put them straight into the coop as advised. Today I opened the coop door and waited, and waited for them to come out, but they only poked their heads out throughout the day and stayed in the coop all day. It has been raining all day and I was wondering if it was the rain that put them off coming out or maybe they were still a bit stressed. They are 22 week old pol Black Rocks. I tried to coax them out with banana, but no joy. Is there anything else I can do or just wait it out. (By the way got 2 eggs later in the day, was so thrilled, didn't think it would happen right away, but the breeder said that two of them have been laying for a couple of weeks.
 
welcome-byc.gif


Patience is a virtue.
This is a big change for them. New home, new people, new sounds, new everything. I am sure they will come around in due time. The ones that are laying may even stop for a week or two. It is normal since it is such a big change.

My chickens by the way wont touch a banana with a 25 foot pole. Best to use a small bit of scratch if you are wanting to coax them out.

Have patience and sit quietly where they can see you and let them get used to you being there.

Best wishes
Barbara
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. A move always produces stress in chickens but they will soon recover. In the meanwhile you can gradually move their food from the inside of the coop to the outside and you will soon have them coming outside. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.
 
Well, you don't want wet food (rain) -it can quickly mold and become very harmful to chickens. You might try tempting them with mealworms dried or live from a pet store. I wouldn't try to rush them out - when they are ready they will come out. If just one ventures out, then the others will follow.
 
I would agree that the food cannot be exposed to rain. I keep the pellets inside and if it is sunny out the scratch is tossed on the ground for them to scratch about for.

It is snow on the ground here now so they have a bale of straw in the run spread around to scratch in. For my 29 chickens I toss out one handful of black oil sunflower seeds and 2 handfuls of scratch in the straw. They have been busy all day looking for goodies.

It will take a few days to a week for them to decide to come out.
When I built a new coop and tore down the old one my gals stayed inside nearly 2 weeks of their own choice. Chang is something chickens are not fond of.
 
21hens-incharge said:
welcome-byc.gif


Patience is a virtue.
This is a big change for them. New home, new people, new sounds, new everything. I am sure they will come around in due time. The ones that are laying may even stop for a week or two. It is normal since it is such a big change.

My chickens by the way wont touch a banana with a 25 foot pole. Best to use a small bit of scratch if you are wanting to coax them out.

Have patience and sit quietly where they can see you and let them get used to you being there.

Best wishes
Barbara
Click to expand...
Thanks Barbara, will sit it out and wait.

Regards
Jane
 
Hi and welcome. You have some great advice already, so I'm just checking in to say hi
frow.gif


CT
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom