I got new chickens and have some questions about chicken behavior

[rgspine]

I recently lost my three chickens to a fox. I have mourned and believed I have installed the necessary defenses to make Fort Knox jealous. I have some questions about my new chickens that I recently got. These chickens are from a breeder and brought up in a small pen. They had a limited run and probably no opportunity to experience normal chicken life. I didn't take that into consideration at the time. I have an opposite situation where they have plenty of free space and freedom. They are slowly beginning to scratch and dig. They are certainly less active then my previous crew that came from a free range set up. They also have no interest in table scraps. I have tried everything: bananas, apples, bread, yogurt, cantaloupe, cheese, corn.(mild interest) They walk right over the scraps They did show some interest in the meal worms but nothing like the intensity of my other birds. They do have a feeder 24/7 and have no problems eating pellets. They found the feeding and water tube fairly easy. So my first questions is the low activity and lack of interest in scraps would be normal for institutional hens? Also I have one hen, who just started laying, who seems very uncoordinated when she pecks. It looks like when she's pecking at a meal worm that she keeps missing. It takes her 4-5 shots to make contact. Could this be that she hasn't developed this motion and coordination from lack of use and development? She also hasn't gotten the hang of scratching yet like the other birds. It's only been about fours days since I got the hens as well. After two days they have learned to sleep in the coop with a little help. I'm assuming that I just have institutional chickens that don't know what it's like to be a chicken yet. Also how stressful is this time of change to a chicken? Thanks for your input for a newbie!

 

[sourland]

They are just learning how to be 'chickens'. Chickens fear/dislike change to begin with, and it sounds as if these birds have severely limited life experiences. In a month or so you will be amazed at the change in them. There is always the possibility that the 'uncoordinated' pecking of the one hen might be a vision issue.

 

[rgspine]

The vision thing did cross my mind. Thank you for the confirmation it will help me to relax.