Help moving 4 stubborn hens & 1 bullheaded duck - what do I do?

[PrintedPerfect]

I have a crisis situation here, but I know it is fix-able, I just need to learn (newbie with chickens).

As I said, I have four hens (Dominique) and one Pekin duck. All are about 6-7 months old. Until a month or so ago they all happily shared a small hen house in the evening and free ranged during the day. Even though it may not be the ideal situation I have allowed the duck to free range with the chickens, as she is in total panic mode when they fly the coop. As soon as possible I plan to get another duck. Long and short, the five move as one unit free ranging.

About a month ago my littlest hen (very spunky gal) began roosting in the trees. Despite my efforts to keep her out of the trees (clipping wings, getting her down each night, etc.) she kept on. I gave up and figured she could roost in the tree if she wanted, but then another started doing it. With that I clipped both of these girl's wings (a few times) and began evaluating the housing situation. I think the duck was sleeping on the (poop) pan of the hen house, thereby taking up a good section of the two roost bars causing an over crowding situation. With this and thinking they'd be much happier in a big space I converted my outbuilding into a new hen house. It is probably 7-1/2' x 5'. I put roost bars in with sand underneath, nesting boxes and piles of hay. It took me about a week to borrow a saw, get the necessary wood and stuff like that, but in the meantime I did put one perch bar in there and started moving the chickens from the hen house to the shed.

Now the building is complete but I am seeing a pattern here. Just one hen willingly goes into the outbuilding at night, and now the other three go into the hen house (they used to perch on top until I put them in manually). The duck could care less, she lays down and waits to be put where ever. I have made her sleep with the lone ranger in the outbuilding.

My question/problem is, how do I make other hens recognize the new outbuilding as their new home? Should I close the doors on their old hen house or let the three continue to live in there? Last night I put two in the outbuilding; one stayed while I collected the last (and the escapee). But again, the one that went in willingly and one that I put in there stayed on their own.

The other thing is that yesterday while I was finishing the conversion of the outbuilding one of my girls made a nest in a pile of hay and laid her first egg. I was so happy, but didn't have a choice but to dismantle her nest, as it was where I was putting the nesting boxes I just built. This morning I found another egg but this one was in the lawn outside the outbuilding (oddly covered in a brownish yellow slime too). Have I broken her trust? They have continually kicked the fake plastic eggs (from my toddlers play food) out of the nesting areas. Today I put yellow Easter Eggs in there that were filled with sand, thinking if they were heavier it might work to convince them.

My apologies for such a long post. I just really need some help. I love my chickens (and duck) and want to do what's right for them and hopefully will be able to collect their eggs too. I do plan to get more chickens later too, so maybe I could put new ones in with my lone ranger. ???

Thanks so much!
Jeanne Meier

 

[chicmom]

This is very easy to fix! What you have to do, is just keep them locked in the out building for about two weeks. Hopefully your out building has room for them to move about and windows or lighting of some kind. This teaches them where their new home is, and also, where to start laying their eggs. (Otherwise, they will lay all over the place and you'll be on an easter egg hunt every day! LOL)

Lock up the old hen house and don't let them use that anymore. Don't feel guilty about them being locked up--as long as they have clean bedding, food and water, and it doesn't get too hot in here, they will be just fine.

After the two weeks is up, let them out each day at the same time, but not until around 5 or 6pm. This will help them get into a laying routine. You hens will probably be done laying by that time, then they can go outside and play.

I hope this helps,
Sharon

 

[Mrs. K]

Being you are in the building mode, I would keep going and put a run around your coop. While I let mine out most days, there are times where it is nice to confine your birds, but still allow them to get outside. I am not an advocate of locking the birds in the building. I think they need daily fresh air and sunshine. This time of year one needs to worry a bit if the building locked up during the day will build too much heat.

However, a coop/run, where the bird can choose to go out or in is an excellent poultry set up. This also allows your birds to go outside while you are still in bed, and to put themselves to bed if you are out and about. My birds, have instinctively gone into a building and roosted if there were roosts higher than the nesting boxes.

