Introducing new hens to a new coop

[tehlump]

I hope I placed this in the correct forum.

I am new to chickens. My family kept chickens when I was a boy, but I haven't kept any as an adult. My 4 yr old son wanted some hens so we've been working on building a coop for the last couple of weeks.

It is now getting close to when we need to go buy some hens. I don't really want to start from chicks, there are several 'farms' local to me that sell young laying hens. We'd like to go that route, however I haven't seen any information on how to establish a new flock in a new environment. We plan on buying 4-5 hens.

So if we go buy some young adult hens, bring them home...then what. Just place them in the coop, will they recognize that is their new home? What is it that imprints that location on them? Maybe they'll recognize that there is abundant food and water there?

This site has been very helpful on the coop design, I hope I have all the bases covered!

 

[socks]

Hey there tehlump nice coop you've got started. I'm a newbie but think I can help you with the question assuming you will be getting chickens that have all lived together previously. From what I have read people often keep them in the coop for a few days (with food and water of course) just to get them used to the idea that this is home. Then after that let them out in the run.

If on the other hand you will be getting chickens from different places that could take a little more strategy to integrate them and hopefully someone more experienced can help you with that.

o.k. just one comment on the coop I'm guessing that is your nesting box in the first pic??? People usually put a few inches of wood up from bottom to keep the nesting material (and eggs I guess) from falling out. But you probably knew that.

I've also read that this isn't a good time (after July) to get chicks....something about maturing too early and laying problems so looks like your idea to get adults is a good one all round.

well, hopefully you'll get some experienced advice any minute.

 

[Echos_dad]

I just introduced mine to a new coop on Saturday. I put them into the coop one by one with the chicken door open. They all went out into the run and huddled in a corner for just a bit, then went about eating, drinking and scratching, and general chicken stuff. I put a light on at sunset inside the coop. Three went in almost immediately, and I herded the rest in after them. I opened the door the next morning before sunrise, and last night I did the same thing. This time I only had to herd one in. They will probably have it all down tonight.

 

[tehlump]

Yes, I plan on getting all chickens from the same place.

In looking through the For Sale section of this site I found several 'mini-farms' within an hour or so drive from me. I figured my son would love to hand select the hens we take home! He's bugging me every day now asking if it's time to go get the chickens. I have to keep reminding him that I'm working as fast I can and the hens have to have a place to live!!!

I plan on putting a thin removable board in front of the laying box to keep the nest material in. I want it removable so that when it's time to clean the nesting box I can just remove the board and push the contents into the main area. Make sense? All of the ideas I've had have come from this site and I thought I saw that on someone's coop.

I think your idea about confining them for several days may do the trick. I do live in SE Texas so I guess I'll string up a fan to make sure they're getting plenty of ventilation. I know I wouldn't want to stay in that coop without airflow! The spot I have picked out is under a large tree so they'll have plenty of shade with virtually no direct sunlight on the coop itself.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions!

 

[gritsar]

You'll want to make sure that your roosts are higher than your nestboxes. Chickens naturally want to go as high as possible to roost and you don't want them roosting in your nestboxes. That leads to poopy eggs.
I agree that locking them in for a few days is the best way to imprint the coop as home on them.
Good luck to you!

 

[tehlump]

Quote:
OK...

The roost in the picture is the tree limb. It is at the window level, the very top of the laying box is flush with the bottom of the window. The difference in height is probably 18 inches or so, and I chose to have the inside laying box opening flush with the interior wall to prevent them from roosting on top of it. That should be enough I hope. I had considered adding a second perch at the top of the windows, but I'm hesitant to do that due to the problems others have reported with competing over the highest perch. I may go ahead and do it though because the perch length is almost 4 feet and I figure that will keep 4-5 hens comfortable.

We chose a tree limb because the eventual spot for the coop is under a tree and there was a semi large limb that needed pruning for it to fit. Plus I figured the hens would appreciate a more natural perch...who knows, maybe I'm going nuts here

 

[socks]

Yeah, was wondering a little about the um...walkway to your roost as to whether that would end up being roosted on in which case the 'nest box lower than the roost' rule does come into play.


I'm going to be challenged on the keep them in the coop thing as it gets flippin' hot in the afternoon in our coop/ run area. We will have to get our tarp protection up before I can do the all day thing or I just might have to put them in by hand until they get it..

That light suggestion in the coop is a very good one that I forgot.....and maybe just whisper in their ears 'walk towards the light....'

 

[tehlump]

Quote:
I didn't figure that they would roost on the 'walkway' due to the steep angle. I put it there to give them a way to climb up to the main roost without having to build a staircase-type setup. I guess if it becomes a problem it will be easily fixed.

So a light on inside the coop after dark will encourage the chickens to go inside? I guess I don't understand that behavior, but if it works, it works! I'll have to try it.

I have an outdoor fan that I can use when I temporarily confine the chickens, I would imagine that as long as I keep adequate water inside the coop combined with natural shade from the tree and moving air from the fan they'll be fine.

 

[Echos_dad]

The light thing worked very well. Last night all the chickens went inside on their own. The only problem was the 2nd to last one decided the door was a good place to sleep, so the last one in had to leapfrog in! It only took 3 nights for them all to consider it home.