Adapting to New Digs - How Long Until . . . .

[Keel]

. . . they climb upstairs to the coop instead of sleeping all huddled in a corner of the run?

. . . eat their crumbles, watermelon, etc., instead of or in addition to scratching the grass?

. . . take a drink out of the waterer?

I brought home six strikingly good looking Buff Orpington pullets Saturday, they were 10 weeks old, purchased from a member of the Mennonite community nearby. The gentleman stated that he buys them from a hatchery as day old chicks, raises them and usually only sells them off when they've started to lay. I had inquired at their monthly animal sale last week about younger Buff Orpingtons and he was nice enough to oblige me. I didn't see where he kept his birds, but the manner in which his sons retrieved them for me caused me to think they were packed into cages.

I imagine it must take some time to get used to their new digs, a 10x4 run with a 4x4 coop up top. Their home is more or less based on the "On Golden Coop" article in the coops section. I never dreamed none of the ladies would have ventured up the runway to their mansion above them after 2 days. I just checked on them a bit after 10 p.m., they hare all huddled as close as they can get in a corner of the run, hunkered down for the night I suppose.

Watermelon and rinds look to be untouched when I last checked before dark. I've yet to see one take a drink out of the waterer, but I'm only around them for 15 minutes or so at a time a few times the last 2 days. The water level has gone down, but I don't know if that is from evaporation or if they are drinking when I'm not around.

They seem afraid of humans, I'm hoping that will change quickly. The run is constructed in such a manner that it is difficult at best for a human to get in, much less to catch one of the birds.

Any ideas on how to get these ladies up in their dormitory?

TIA

 

[aatx]

When I put mine in the coop/run, I confined then to the coop almost exclusively for the first week. They really view it as their safe place and home now. They take naps in there and put themselves up in the evening.

 

[aart]

When I put mine in the coop/run, I confined then to the coop almost exclusively for the first week. They really view it as their safe place and home now. They take naps in there and put themselves up in the evening.

Ditto^^^^

 

[Gramma Chick]

. . . they climb upstairs to the coop instead of sleeping all huddled in a corner of the run?

. . . eat their crumbles, watermelon, etc., instead of or in addition to scratching the grass?

. . . take a drink out of the waterer?

I brought home six strikingly good looking Buff Orpington pullets Saturday, they were 10 weeks old, purchased from a member of the Mennonite community nearby. The gentleman stated that he buys them from a hatchery as day old chicks, raises them and usually only sells them off when they've started to lay. I had inquired at their monthly animal sale last week about younger Buff Orpingtons and he was nice enough to oblige me. I didn't see where he kept his birds, but the manner in which his sons retrieved them for me caused me to think they were packed into cages.

I imagine it must take some time to get used to their new digs, a 10x4 run with a 4x4 coop up top. Their home is more or less based on the "On Golden Coop" article in the coops section. I never dreamed none of the ladies would have ventured up the runway to their mansion above them after 2 days. I just checked on them a bit after 10 p.m., they hare all huddled as close as they can get in a corner of the run, hunkered down for the night I suppose.

Watermelon and rinds look to be untouched when I last checked before dark. I've yet to see one take a drink out of the waterer, but I'm only around them for 15 minutes or so at a time a few times the last 2 days. The water level has gone down, but I don't know if that is from evaporation or if they are drinking when I'm not around.

They seem afraid of humans, I'm hoping that will change quickly. The run is constructed in such a manner that it is difficult at best for a human to get in, much less to catch one of the birds.

Any ideas on how to get these ladies up in their dormitory?

TIA

If they were caged they wouldnt be familiar with roosting . they sound scared as they all huddle together sleeping .They may not have handled them at all .
give them some time to get used to you .
It may be TOO HOT for them up there ...do you have windows in it or any cross ventilation ?
If they were only given corn or feed ...they wouldnt know that watermelon is food .
You might want t ask the farmer what he fed / how he fed watered them .
DO YOU HAVE A PIC? IF it is just like the other coop you nee a taller run & a way to get in it yourself also .
Did you have any extra wire left ?

