I'm a new owner of a he.

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Annalee Robin

Chirping
Aug 25, 2018
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Hi Everyone,
Over a month ago a beautiful hen came into my yard and stayed. A nearby neighbor who owns chickens knows that they often come into my yard, but no one came to claim her over several weeks. She may have been attacked by another chicken as she appeared somewhat wounded at first. Later I realized that many of her feathers were missing. Anyway I consulted the experts at Tractor Supply. They were wonderful and advised me what to feed her to help her in this stressful time. I bought her a really nice coop, and she seemed really happy. I made a very stupid mistake, though- because I didn't know any better. Having cats who are very finicky about being in clean litter boxes, I noticed some large droppings in her run after a couple of days and I tried to rake them out (with a child size rake) just to make it cleaner for her; she was in the run at the time and became very upset. I felt awful and still do. She isn't cackling the same way when she sees me now. I feel I may have broken her trust in me: she thinks I was trying to hurt her - will she be okay? Was she traumatized by this? I was only cleaning for a couple of minutes. She is eating well. I haven't touched her run since. She kicked up hay all over everything- including her food bowls. Do you think she's okay or is she upset with me? These may be silly questions but it's my first experience caring for a chicken. I'd truly appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Annalee R.
 
Joeschooks said:
Hello and :welcome Your chicken will be just fine. Some breeds are flightier than others - scooping the poop won’t have made a difference. Please do get her a friend or two though as chickens are flock animals and need the company of other chickens. Good luck on your chicken adventures :thumbsup
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Joeschooks said:
Hello and :welcome Your chicken will be just fine. Some breeds are flightier than others - scooping the poop won’t have made a difference. Please do get her a friend or two though as chickens are flock animals and need the company of other chickens. Good luck on your chicken adventures :thumbsup
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Thank you very much! Have a good week!
 
Chickens hate anything new, but they will quickly get over it. Mine freak out any time I introduce something new or heaven forbid, move something old into a new place! When I put fresh pine needles in their run, they freak out for 5 or 10 minutes so bad you'd think they were facing down a predator. Give her time to adjust without seeing the rake - she will come around.
 
Annalee Robin said:
Hi Everyone,
Over a month ago a beautiful hen came into my yard and stayed. A nearby neighbor who owns chickens knows that they often come into my yard, but no one came to claim her over several weeks. She may have been attacked by another chicken as she appeared somewhat wounded at first. Later I realized that many of her feathers were missing. Anyway I consulted the experts at Tractor Supply. They were wonderful and advised me what to feed her to help her in this stressful time. I bought her a really nice coop, and she seemed really happy. I made a very stupid mistake, though- because I didn't know any better. Having cats who are very finicky about being in clean litter boxes, I noticed some large droppings in her run after a couple of days and I tried to rake them out (with a child size rake) just to make it cleaner for her; she was in the run at the time and became very upset. I felt awful and still do. She isn't cackling the same way when she sees me now. I feel I may have broken her trust in me: she thinks I was trying to hurt her - will she be okay? Was she traumatized by this? I was only cleaning for a couple of minutes. She is eating well. I haven't touched her run since. She kicked up hay all over everything- including her food bowls. Do you think she's okay or is she upset with me? These may be silly questions but it's my first experience caring for a chicken. I'd truly appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Annalee R.
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In my experience chickens get over things pretty quickly when it comes to small things like that. You didn’t hurt her and while you may have spooked her I doubt she is going to hold it against you. Bring her a few treats so she acquaints your presence with good things and she will likely change her tune :) My girls like scratch grains, meal worms, fresh fruits and veggies.

She may be lonely too if she is an only chicken. Ours are very much buddy creatures and often pair off.
 
Criticalicious said:
Chickens hate anything new, but they will quickly get over it. Mine freak out any time I introduce something new or heaven forbid, move something old into a new place! When I put fresh pine needles in their run, they freak out for 5 or 10 minutes so bad you'd think they were facing down a predator. Give her time to adjust without seeing the rake - she will come around.
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Thank you so much. Quick question- when is a good time to clean her run? While she's up in her coop, or should I let her out of the run before I clean? Thank you again- I feel better already.
 
New2Chicks97 said:
In my experience chickens get over things pretty quickly when it comes to small things like that. You didn’t hurt her and while you may have spooked her I doubt she is going to hold it against you. Bring her a few treats so she acquaints your presence with good things and she will likely change her tune :) My girls like scratch grains, meal worms, fresh fruits and veggies.

She may be lonely too if she is an only chicken. Ours are very much buddy creatures and often pair off.
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Thank you! I will give her treats. I'm nervous about getting another hen because I don't know if she was attacked by another chicken, or how she came to be in my yard.
 

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