I am imagining a small moveable coop for your original coop, if so, move that closer to the building that you want your birds to move, but lock it up, and leave the other building open. For your nests, I use rounded rocks, but the fake eggs should work well, and the sand should help them stay in the nest. Again, if you can confine them, the nest you create will be the best choice for a good nest, and they will generally lay there, (although they sometimes get odd notions). It is not uncommon for newly laying chickens to make mistakes and not get to the nest in time, but they will get better at it.

I have no advice on ducks, I have never had ducks..... but perhaps someone else will help.

Mrs K

 

[PrintedPerfect]

This is very easy to fix! What you have to do, is just keep them locked in the out building for about two weeks. Hopefully your out building has room for them to move about and windows or lighting of some kind. This teaches them where their new home is, and also, where to start laying their eggs. (Otherwise, they will lay all over the place and you'll be on an easter egg hunt every day! LOL)

Lock up the old hen house and don't let them use that anymore. Don't feel guilty about them being locked up--as long as they have clean bedding, food and water, and it doesn't get too hot in here, they will be just fine.

After the two weeks is up, let them out each day at the same time, but not until around 5 or 6pm. This will help them get into a laying routine. You hens will probably be done laying by that time, then they can go outside and play.

I hope this helps,
Sharon

Thank you Sharon! Seems like I have heard of locking them up before, but I do have some questions if you don't mind. Btw. it does seem so cruel, but so long as it works and they won't head for the hills once I do let them out I will do it.

First, the outbuilding is actually an old cyclone fence dog kennel fixed to a slab of concrete, enclosed with hardy plank. There are no windows but there is a 78" opening (entry door) from floor to ceiling that I have closed with wire. The only other ventilation is near the top where the tin roof meets the walls. I need to find someone that can help me cut a hole in the siding to make an actual vent, but overall I think there's decent ventilation in there.

Next, when you say not to let them out until 5pm-6pm, is that a typo by chance? It gets dark here around 8pm so that wouldn't give them much time outside and worries me. The pen is roughly 7-1/2' long by 5' wide, maybe a little bigger.

Last, will my duck ever catch on? Or should I let her out in the backyard during these days? I don't want to put her pool in the outbuilding because of the space and mess. If she will grasp the concept of that being home where I don't have to hand carry her in every night I can lock her up too, otherwise there isn't much point - I could let her out during the day. One thing though, she should be due to start laying eggs too and I want to collect her eggs as well.

Guess this is all good timing, because after this post I learned what the egg song is and heard another one of my hens doing the egg song out in the woods. It's quite the pickle!

Thank you for your help!
Jeanne

 

[bobbi-j]

Being you are in the building mode, I would keep going and put a run around your coop. While I let mine out most days, there are times where it is nice to confine your birds, but still allow them to get outside. I am not an advocate of locking the birds in the building. I think they need daily fresh air and sunshine. This time of year one needs to worry a bit if the building locked up during the day will build too much heat.

However, a coop/run, where the bird can choose to go out or in is an excellent poultry set up. This also allows your birds to go outside while you are still in bed, and to put themselves to bed if you are out and about. My birds, have instinctively gone into a building and roosted if there were roosts higher than the nesting boxes.

I am imagining a small moveable coop for your original coop, if so, move that closer to the building that you want your birds to move, but lock it up, and leave the other building open. For your nests, I use rounded rocks, but the fake eggs should work well, and the sand should help them stay in the nest. Again, if you can confine them, the nest you create will be the best choice for a good nest, and they will generally lay there, (although they sometimes get odd notions). It is not uncommon for newly laying chickens to make mistakes and not get to the nest in time, but they will get better at it.

I have no advice on ducks, I have never had ducks..... but perhaps someone else will help.

Mrs K

x2 - I would not just lock them in that small space for two weeks. They do need some sun and fresh air. And, as Mrs. K said, it is nice to have a run for them to go in & out if they choose. My chickens primarily free range, but there are times (like when we have company and they bring their dogs or when we're going to be gone for a few days and don't want to have to ask anyone to come over twice a day to let them out and back in again) that it's very nice to have that attached run. It usually takes my chickens about a week to re-set their thinking and realize that the new place is now home.

