Change of location

[orangesplash]

Hi Friends,
I have a very important question here. What happens when we move 2.5 month old Brahma chicks from one city to another? Is it correct to think that this is a new place for them and they are taking time to settle down?

I received them from a place that is 24 hours away by road travel and they came to me via a train journey which did take from the 19th night to the 21st morning to reach me.
They are eating well in the coop as I see that whenever i go to give them food or to generally check on them, the food containers are empty.

Now, i have brought them outdoors and they are still wanting to be in one place- and keep looking at me from the corner of their eye

is there something i should worry? or are they just scared and taking time to settle?

 

[cavemanrich]

They are just getting used to new home atmosphere. All will be fine. Just keep feeding them and provide fresh water,,,,,,,,,,,,, and they will get more confident about reacting and associating with you.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Nay]

The usual suggestion is to leave them in the coop and enclosed run for several days (sometimes more) after arrival, so they associate these places as their new home. Be cautious free ranging them or letting them be in an unsecure outdoors location until after that time period. They took a long way to get to you, you wouldn't want to lose them! Good luck!

 

[BDutch]

Thats an impressive journey for chicks. How many Brahmas do you have? Do you have any other chickens?

It’s good to leave them in the coop for a few days / several days if there is enough room and daylight in it.
In general its best to keep new chicks apart from you're flock until they are used to seeing each other through a fence.

 

[Ted_Harrell]

I landed in Islamabad one time on the way to Lahore. I think your birds will be just fine, you obviously are attentive enough to them, keep up the care you are taking and they will be there for you for a long time...

 

[centrarchid]

When I move groups of chickens, usually as small groups of adults, the first thing they do is find a protected location that serves more or less as a center of reference. Then they slowly work their way from that point foraging and looking about as they go. They often roost very close to release point. The first few days they do not go far from release point unless disturbed. That is partly because they seem to need to memorize the new location. It is also because the new location has not been foraged over so the chickens briefly have an exceptionally abundant food supply which the begin to reduce by consuming. As they explore over time, the come across additional cover patches and forage patches they memorize and go to more directly on subsequent days.

Keep in context I drop groups often without feed or waterers so the birds are not looking to me for those resources generally. The sights have the resources where nutrition supplied almost entirely by foraging. @orangesplash, when feed is supplied, expansion of ranging habits is much slower.