Help! This is long but I'm a newbie to stray chickens and I need advice!

[KiKiChick]

Back story (I'll try to make it quick).....I wasn't wanting chickens but three strays found me right as our farm went under contract and we had purchased a new farm and with no luck finding their owner and being the animal lover I am, I started watching out for them and they became my pets (they were probably right before starting to lay when they showed up). One was taken by a predator the first weekend they showed up and then other two survived roosting in a tree for months (no matter how much I tried to get them into the barn...except for Hurricane Irma where they rode out the hurricane in our boat barn.) They would stay in a tree by our house but when another was eaten early one morning I decided that I would crawl into a tree nightly and take my final girl out and carry her to safety until we could get to the new farm where we had built a small coop (and plan to get her a companion). So needless to say, she was used to free ranging completely until I would pick her out of the tree and take her to roost in an enclosed barn nightly. We moved to our new farm earlier this week and I continued to go back every night at dusk and climb a ladder to get her to safety until yesterday afternoon when I grabbed her up and we went for a car ride to the new place (like she rode in my lap going down the road lol). So here is my predicament.......

The coop we bought is a temporary coop for now, we ordered a nice one off of Amazon meant for 2-3 hens and although we plan to build a much nicer and larger coop, this one will have to do for a little while since we have a billion other things on the to-do list with moving an entire farm. Last night she got very stressed at being caged up until I finally just grabbed her and put her on the roost and closed her in the roosting box and then this morning when I opened her box door she seemed much more relaxed although still not happy to be locked up and she has now figured out going up and down the ramp. She still laid an egg today in the laying box so I'm hoping that means she isn't too stressed.

1. How long do I need to keep her locked up for her to know this is a safe spot that she needs to come back to? I'm worried our new farm will have more predators than the other so she needs to be locked up at night. We also have way more trees here so I really don't want her to hear for a tree to roost in.

2. How do I go about introducing another hen? I don't want her to be lonely but I'm lost as to how to introduce a new one while having such a small coop......with that being said, I do have a temporary chicken coop without an enclosed box that I could put next to it for transition.

3. And can someone please give me some peace of mind that I'm doing the right thing for her and/or give me advice to help make this process less stressful. I felt TERRIBLE last night watching her get so upset at having boundaries for the first time ever but I knew I had to just get her through the first 24 hours and she would relax...which she has (although she refuses to talk to me like she normally does).

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I never wanted chickens because I didn't want to always stress on losing them!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Back story (I'll try to make it quick).....I wasn't wanting chickens but three strays found me right as our farm went under contract and we had purchased a new farm and with no luck finding their owner and being the animal lover I am, I started watching out for them and they became my pets (they were probably right before starting to lay when they showed up). One was taken by a predator the first weekend they showed up and then other two survived roosting in a tree for months (no matter how much I tried to get them into the barn...except for Hurricane Irma where they rode out the hurricane in our boat barn.) They would stay in a tree by our house but when another was eaten early one morning I decided that I would crawl into a tree nightly and take my final girl out and carry her to safety until we could get to the new farm where we had built a small coop (and plan to get her a companion). So needless to say, she was used to free ranging completely until I would pick her out of the tree and take her to roost in an enclosed barn nightly. We moved to our new farm earlier this week and I continued to go back every night at dusk and climb a ladder to get her to safety until yesterday afternoon when I grabbed her up and we went for a car ride to the new place (like she rode in my lap going down the road lol). So here is my predicament.......

The coop we bought is a temporary coop for now, we ordered a nice one off of Amazon meant for 2-3 hens and although we plan to build a much nicer and larger coop, this one will have to do for a little while since we have a billion other things on the to-do list with moving an entire farm. Last night she got very stressed at being caged up until I finally just grabbed her and put her on the roost and closed her in the roosting box and then this morning when I opened her box door she seemed much more relaxed although still not happy to be locked up and she has now figured out going up and down the ramp. She still laid an egg today in the laying box so I'm hoping that means she isn't too stressed.

1. How long do I need to keep her locked up for her to know this is a safe spot that she needs to come back to? I'm worried our new farm will have more predators than the other so she needs to be locked up at night. We also have way more trees here so I really don't want her to hear for a tree to roost in.

2. How do I go about introducing another hen? I don't want her to be lonely but I'm lost as to how to introduce a new one while having such a small coop......with that being said, I do have a temporary chicken coop without an enclosed box that I could put next to it for transition.

3. And can someone please give me some peace of mind that I'm doing the right thing for her and/or give me advice to help make this process less stressful. I felt TERRIBLE last night watching her get so upset at having boundaries for the first time ever but I knew I had to just get her through the first 24 hours and she would relax...which she has (although she refuses to talk to me like she normally does).

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I never wanted chickens because I didn't want to always stress on losing them!

Hey there so glad you joined us glad you where able to rescue her thank you I take it your are down south talking of Irma the puzzle would be look on craigs list if there is a auction close may get her a friend about the same size but would add maybe 2 at a time ... probably keep her in the coop each night at least a week to get her acclimated to it but Thank you again for saving her

 

[Sassysouth]

Welcome! I have shared your post with a couple of other threads that have been involved with found chickens.

