introducing new chickens to the coop

[bugkiller]

I am picking up my first 2 chickens tuseday. I have heard people talk about locking them in the coop for the first couple days. Should i do this no matter what or see what happens and only lock them in if they dont go in them self. ( they will be locked in the first night any way cause it will be dark by the time i get home with them any way. And on that note should i give them light the first night or just place them on the roost in the dark??

 

[Judy]

I'd place them on the roost in the dark and hope that by morning they would accept it as home. Simple enough to place them on the roost for a few more nights if they don't go in on their own, unless they are free range. I definitely wouldn't add light the first night. If I added it to increase winter egg production, I'd wait a couple of weeks before I did.

 

[kari_dawn]

I certainly would NOT put brand new birds in with my existing flock the first day. That is a recipe for heartache. Even if you pick up healthy birds from a clean place, the stress of the move might cause them to come down with something and possibly spread it to your girls. I recomend quarantine for at least 14 days. After that, an intro cage in the main coop for a week or so to aclamate the girls to eachother. After that, lock down for at least the new girls (I like to lock down the whole flock. It's easier) for another week (or two, depending on how they do).

It is easier to shut them in and make them stay for a few days rather than trying to wrangle them into the coop for lockdown if they don't go back on their own.

 

[chixmom007]

Question... are you bringing new chickens into a new coop with no other chickens? That is how I read your post. We actually kept our chicks in the house for the first two weeks. We kept them in a large dog crate with light to help warm them and made sure they had plenty of water and feed. We did lose once chick the first night (they did fly over 3,000 miles to reside at our home) but have 14 lovely ladies out in our coop now that will be 12 weeks old on Wednesday.

Even if you are introducing them into an existing flock I would keep them seperate to ensure they have the best chance of survival. There is a chance to spread diseases from new into old. Good luck with your new chickies!

 

[hemet dennis]

not enough info.
how old are they? if they are older they can go right in the coop seeing as they are your first
if they are baby's they need to be kept warm
now when you get more you will need to keep them quarantined for a couple of weeks
good luck

 

[bugkiller]

Quote:
I dont have any birds as of yet. This is a brand new coop and first ever chickens for me.

 

[bugkiller]

Quote:
They are 7 mths old ( Barred Rock) Going in to a band new coop. ( no other birds) Spent yesterday compleating it and getting rid of drafts.

 

[ChicKat]

since you say it will be dark when you get home after picking them up, you will put them in your coop--- night one passes. They have an enclosed run--- yea! Day 1 passes. On night 2 -- if they are a little confused come dark time---use a flashlight to put some light in the coop and they fill find their way in most likely----- depending on the chicken IQ--- that should be all it will take. If they are frivilous learners, you may have to use the flashlight trick a couple of nights.

Especially since they will wake up in their new digs---they will probably go there to roost.

If you intend to free-range them, I would wait at least a couple of days or a week before letting them out and about.

Congrats on getting your new chickens....Barred Rocks are a nice choice.

 

[Hunter0704]

I like your coop/run...How many chickens are you going to put in your coop? It appears to be able to hold no more than three to four tops???? I see from your pic of the coop it is covered in chicken wire. Also, that you apparently live in town? Am I to assume you don't have any racoons in your area? If there are any, I would cover over the chicken wire, or replace it, with hardware cloth that is 1/2 to 1 inch. Racoons can pull a chicken through chicken wire plus they can get through it. Chicken wire as many at BYC will tell you is to keep chickens IN but not predators OUT.

When I got my first new chicks, a farmer friend told me.....before you let your chicks out to free roam (by this time they were a few months old), he told me to lock them in their coop for 3 days with food and water and to NOT LET THEM OUT until the end of the third day. The reason for this he told me, was that they will know after three days where their food and water is and will always return to the coop each night...and they did...it worked!!!! They always returned to the coop/run for food and water even during the day. Yes, I eventually moved the food and water to under the coop into the run so they could access it outside and it was shaded from the sun in the summer.

Good luck with your new chickens!!!! If you end up like most of us, eventually you will end up having to build a larger coop/run because you will want to get more chickens!!! It happened to me!

 

[bugkiller]

Quote:
Yes i live in the city an no more than 4 chickens. I am starting with 2 to see how the naighbours take to them and hope to add 2 more in the spring. I am an exterminator and can deal with the raccoons. I do relize the wire was a bad choice but i framed it in well and not just stapled. The wire was given to me for free so i thought why not try it. First slight sign of problems and i am replaceing with hardware cloth. I have no intention on letting them free range. Maby let them out once in a while when i am there to supervise.