7 weeks old, first time in the rain storm

[MamiPollo]

I finished my chicken coop (and will post photos in a little bit). I put 5 of my 6 chickens out there. They are 7 weeks old and have been living in my bathroom since they were approx. 2 days old. They did go out in the chicken tractor 2 or 3 afternoons, but I stopped that when it was too hard to get them back in the house without some flying away.

So this is their first night out in the new coop, and now they are experiencing their first thunderstorm. They are not happy. They are screaming and huddling in the screened corner where rain blows in, rather than in the sheltered corner where they have a little safe place to go.

I tried taking the lead hen, the 2nd in command and one more over there, but as soon as I set them down they go running back to the screened corner.

I guess I have to just let them be. Herding them did not work either, because they looped around back to that corner.

It is not the safest corner from either weather or predators, but maybe they like it because it is light.

Any suggestions?

Edited to add: one chicken is sick, so she is still in bathtub. :-(

 

[MamiPollo]

I can see them from my backdoor. They did move a little further back out of the rain. Hilda (lead hen) keeps going to the door. She has figured out this is the exit and I believe may be trying to get them back to the house & my cozy bathroom.

What an intro to their new home!

 

[MamiPollo]

It has stopped raining except a little sprinkle. It was raining sheets and blowing!

They are happy, walking around on their wet, wet sand. The platform where the bedding is is dry and cozy. They are not interested in that right now. They are walking around on the sand, eating their feed and finding bugs (the shed was full of ants and they are enjoying those).

I guess they will be okay, but I've been their mother hen for 7 weeks and I knew I would be anxious their first night out. It would have to be during a storm! lol

 

[falinagirl]

They sound like they did fine. Rain brings bugs so they aren't worried about getting wet!

 

[Saltysteele]

when i moved mine from my garage out to the coop, i left them in the coop for 3-4 days before opening the door to the outside.

once i opened the door, it was 2-3 days before they would go out, and that was only because i put their waterer out there and they needed to go out to get water.

i left the feed inside, so they would have to go inside to eat. after a week or so of putting them in at night and locking them in, i was able to just leave the door open and they go in by themselves.

if you're able to lock them inside, i'd lock them in for several days so they get comfortable with it, and feel they have a safe haven.

regardless, they'll get used to their new enclosure.

 

[MamiPollo]

Thanks! They did fine. They freaked out when it started getting dark. I went out and found 4 of the 5 huddled in one corner, but not the cozy corner I had set up for them to sleep in. One stray could not find her flock and was crying a lot. I moved everyone over to their little box in the corner and they snuggled right in and went to sleep.

I have a fresh air coop that is screened on 2 walls (1/2 of one wall and 2/3 of the other wall. So there is an open end and a sheltered end. The open end has sand in it and the sheltered end has a raised platform with pine shavings for bedding.

Today they are exploring a lot more and not huddled together like they were yesterday. I think we are all adjusting. Hey! Mom has to adjust too!

 

[rungirl]

I have 8 week olds out in a tractor for the first time this week also. I ran an extension cord with light to put inside the covered part so they would know where to sleep for shelter. Before I did that, they were sleeping out against the edge of the screened part....which I thought was too dangerous. Also, it helped when it stormed because they wouldn't have known to come in out of the rain.

 

[flowergirl60]

It's hard not to be anxious and worried. We hadn't had rain here in so long. Probably 4 mo or so. The other day is was raining sheets and blowing wind and I was so worried. And mine are 1yr old and 7mo old. They did fine. I gave them the option of going in the coop or staying in the run. They eventually went in the coop. I am always worried about my girls. I should be on Xanax.