ALSO if the are in the run only I would consider putting something else around them as the are easy picking for predators there
Like Spare pieces of board or a piece of metal up against the outside

 

[Keel]

Thank you for the suggestions with regard to the tractor, unfortunately, what is done is done. Believe me, before I even went and got the birds I started a list of things I wanted differently in my NEXT coop. Though this one is nice, it's shortcomings became apparent as the day to bring home the birds neared. Modifying this one will be limited to framing a panel in the run to make a door for access in or out (for the birds), once they birds are used to things and not so wary of humans. Anything else is nigh unto impossible to change.

My arthritic body can't get in the run and stoop to under 3', which is the height. I don't crawl well, even if I could climb into the run. I have removed one of the top panels and can reach down into the run now from above, but the birds go into either end and are still unreachable.

A call to the county extension agent yielded a bit of good advice, run a stick (or dowel, my thought) through the hardware cloth to see if they are ready to roost. Nothing indicates they've ventured upstairs yet, no sign of them being up there. It is well ventilated, and the tractor is placed in a very shady spot, just a few feet from a 2 or 3 acre woods.

I've recruited help for tomorrow evening, hopefully it will work out. We plan on catching them and putting them in the coop with the stairs drawn up, and leave them there for the night.

They have chowed down on the melon and rinds, so that much has improved. The feeder was in 2 pieces in the back of the coop when I got home this evening. I used a stick to fish it out and refilled it, though I suspect every drop of feed was dumped on the ground the first go-around. I refilled the 2 gallon waterer, they must be drinking. Wish I had a video camera to watch them to make certain they are drinking the water.

Still hoping for some magic way to get them to climb up to the coop . . . .

 

[Gramma Chick]

Thank you for the suggestions with regard to the tractor, unfortunately, what is done is done. Believe me, before I even went and got the birds I started a list of things I wanted differently in my NEXT coop. Though this one is nice, it's shortcomings became apparent as the day to bring home the birds neared. Modifying this one will be limited to framing a panel in the run to make a door for access in or out (for the birds), once they birds are used to things and not so wary of humans. Anything else is nigh unto impossible to change.

My arthritic body can't get in the run and stoop to under 3', which is the height. I don't crawl well, even if I could climb into the run. I have removed one of the top panels and can reach down into the run now from above, but the birds go into either end and are still unreachable.

A call to the county extension agent yielded a bit of good advice, run a stick (or dowel, my thought) through the hardware cloth to see if they are ready to roost. Nothing indicates they've ventured upstairs yet, no sign of them being up there. It is well ventilated, and the tractor is placed in a very shady spot, just a few feet from a 2 or 3 acre woods.

I've recruited help for tomorrow evening, hopefully it will work out. We plan on catching them and putting them in the coop with the stairs drawn up, and leave them there for the night.

They have chowed down on the melon and rinds, so that much has improved. The feeder was in 2 pieces in the back of the coop when I got home this evening. I used a stick to fish it out and refilled it, though I suspect every drop of feed was dumped on the ground the first go-around. I refilled the 2 gallon waterer, they must be drinking. Wish I had a video camera to watch them to make certain they are drinking the water.

Still hoping for some magic way to get them to climb up to the coop . . . .

Can you post a pic ?
Also they have probably never used a ladder / ramp ..so it is new to them
Do you have any sunflower seeds ? put a trail of them up the ramp

 

[Keel]

Sunflower seeds! No, but I can get some, that sounds good!

I can post pictures (never done so on BYC but have on other forms for many years, so I guess it's similar.) I was waiting until the tractor is painted before taking pictures, it looks like a shack without paint, IMO.

I'll get some seeds, thanks!

 

[Gramma Chick]

Sunflower seeds! No, but I can get some, that sounds good!

I can post pictures (never done so on BYC but have on other forms for many years, so I guess it's similar.) I was waiting until the tractor is painted before taking pictures, it looks like a shack without paint, IMO.

