I have a mix flock of chickens and guineas. A total of 8 birds.
From when they were 3 weeks old, I’ve had them in a large puppy pen during the day. They are now 6 weeks old. Over the past week I’ve allowed then to wander outside the pen for increasingly longer periods of time. At first I would sit outside and watch them, and then herd them back in. These past two days have been hot, so I had let them wander around longer in the shade. To my surprise, they returned to the pen by themselves when they were done. Is this imprinting? Will I have issues when I need them to imprint on their coop? (Coop is under construction and will be done in a few days). I wasn’t planning on keeping the puppy pen when their coop and run goes up... but maybe it will be easier if I connect the pen to the coop since they already recognize the pen...
Any suggestions on helping them make the transition would be much appreciated!
Right now, they still come back inside to sleep in the brooder...
From when they were 3 weeks old, I’ve had them in a large puppy pen during the day. They are now 6 weeks old. Over the past week I’ve allowed then to wander outside the pen for increasingly longer periods of time. At first I would sit outside and watch them, and then herd them back in. These past two days have been hot, so I had let them wander around longer in the shade. To my surprise, they returned to the pen by themselves when they were done. Is this imprinting? Will I have issues when I need them to imprint on their coop? (Coop is under construction and will be done in a few days). I wasn’t planning on keeping the puppy pen when their coop and run goes up... but maybe it will be easier if I connect the pen to the coop since they already recognize the pen...
Any suggestions on helping them make the transition would be much appreciated!
Right now, they still come back inside to sleep in the brooder...