Just joining- got 4 hens a week ago

[shelleyes523]

Hello! My names Shelley and we just got 4 hens a few days ago. 3 hot in the coupe successfully, 1 did not. Any tips of getting her out of our woods. They are so thick we can't see where she's roosting. Also something already attacked a hen through our chickens wire and took off half her comb. They are still very nervous around me so couldn't get in to clean her up..but any ideas on what could be getting at her? I sat cinder blocks the whole way around the coupe to prevent anything from digging under. Also what are some good snacks for hot days? All advice is appriciated! Thank you

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Hi there Shelley and welcome to BYC!

Can you see where she is in the woods during the day?
Have you tried using scratch to get her to come towards you?

Also, concerning your coup not the area they run in during the day:
Is part of the side or something chicken wire? From my understanding, lots of things can claw through chicken wire and it is more useful to keep chickens in than predators out. Personally, I like 1/2 inch hardware cloth for coops because nobody has clawed through it for me so far and it's got much smaller holes.

As for hot day treats, I have no miracle cold food. Make sure water doesn't dry up. Maybe some chilled things like a tomato or cut up cucumber would both have lots of water?

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Hi and welcome to BYC! I agree with SnowPeeOstritchU, food is always a good incentive. If you make it so that every day there is a treat waiting for them when they go back into the coop, they will be much more likely to cooperate. Not sure exactly what got the hen's comb, it could be a lot of things cause chicken wire is so wide. I would also recommend hardware cloth both to keep your chickens in and predators out. On hot days, lots of people like to put out a frozen half of a watermelon for the chickens. Here's a thread with some other good ideas on keeping cool: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/899082/keeping-chickens-cool-in-the-summer. Good luck!

 

[silkiecuddles]

Hi Shelley! Welcome to BYC.

A raccoon may be the culprit. They will reach their little paws through the chicken wire to snatch unsuspecting chickens. Im glad you're girl is okay!
You can give your birds watermelon or cantaloupe (really any melon) to help cool them off. Some people also give their birds frozen peas and carrots.
Tomato is related to nightshade, so I'd be wary about giving them too much of that. Potatoes and avocado are also toxic for chickens

Best of luck to you and your new flock!

 

[shelleyes523]

...

Hi there Shelley and welcome to BYC!

Can you see where she is in the woods during the day?
Have you tried using scratch to get her to come towards you?

Also, concerning your coup not the area they run in during the day:
Is part of the side or something chicken wire? From my understanding, lots of things can claw through chicken wire and it is more useful to keep chickens in than predators out. Personally, I like 1/2 inch hardware cloth for coops because nobody has clawed through it for me so far and it's got much smaller holes.

As for hot day treats, I have no miracle cold food. Make sure water doesn't dry up. Maybe some chilled things like a tomato or cut up cucumber would both have lots of water

I heard tomatoes could be toxic and their coupe is all enclosed nothing can get inside except the chickens, when they our out during the day is where the chicken wire is. Also, what is scratch?

 

[drumstick diva]

You can also put out shallow pans of water for the birds to stand in. Cooler feet = cooler bird. Raccoons are one of the very worst predators, they can climb, jump, dig, tear through cheap wire and have opposable thumbs. They can open any latch you can. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually figure out combination locks as well. In regard to any predators, once they score an easy meal they will keep coming back for more, unless you STOP them.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Shelley and welcome to BYC. You have some great advice already so I'll just say hello!


All the best
CT

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!