 

[Chickassan]

Keep her up at least a week since she's kind of worked out her own thing roosting in trees. If you want to get her a buddy just keep them in sight of each other but don't let them mingle after about a week or so let them meet with you supervising of course. You may have better luck introducing a new girl sooner rather than later as your current hen isn't used to her living quarters and hasn't gotten a chance to get territorial about anything. You are totally doing this girl a solid favor.

 

[KiKiChick]

Hey there so glad you joined us glad you where able to rescue her thank you I take it your are down south talking of Irma the puzzle would be look on craigs list if there is a auction close may get her a friend about the same size but would add maybe 2 at a time ... probably keep her in the coop each night at least a week to get her acclimated to it but Thank you again for saving her

Yes, we are in Gainesville, Florida. I actually have a couple of options for getting her a friend thankfully. She was actually perfectly happy on her own when free ranging because of the horses and she had really attached herself to me (as in she walked into her house a few times because she heard my voice and a door was open haha)....I was so worried when she lost her friend but she never missed a beat but being in a coop I would imagine is much different loneliness wise. I didn't want to bring in a new chicken in the middle of the move but within the next week we'll be ready but obviously I'm worried about stressing her again with bringing in a friend.

I'm worried about letting her out during the day at all at this point until she gets familiar with the area and stops looking at the coop at being a scary place that just locks her in.

 

[ClearCreekGirl]

You are definitely doing the right thing! She would be eaten by a predator if it wasn't for you! Thank you for being a caring person! I know she feels stressed right now, but it's just because everything is so new for her. She will soon calm down and think of her new house as a safe place that she enjoys. I have had two rescued feral chickens and they accepted confinement much quicker than I thought they would. Just try to remember that even though she may not like being confined, it is only temporary and it is for her own good, as hard as it is on you.

Personally, I would keep her up at least a week. The longer the better, since she has never had boundaries or a house before. I always feel guilty keeping new hens penned up, while they act like prisoners clanging their tin cups on the bars, but I would feel worse if they were maimed or killed. Your girl doesn't understand why she is penned up, but like a parent, sometimes you have to be "tough" for their own good.
Also, you can find some really cool things online that are cheap and easy to give them something to do; that might help.

As to introducing a new hen, I try to keep them in separate pens, but in eye shot of each other. (It's also a good idea to keep any newbies quarantined from the hen you already have to be sure they are healthy and not contagious with anything.) They will get used to each other that way, and then put the new hen in at night. They won't be able to see each other enough to pick at each other and will probably get along fine by morning. There will also be some squabbling at first as they decide who is head hen and is second in command, but they should work that out fairly quickly. Would be a good thing if you could keep an eye on them their first day together, so that you can separate them, if need be.

I hope all this helps! Again, thank you for rescuing her. The world needs more kind-hearted people like you! Let us know how things go!

 

[KiKiChick]

Keep her up at least a week since she's kind of worked out her own thing roosting in trees. If you want to get her a buddy just keep them in sight of each other but don't let them mingle after about a week or so let them meet with you supervising of course. You may have better luck introducing a new girl sooner rather than later as your current hen isn't used to her living quarters and hasn't gotten a chance to get territorial about anything. You are totally doing this girl a solid favor.

Oh good idea! I didn't think about the territorial aspect. Okay, I'll contact the farm that I know will have someone for her. Does age matter, like should I get one right around her age or could I get a younger/older one without it being a big deal?

 

[KiKiChick]

Aww thanks! Great advice! I'm feeling much better now!

You are definitely doing the right thing! She would be eaten by a predator if it wasn't for you! Thank you for being a caring person! I know she feels stressed right now, but it's just because everything is so new for her. She will soon calm down and think of her new house as a safe place that she enjoys. I have had two rescued feral chickens and they accepted confinement much quicker than I thought they would. Just try to remember that even though she may not like being confined, it is only temporary and it is for her own good, as hard as it is on you.

Personally, I would keep her up at least a week. The longer the better, since she has never had boundaries or a house before. I always feel guilty keeping new hens penned up, while they act like prisoners clanging their tin cups on the bars, but I would feel worse if they were maimed or killed. Your girl doesn't understand why she is penned up, but like a parent, sometimes you have to be "tough" for their own good.
Also, you can find some really cool things online that are cheap and easy to give them something to do; that might help.

As to introducing a new hen, I try to keep them in separate pens, but in eye shot of each other. (It's also a good idea to keep any newbies quarantined from the hen you already have to be sure they are healthy and not contagious with anything.) They will get used to each other that way, and then put the new hen in at night. They won't be able to see each other enough to pick at each other and will probably get along fine by morning. There will also be some squabbling at first as they decide who is head hen and is second in command, but they should work that out fairly quickly. Would be a good thing if you could keep an eye on them their first day together, so that you can separate them, if need be.

I hope all this helps! Again, thank you for rescuing her. The world needs more kind-hearted people like you! Let us know how things go!

 

[pennyJo1960]

do you have a few dog crates? or some other method to move them like was said let them see each other first do that about a week

 

[ClearCreekGirl]

Usually, similar ages are better. Sometimes an older hen will take a younger one under her wing, so to speak, but others might be more bossy with a young one. I've never really had any trouble with different ages, but if you have the option, one her age would be best.