ChickenHawk12
Chirping
- May 7, 2015
- 153
- 7
- 76
I just don't get them. They are weird. Are they always this weird? 9 w/o BO's (5 of them). Up until 2 days ago they were in a 4X8 coop at night, and free to roam the backyard (we have a fence) during the day. We haven't come up with the $$ to make a proper run, but the poop EVERYWHERE got too much, so I made a makeshift 8X14 run 2 days ago with fence posts and 3 foot tall chicken wire. They flew over it in like 24 seconds, so I added a 2nd level of chicken wire so now they can't fly out (didn't stop them from trying).
I opened the coop in the morning but kept them in the run all day. I tried giving them "treats" (the end of a cucumber, a little bit of red bell pepper, a slice of watermelon), but they didn't touch them. They spent a good part of the day laying under the coop (which is inside the run) in the shade. I opened the gate around 5 pm and they didn't even seem interested in coming out! (meanwhile, I felt guilty all day long that they went from free reign of the yard to an 80-foot enclosure). Finally they come out, run across the grass to flap their wings, and then 30 minutes later they are laying on the picnic table just lounging. I would have expected them to be so excited to scratch and peck in the trees, weeds and mulch beds. Now, it's dusk, and I went out there to see if they had gone back into the coop yet so I could lock it up, and they are all laying AT (but not inside) the gate. Huh?? Are they waiting for me? Just staying close to "home" in case they need to make a quick getaway?
Seriously, they don't want treats, I tried fermented feed and they hated that, I let them "free" and they just lay on a table. Are they sick? Are they odd? They seem fine otherwise. No injuries, nice looking feathers and feet, combs growing in, no bloody poop. Oh, and they still aren't roosting. They still sleep in a huddle in the corner of the coop at night. These are the first animals we have ever had, so I am completely lost, but they don't seem to act like everyone else's chickens on BYC.
I opened the coop in the morning but kept them in the run all day. I tried giving them "treats" (the end of a cucumber, a little bit of red bell pepper, a slice of watermelon), but they didn't touch them. They spent a good part of the day laying under the coop (which is inside the run) in the shade. I opened the gate around 5 pm and they didn't even seem interested in coming out! (meanwhile, I felt guilty all day long that they went from free reign of the yard to an 80-foot enclosure). Finally they come out, run across the grass to flap their wings, and then 30 minutes later they are laying on the picnic table just lounging. I would have expected them to be so excited to scratch and peck in the trees, weeds and mulch beds. Now, it's dusk, and I went out there to see if they had gone back into the coop yet so I could lock it up, and they are all laying AT (but not inside) the gate. Huh?? Are they waiting for me? Just staying close to "home" in case they need to make a quick getaway?
Seriously, they don't want treats, I tried fermented feed and they hated that, I let them "free" and they just lay on a table. Are they sick? Are they odd? They seem fine otherwise. No injuries, nice looking feathers and feet, combs growing in, no bloody poop. Oh, and they still aren't roosting. They still sleep in a huddle in the corner of the coop at night. These are the first animals we have ever had, so I am completely lost, but they don't seem to act like everyone else's chickens on BYC.
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