3 small hens in need of loving, caring home (South Florida)

[nicoleee]

Ive had my 3 girls for over a year now and Ive managed to keep them alive and happy for a while now And I truly love them to death but its getting harder trying to corral them every night on the dot. I live in a place where chickens arent allowed so I have no choice but to round them up everyday. Plus , one of my first hens was attacked/killed when sleeping on a tree the first few night so i rather keep them safe.
Anyways, I am looking for a good home where they can live with other chickens and have a happy life. Please, they are not for meat purposes. They do lay eggs but not in abundance. I want a friendly home with someone to care for them and love them for me :/ this is really hard tor me but i think its best. I dont know the breeds of them 100% but they are sweet girls.

My first girls name is Loca. She is the oldest and alpha of them all. She is a bit crazy and has a crossed beak but she runs the show. When i first got her she was extremely skittish and did not let me anywhere near her. Now she is a bit more comfortable (not with touching though). She does what she wants, when she wants but she is an angel! Loves dust bathing and scratching around!

Peeps is the youngest (about 1.5 years old) but the tallest/biggest. She too is crazy but fun! She LOVES chasing around other creatures like lizards, bugs, pigeons and even my dog (small shih tzu). She is a bit more skittish than Loca but she is a ball of joy.

Sweet Pea (Darling) is my smallest angel. She is super super sweet and adorable and small! She gets broody very easily and would be an amazing mother! I would love for her especially to be able to raise some chicks of her own. She has her own hamper inside the house where she lays her eggs and sits on them to ‘hatch’ them (will never hatch because i have no roosters). She is small and does need protection because of it. She is not much of a runner and I fear mainly for her to settling into a new home. She is adorable in every way and usually lays a good amount of small eggs.

Although my girls arent scared of my dog they do fear other dogs and people (especially kids/toddlers). I need a home where they are able to be loved and protected. I live in the Miami area but I am willing to make a journey for the perfect home. I will provide all of their treats and any food i have left if needed. Please if anyone could help , id truly be happy. I do want to rehome them (sadly) but i want to make sure that i find the perfect home please. Send any pics and details of your chickens if possible too please!

 

[TwoChicksChix]

Do you happen to have pictures of the three?

 

[getaclue]

Do you have a coop for them, with roosts? If so, lock them in for about a week, so they will learn where "home" is, and come in to roost in the late evening. That way you don't have to round them up. Just be sure to go out, and close them in, so a predator doesn't get into their coop.

 

[nicoleee]

Do you have a coop for them, with roosts? If so, lock them in for about a week, so they will learn where "home" is, and come in to roost in the late evening. That way you don't have to round them up. Just be sure to go out, and close them in, so a predator doesn't get into their coop.

Yeah they have a coop. Not too small but they just look so sad when theyre in there. Do you think it could really work?

 

[TwoChicksChix]

Chickens naturally want to go into a coop like area that they deem safe. I have over 70 chickens and they all go into coops naturally at night.

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Have you tried training them to come when you call? I have an old white pill bottle that I keep meal worms in that I used to train them. They can hear them rattling around in there when I shake it. Now, they usually come to me when they see me, I don't even have to call them, because I might have treats. If they see the white pill bottle, they jump up at it.

 

[nicoleee]

Chickens naturally want to go into a coop like area that they deem safe. I have over 70 chickens and they all go into coops naturally at night.

Oh okay. Wow 70 ! Thats awesome and here im heaving a hard time with 3 I mean, it is worth a shot .
Their coop has no ‘dark’ spaces though for the night. Its a 7x11 rectangle with hardware cloth all around, and like a foot underneath too.the roof is simply wood so sunlight hardly gets in. They sleep in the same corner ever night, should i put wood around that area to make it darker for them at night? What would you recommend if you dont mind? Heres a picture of their coop right now for a better explanation of it. The last picture is the spot where they sleep at night. I have a bird cage in there because i sometimes put my quaker parrots in there during the day while the chickens are out. Should I add anything else to make it more appealing to them? (The nesting boxes are a work in progress)

 

[nicoleee]

Have you tried training them to come when you call? I have an old white pill bottle that I keep meal worms in that I used to train them. They can hear them rattling around in there when I shake it. Now, they usually come to me when they see me, I don't even have to call them, because I might have treats. If they see the white pill bottle, they jump up at it.

They know one of their treat bags but they arent always convinced by it. I even tried feeding them only inside their coop once they go in for the evening but it doesnt always work.

 

[nicoleee]

Do you happen to have pictures of the three?

 

[jlwquilter]

Your coop looks nice! And plenty big enough for 3 hens. I it’s the real question is whether or not you really want to keep them. If you do then invest a bit of time to train them like suggested. Keep them in the coop for several days. Several times a day as you can go out and sit in there with them. Be calm so they learn you are to be trusted. Have small treats like mealworms. Pick your call phrase. If you’re not supposed to have chickens pick something like ‘here kitty! Here kitty-kitty’ and toss out a few mealworms. Wait several minutes and they are doing something else. Call the phrase again and toss the mealworms. Do this until they come over while you are in the middle of saying the phrase. Always give the treat. You’ve trained them to come when called! Some hens catch in super quick, others may take a couple of days.

Unless there’s a light shining into the coop at night your coop is probably ok for them for sleeping. From what you said they are roosting properly as they go to the same place every night.