Chickens ticked off at me

[mjdtexan]

I tilled up a good chunck of our yard yesterday to make a garden. Today we had 12 yards of topsoil dropped off and I figured I would clean the ole hen house out so I could have the chicken poo to till into the topsoil.

After I cleaned it out and put fresh hay down and opened the pop door for them to come back in they just sat there. That was hours ago. Its gonna get dark soon and they are all piled up by the door but wont go in. Its funny really but I hope they go in.


On another subject, I've been talking to some of my neighbors and they have been having coons get their chickens. None of my neighbors has an actual chicken coop though. Oh, they've got some rigged up cages and stuff. Weird, huh, seems like they would build or buy a coop to keep their chickens safe. I have noticed though that all of my neighbors have started going slowly by our property looking real hard at how we are doing things.

 

[Master S.M.C]

Chickens prefer to freely range on low cut grass as a run, this is why chicken tractors are popular because they allow you to move the coop before the chickens completely dig through all of the grass

 

[PortageGirl]

Hopefully your neighbors will follow your good example! As far as your hens and their clean coop go, give one or two a boost and they'll all pile in for a scratch around in the new bedding. I'd think they'd all be out scratching around in the fresh dirt, my girls wouldn't miss a chance at snooping through some nice dirt!!! Course, there's no dirt here, it'a all that cold wet white stuff!!!

 

[#1California Chick]

Throw a little scratch into the hay and I'll bet that they will come running!!!

 

[mjdtexan]

#1California Chick :

Throw a little scratch into the hay and I'll bet that they will come running!!!

Thasa good idea!​

 

[skand]

None of our birds like that first night on new clean straw/hay. Its too crunchy for them, or its not packed down to the way they like it. Everytime, after cleaning coops, we have to forcibly put them inside at beddy bye time. lol

 

[98 gt]

I was putting fresh straw on the coop floor and in nest boxes, chickens watched me through the chicken wire inquisitively... Put a little sour cream here and there, and they couldn't get in fast enough.

 

[Mahonri]

I use shavings and DE. After sweeping and mopping the coop, I open the chicken door and they come running in immediately. Everytime.... I always ask them, "Well is it clean enough for you? Smell nice enough?"

It's like they're sayin'... "WOW look how clean it is again... Geez... they do this like every week!"

 

[mjdtexan]

I decided to wait them out. You see, my chickens are afraid of the dark. I keep a red light on in the coop for them. Once it got dark they went right in. If I dont have the red light on for them they WILL NOT go in. They all sit on the board that leads into the coop and will not move from that spot untill I go and turn the light on. I just leave it on full time now. Thataway I dont forget.

 

[mahen8622]

My chickens are the same way with cleaning or adding new roost bars or anything my chickens hate change i think they think somethings out to get them if there is an moadifications to the coop going on it took them a good 2 or 3 days before theyd try out the new roost bar i added and even with a little help the chickens i put on it freaked out flew off hte new bar screamming and clucking thye dont like when i make them guinea pigs for there new add ons lol they hate new hay too, i guess we're officially in the same boat but my chickens love the dark and they all play in the rain weird huh