Ummm, you folks that say your coop was a "weekend project" are mighty fast! Two weeks later, we are finished (for the most part). We got four hens from a friend and bless their hearts, they had to stay in a rabbit cage all day while we finished securing the fence. One even laid an egg in the cramped cage I have a few questions and want to make sure I have some things correct. It was dusk by the time we finished and let them into the pen. They pecked around a while and then all retreated to the roost in the open part of the run. One even dropped an egg after settling in there. None of them even entered the coop I picked up one and put her in the coop, hoping that if I showed it to her, she'd call the rest up. Well, other than beating me to death with her wings (I now know how NOT to pick them up), that was uneventful. She sat up there a few minutes then simply returned to the roost with the others. From what I've read here, I need to put a golf ball in each of the nests to get them to lay there, but how do I get them interested in the coop in the first place? Shouldn't they sleep on the roost in the coop at night? I put wheat straw in coop and for nest. Is this okay? These hens are use to eating off the ground (how my friend has fed them for the past year). Do I need to continue feeding them that way until they are use to their new surroundings or can I go straight to a feeder or should I keep feeding them off the ground? Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated! The finished coop and run First Egg And my greatest fear is the very intrigued great dane
Great job! Welcome to the world of chickens. I won't be able to answer all of your questions but I'll help where I can. Wheat straw is great - that's what I have used for the last 2 years in my nest boxes. As far as feeding on the ground - I would guess that it's whatever you're comfortable with. I use feeders but my chickens and guineas scratch feed out onto the floor anyway so I guess it wouldn't matter but for me it's easier to use a feeder so I don't have to put the feed out daily. Good luck!
Congrats on completing your coop and getting your first egg! Chickens don't like new things, typically. Don't worry. They'll figure out how to make use of their new accommodations soon enough. And go ahead and feed them from feeders, if that's what you want. They'll figure that out too once they get hungry enough!
If you can get the chickens inside the coop, lock them in there overnight & let them out in the morning. Do this for a few nights & see if they start going in on their own.
Like it has been stated, if you can lock them in the coop at night do so, they will soon learn thats there home and thats where they need to sleep and lay there eggs. I use a mixture of hay, wood shavings (pine not cider), and leaves, i like the natural look of it. LOL. Its up to you if you want to feed them on the ground or out of a feeder, they will eat from a feeder if you put the food in it. If you cant look up the coop at night, you can always go out there at dark when they are on there roost in the run and put them in the coop, or take the roost out of the run for a bit till they start roosting in the coop. AND . John.
From what I can see of your coop in the pic it's a open front coop and not completly enclosed! If that's the case it will take you going after it get's dark and placing the chickens on the roost in the coop. It might take a couple of nights of this and after that they'll get up there on their own!!