I'll get some seeds, thanks!

You can then post before & after pictures . Picture icon is land with a moon in the top left corner .
Do you have a place to keep the chickens while it is being painted ? & drying ?
Most people paint it before chickens get in it ..( Paint Fumes ) Staining it looks nice too .
Nesting box is our 1st coop .we built around it



my nesting box is open ..I forgot to close it so I left it open to see how long it would take for them to notice .
3 -4 were out in about a hour ..then they want back in to lay or be with the rest of the flock .I have 21 chickens
2 are Baby chicks..1 Roo the rest hens ages 5 months to 2 years

 

[7 Biddies]

Thank you for the suggestions with regard to the tractor, unfortunately, what is done is done. Believe me, before I even went and got the birds I started a list of things I wanted differently in my NEXT coop. Though this one is nice, it's shortcomings became apparent as the day to bring home the birds neared. Modifying this one will be limited to framing a panel in the run to make a door for access in or out (for the birds), once they birds are used to things and not so wary of humans. Anything else is nigh unto impossible to change.

My arthritic body can't get in the run and stoop to under 3', which is the height. I don't crawl well, even if I could climb into the run. I have removed one of the top panels and can reach down into the run now from above, but the birds go into either end and are still unreachable.

A call to the county extension agent yielded a bit of good advice, run a stick (or dowel, my thought) through the hardware cloth to see if they are ready to roost. Nothing indicates they've ventured upstairs yet, no sign of them being up there. It is well ventilated, and the tractor is placed in a very shady spot, just a few feet from a 2 or 3 acre woods.

I've recruited help for tomorrow evening, hopefully it will work out. We plan on catching them and putting them in the coop with the stairs drawn up, and leave them there for the night.

They have chowed down on the melon and rinds, so that much has improved. The feeder was in 2 pieces in the back of the coop when I got home this evening. I used a stick to fish it out and refilled it, though I suspect every drop of feed was dumped on the ground the first go-around. I refilled the 2 gallon waterer, they must be drinking. Wish I had a video camera to watch them to make certain they are drinking the water.

Still hoping for some magic way to get them to climb up to the coop . . . .

Once they get the hang of things and figure out where everything is, they should be ok. You mentioned that you've recruited help ... is there a young person, maybe about 10-12 years old, who can get in there and catch them to show them around? Once they've been put in the upper enclosure, they'll figure out how to get down the ramp, especially with food down there. Then, it's just a matter of "what goes down, can go up". Good luck.

 

[Keel]

More progress: Saw them drinking out of the waterer. They definitely know where the water is and how to get it. Even though I got unsalted sunflower seeds, those still made the girls very thirsty.

And about the sunflower seeds--that almost worked. They love them, of course, and would eat them off of the first step after all they could find on the ground were consumed. They never raised their noggins high enough to see them on the second step, unfortunately. So, I took their crumbles and strew them up the steps, then left them alone to see if nature would take it's course. No such luck.

We had a violent thunderstorm here today, and even that didn't drive them upstairs, they just huddled under the coop.

No 10 or 12 year-olds around, so I recruited the next best thing, a 25 year old. She grabbed them and sent them upstairs from within the run, but they kept coming down when she went to get the next one. I raised the ramp to keep them in and the last couple were handed up to be put in from the side door. Finally, we got them all in. We peeked from the external door, they seemed to be calm.

Present plans are to let them spend the night, all day tomorrow, and tomorrow night inside before letting the ramp down. I'll move the food and water tomorrow a.m., they can neatly fit in 2 of the nesting boxes. I'm a bit hesitant to leave them inside during the day, but more storms are due anyway, and it might help them see that upstairs is not such a bad place. Any thoughts on this? More time needed? Less?

I also fit a 1/2" dowel through the hardware cloth at the corner to make a roost. They didn't seem to notice it or care. Must be too young for that at this point.

Thanks for the suggestions, More are welcome, especially good ones!