Human imprinted chicken?

[xmissjadie]

As some of you know, my chicken Jack was sick a while ago. Since he was sick I brought him in the house to live. He's been living in the house since then. Now that he's fully recovered I want to put him back outside with the rest of the flock. The thing is that he's so used to being in the house that when I try to put him outside he comes back up to the door and cries and pecks at the door until I open it. When I do, he walks straight to his cage. He's been very spoiled while he's been recovering. Being held all the time and getting hand fed and staying in the warm house. Anyway how should I introduce him to being an outside chicken again? It's been getting down to 21 degrees at night here. I don't want him going into shock from the temperature difference. Will he be able to adjust or will he have to be a house chicken forever? lol Like Phillip the house chicken on youtube.

Here's my baby boy :]

 

[Mahonri]

your chicken isn't dumb. breed him.

 

[gryeyes]

 

[xmissjadie]

 

[PeeperKeeper]

I think you have a winter house guest.

 

[xmissjadie]

Quote:
Wonderful

 

[xmissjadie]

Has anyone else had this problem? Or something similar? Believe me, I love my Jack but he deserves to be out in the fresh air and have room to run and stretch his wings.

 

[Nonny]

You can train him into being an outside chicken again. How long it takes will depend on how much of a softie you are. If outside is safe enough, and warm enough, and there's food for him, then if he sooks and cries at the door, go out there and give him a cuddle by all means, but don't let him back inside. He'll figure it out soon enough.

I haven't had a similar experience with chooks, but I speak from the experience of having to train our two youngest out of the family bed and into their own. Obviously they would prefer to be where it's warmer and they have company, but they got used to their own beds a lot quicker once I started being consistent about it and not kicking them out of our bed one night and letting them in the next.

 

[xmissjadie]

Quote:
Thanks, I'll try that. I'm going to try and put a heat lamp in the coop for the cold nights though. It's been getting below freezing here!

 

[chickencrazylady]

Hi, I have a sick hen and had to bring her into the workshop attached to out house to recuperate in early November. When she got better I thought that I would take her back into the coop to live with her friends again. I phoned a poultry vet who helped me get Holly hen better again, and the vet told me that due to the very cold weather coming up for the next 3 months that Holly would need to stay in the workshop for the rest of the winter, cause she didn't get the chance to acclimatize to the colder temps we now have, that her down coat wouldn't grow in quick enough to protect her in the cold now. So Holly is living in the work heated workshop for the winter until spring now and enjoying her new life, She now is laying for me and I am getting an egg every other day from her now, my vet doubted that she would lay until the springtime.