mlee25
Hatching
- May 3, 2015
- 2
- 0
- 9
I'm a new chicken mama, I have 3 chicks that are- well, stupid.
Seriously one of them is REALLY dumb, it almost broke its fool neck trying the jump through a chain link fence and got stuck then flipped out and nearly wrung its own neck.
anyway,they lived the first few weeks in a a huge box in the garage, and as soon as it was warm enough and they had enough feathers (about 2 weeks ago) we began to give them outside time in the chicken tractor we had built for them, then as the sun would go down we would bring them in for the night. My kids became very attached and we lost one at about a week old, so it made me a little cautious leaving them out all night with temps dipping into the 50's. They are over 7 weeks old now. For the last two nights I have waited until it was full dark before I checked on them and they just sit huddled together crying- and they wont' go in the coop! they have nesting bars, and nice warm shavings that they happily visit in the day time but at night- they just freak out. So I would baby my baby chicks and bring them back in the last few nights.
I don't understand what the #$!! is wrong with them. Why wont they go in there house? I had to climb my fat @$$ in the very small (in height) run and get the fools and put them in the coop tonight. Tonight is the first night we are leaving them out all night- they have been left without a lamp in the garage for the last week so I know they are ready to be in there new home- but are they smart enough to go in it? Um, No. Is this normal?
I guess at this point they may be "trained" to want to come back to the garage at night- but come on! I'm hoping that this will not be an indication that as they are ready to free range when they are full size that they won't come back to roost at night. Maybe after spending the night tonight they won't need to be tucked in at night.
Seriously one of them is REALLY dumb, it almost broke its fool neck trying the jump through a chain link fence and got stuck then flipped out and nearly wrung its own neck.
anyway,they lived the first few weeks in a a huge box in the garage, and as soon as it was warm enough and they had enough feathers (about 2 weeks ago) we began to give them outside time in the chicken tractor we had built for them, then as the sun would go down we would bring them in for the night. My kids became very attached and we lost one at about a week old, so it made me a little cautious leaving them out all night with temps dipping into the 50's. They are over 7 weeks old now. For the last two nights I have waited until it was full dark before I checked on them and they just sit huddled together crying- and they wont' go in the coop! they have nesting bars, and nice warm shavings that they happily visit in the day time but at night- they just freak out. So I would baby my baby chicks and bring them back in the last few nights.
I don't understand what the #$!! is wrong with them. Why wont they go in there house? I had to climb my fat @$$ in the very small (in height) run and get the fools and put them in the coop tonight. Tonight is the first night we are leaving them out all night- they have been left without a lamp in the garage for the last week so I know they are ready to be in there new home- but are they smart enough to go in it? Um, No. Is this normal?
I guess at this point they may be "trained" to want to come back to the garage at night- but come on! I'm hoping that this will not be an indication that as they are ready to free range when they are full size that they won't come back to roost at night. Maybe after spending the night tonight they won't need to be tucked in at night.