I'm new with hens

[reecey92]

i got 3 hens 5 days ago and they havnt started laying yet... so im wondering how long it might take?

i got these hens from a guy i know.. and they havnt been treated well... they havnt been let out of their cage at all, given no scraps to eat, just poor quality seed mixed with some laying pellets... and i think they are a bit traumatized.

the hens are very resistant to people, the biggest is the most open, but very rarely lets you pick her up.. the other 2 just run from me and my family.

anyway... they are getting treated a lot better now... being let out of the coop lots, getting fed scraps and a good organic mix of seed and pellets.

i just dont know how long they will take to settle in or how long it will take them to relax around people and become more tame.

 

[Judymae]

Are they old enough to lay? If they are I would give them a few weeks of good nutrition and calmness before they start laying.

I'm glad the hens found you. Sounds like they really needed a break....

 

[reecey92]

yeah... they are old enough.. i used to get eggs every now and then from my mate..

they were always quite small though (they are isabrowns)... and the yolks wernt a rich colour.


but when he gave them to me he said that he wasnt getting eggs... but a while ago his neighbor was stealing them.. so he said that it was quite possible that she was stealing them again...

ill give them a bit of time then...

once they settle in and start laying im going to buy a few more... ready to lay...

 

[Judymae]

I bet the yolks weren't very dark because the chicken's nutritional needs weren't being met. I bet when they start to lay for you the difference will be amazing! I like to crack my eggs next to a store bought egg. The store bought eggs look almost yellow compared to my chicken's dark almost orange yolks.

I'm sure they will get friendlier soon. Just remember to hand feed them treats ALOT!!! Chickens love treats!!

 

[Mahonri]

Give them some treats. Yogurt, (Mine love cheese), sunflower kernals, I even give mine a little salmon... adds Omega 3 to my eggs!

 

[Laskaland]

I would say give them vitamins, protein(like eggs), high quality layer feed. It may still take a month before they adjust enough to lay for you.
I would also encourage catching them and carrying them around so they get used to you.
Good luck!!

 

[Eastins Eggs]

Are they under artificial light? Are they heated?

 

[reecey92]

thanks for all your help...

you were all so fast.


i really want some happy chicken = ]



and...


who finds what treats best? i find my hens are a little resistant to most of the scraps im feeding them? possibly because they havnt been fed them before?

but! in saying that... they love grapes, cheese, tinned sweet corn kernels, mash potatoes, multigrain bread.

only the big one will take it out of my hand..

and the others seem to miss out on a lot of the treats because the biggest one dominates....

is there anything i can do? or should do?

 

[reecey92]

and also... is there any particular way that i could pat them that they would like?

 

[birdlover]

Most of my chickens wouldn't let me willingly pet them but I used to go in the coop after they went to roost and pat each one goodnight. You could start with that. Glad you're giving these chickens a better life!