Do pullets need to stay in coop for first few days?

[KnARanch]

Hello!

Hubby & I have read different opinions on this so I need help.

He's raised chickens before - from peeps, strays, with and without roosters - while I'm a brand new chickie mama. Our pullets have been tolerating a good sized box of straw/wheat with a hanging CD, reflective dohickey, roasting bar, treats of mealworms, minced strawberries, and once a week dry toast bits.

Due to weather and our broken down bodies, we've been slow in getting everything ready. We finally have the 8×8 shed-now-coop ready for their home! The posts are sunk for the fencing, but that won't finish for a few days.

Now, hubby, K. says pullets *must* stay in the shed-coop (shoop?) for 3-4 days before going into the grass - to get acclimated. I, chickie mama (ChiMama?) say it doesn't matter.

Thoughts?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I am with your husband. Sorry! They need a few days to know where home is and get used to going there when it’s time for bed. So yes, in the coop for a few days is best if they don’t have a designated run yet

 

[NatJ]

We finally have the 8×8 shed-now-coop ready for their home! The posts are sunk for the fencing, but that won't finish for a few days.

Now, hubby, K. says pullets *must* stay in the shed-coop (shoop?) for 3-4 days before going into the grass - to get acclimated. I, chickie mama (ChiMama?) say it doesn't matter.

Given that the coop is finished but the fence is not, I suggest you put the pullets in the coop and let them stay in it while you get the fence finished.

The benefits include:
--the pullets will be out of the brooder and into the coop sooner. This probably gives them more space than they have now, as compared with leaving them in the brooder while you finish the fence.
--the pullets will be safe inside the coop while you finish the fence, as compared with being let out to wander freely while you work on the fence.
--the pullets will become familiar with the coop, and develop the habit of sleeping in it. That will probably make your life easier later, because they will be more likely to put themselves in at bedtime, which saves you a lot of time herding or grabbing chickens. The benefit is even stronger if you were planning to let them out before the fence is finished.
--there is no need to establish who is "right" or "wrong" about the general principle of shutting them in the coop, because it obviously makes sense in THIS situation.

Hubby & I have read different opinions on this so I need help....
Now, hubby, K. says pullets *must* stay in the shed-coop (shoop?) for 3-4 days before going into the grass - to get acclimated. I, chickie mama (ChiMama?) say it doesn't matter.

Thoughts?

There definitely are different opinions on this.

I'm wondering how your husband is using that "must."
Does he mean that he has strong opinions on the matter, and insists that it will be done this way? I'm sure he's correct there.

Does he mean that some kind of disaster will happen if they are let out sooner? If he is anticipating some specific kind of disaster, there's a good chance he is right (example: "If we let them out before we finish the fence, the neighbor's dog will run over and try to kill them.") If he just says it as a blanket statement for all cases, he's probably wrong for at least some of them.

Letting pullets out immediately into a safe run is generally not a big problem. You might have to spend more time putting them in at bedtime, because they haven't yet learned where to sleep, but that's about it. (But if the fence for your run is not finished yet, that is not the situation you have.)

On the other hand, being shut in the coop for a few days will not do them any harm, whether the fence is finished or not.

Is there any reason you WANT to let them out sooner? Or are you just trying to figure out if he is right to be so dogmatic about it?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi welcome to the wonderful world of chickening.
In this case I agree with your husband. He does after all have a lot of experience to back him up. Chickens are delicious and easy prey for all kinds of predators. To save yourself heartbreak, it's best to keep them confined in Fort Knox - type coops and runs. Until your run is complete, I agree they should be kept safely confined in the coop.

It does not sound, however, as if they are getting a balanced diet. I highly recommend you provide them with an all-flock type of commercial feed, as it is both balanced and complete for their nutritional needs. You can give them a small handful of mealworms as an occasional treat, but treats should comprise 10% or less of their dietary intake. Also of course they need grit in a separate vessel for digestion, and as they approach laying age, they'll also need a bowl of oyster shell. They'll help themselves to it as they need it for forming strong egg shells. And that's about it! Enjoy your chicken journey and know we are always here to help.

 

[KnARanch]

Thank you - thank you!

I think this all comes down to the moon in me - I have "mommy guilt" keeping them all cooped up (no pun intended) for what seems a long time in a box in the basement bedroom. And, to me, moving into another box seems cruel. But, what you are all saying makes sense. Especially since only 2 of them will let me pick them up right now .

We have enough fence up that we could let them out to investigate grass as long as we supervise. But there's no reason they can't stay in the shoop for a few more days.

Again, thank you so very much for all your help!

~A

p.s. here's the shoop!

 

[KnARanch]

Hi welcome to the wonderful world of chickening.
In this case I agree with your husband. He does after all have a lot of experience to back him up. Chickens are delicious and easy prey for all kinds of predators. To save yourself heartbreak, it's best to keep them confined in Fort Knox - type coops and runs. Until your run is complete, I agree they should be kept safely confined in the coop.

It does not sound, however, as if they are getting a balanced diet. I highly recommend you provide them with an all-flock type of commercial feed, as it is both balanced and complete for their nutritional needs. You can give them a small handful of mealworms as an occasional treat, but treats should comprise 10% or less of their dietary intake. Also of course they need grit in a separate vessel for digestion, and as they approach laying age, they'll also need a bowl of oyster shell. They'll help themselves to it as they need it for forming strong egg shells. And that's about it! Enjoy your chicken journey and know we are always here to help.

Oh! Yes! They are getting feed from the local feed store! And yes, I've looked into grit, but Hubby thinks that the dirt should provide that, no?

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh! Yes! They are getting feed from the local feed store! And yes, I've looked into grit, but Hubby thinks that the dirt should provide that, no?

That depends on what's in your dirt, do you have small rocks mixed in that are accessible year round? If you get winter freezes, or your soil is lacking in assorted sizes of small rocks, it'd be better to supplement grit. It lasts forever and is very cheap.

 

[ChaosMom]

…But, what you are all saying makes sense. Especially since only 2 of them will let me pick them up right now .

We have enough fence up that we could let them out to investigate grass as long as we supervise…

We got our three pullets, now approaching 16 weeks, when they were 7 1/2 weeks old, so we didn’t hatch them and they didn’t imprint on us. Although they follow me around, etc., they still act as if I am wearing a hockey mask and carrying a chain saw when I try to touch one.

So this afternoon, Hubs was leaning over their yard-ranging fence and dropped his phone on the Easter egger. She promptly flew out into an unfenced area that thankfully was still within our overall fenced backyard.

A jolly chase ensued.

I couldn’t get near her, but I was able to “encourage” her back to their run.

It would have been pretty awful if she hadn’t known where the run was, including the very real possibility of her flying over the backyard fence into our busy side street.

We didn’t enclose them in their coop when we first got them, but that’s because they were in a large and secure run. In your situation, yes, keep them in their coop at first. They’ll enjoy checking it out.

 

[KnARanch]

That depends on what's in your dirt, do you have small rocks mixed in that are accessible year round? If you get winter freezes, or your soil is lacking in assorted sizes of small rocks, it'd be better to supplement grit. It lasts forever and is very cheap.

Luckily we have more rocks & pebbles than we know what to do with! But, yes, come November, we'll need grit!