 

[PrintedPerfect]

Attaching an enclosed run to the out building is going to be quite difficult and I imagine rather costly. Other than a pet chicken and later a pet duck, both many years ago, I have never had them. This year when I got them the hardware store told me a 3' fence would be enough to contain them, the guy said they'd be too fat to fly that high. That hasn't happened as of yet. But, my initial set up included a store bought kit for a hen house. It's 2-1/2' x 3' (not including three nesting boxes that attach on the side). I put this in the middle of a 100 square foot coop area that I fenced off using 2" x 4" welded wire that is 3' tall. The fenced area contained them until they were big enough to fly, once they reached that point they refused to stay in the coop, so the fence only served as torment for the duck who couldn't get over it. After seeing her pace in panic day after day I started opening the gate so she could roam with them.

The new "hen house" or outbuilding is much larger, but it is inside the fenced part of my backyard, and the entry door is 6' in height, so closing it in would be rather difficult and would be quite the eye sore I think.

I could try to re-do my coop, but with that I don't know how high I would have to make the fence, short of closing it in entirely, and doing that I would still have to rebuild their shelter or hen house, as it just isn't enough for the crew I have. The existing house is enough for just the chickens I have but not big enough for when the duck is added. The duck used to run away from me at night until I started putting her in the hen house; she did NOT want to sleep alone. Now that she knows I am going to pen her up with them she will lay down and let me just pick her up. Guess my point with the fence is that the neighbor's dog kennel has a 5' welded wire fence and these chickens, at times, will fly up and sit on their dog kennel.

I do want to get more chickens, so I guess if I must I could let the one that goes in there willingly bunk with the duck alone and let the other three continue to sleep in the hen house. I just hate to have them separated where the one may be ostracized from the flock. If she paired up with the neighbors flock of wild chickens she may disappear forever. If it's safe to let her sleep alone in the out building I could put the newbies that I get (no idea when that will be) in the out building later. But even with this, I think they will still be laying their eggs where ever (out in the woods somewhere), not in a place where I can find them.

At the moment I am sure two are now laying. I know one laid an egg in the out building and then I found the one egg in the grass, but I heard the "egg song" yesterday when they were out in the woods, so that tells me it was one other chicken, since they only lay once a day.

 

[chicmom]

Hi Jeannie!

Oh, I just noticed your measurements.....it does seem small to keep them locked up. My hen house is 8x12 with an attached run, so I'm able to keep them in there, but they still can go outside......

I agree with the gal who suggested keep building and add an attached chicken run for them. Then you could keep them locked in to get them used to things and establish those good habits of layin in the nesting boxes and returning to their coop at night.

I kind of said that "if your building isn't too dark or too hot........"

I'd still lock up the old building though....

And I cannot comment about the little duck. I've never had one.

I just have a very specific routine when it comes to my hens, and after all these years of chicken keeping.

 

[PrintedPerfect]

Hi Jeannie!

Oh, I just noticed your measurements.....it does seem small to keep them locked up. My hen house is 8x12 with an attached run, so I'm able to keep them in there, but they still can go outside......

I agree with the gal who suggested keep building and add an attached chicken run for them. Then you could keep them locked in to get them used to things and establish those good habits of layin in the nesting boxes and returning to their coop at night.

I kind of said that "if your building isn't too dark or too hot........"

I'd still lock up the old building though....

And I cannot comment about the little duck. I've never had one.

I just have a very specific routine when it comes to my hens, and after all these years of chicken keeping.

I suppose I could try cutting them loose but keeping the backyard fence closed. It's cyclone and lower than the neighbor's dog kennel fence but being cyclone it has the twisted wire on the top. They might not like landing on it to fly out. Maybe in the morning I will make sure the gate is closed and see if I can corral them that way. Since I started this thread two of them have wandered into that building on their own, but they are entering through the fence so maybe that will work.