Moving/Moved Our Chickens to a New Town Now What????

[Chickentastic]

We just moved about an hour and a half away from our previous home. We came in last night at about 10pm. Unloaded the coop, put the chickens in the henhouse and went to bed. This morning I don't know what to do. When you move do you just go back to your "normal" routine or do you do something different to accommodate them? I've heard of people keeping them in a small dark enclosed space for a bit to help them get used to there new environment. Any suggestions? Should I just let them out and let them figure it out?

 

[keljonma]

Keep them locked in for a few days so that they recognize their new home base. Sometimes if you just let them figure it out, you have birds that won't ever return to the hen house to lay eggs or for lock up for predator protection at night.

ETA: I would suggest this even if you moved their own housing to your new location.

 

[Chickentastic]

We did move their coop too!! Crazy driving down the highway with a chicken coop in the back

What about egglaying? They just started laying about a month ago. Don't worry about it while I keep them locked up?

 

[Judy]

I don't exactly see the point of keeping them locked in a coop they already know. You don't say whether they have a yard or run or fenced area. If not, I'd put up a temporary fence around the coop for a week or two, and let them see the old coop in the new locale.

 

[KellyHM]

Let them out if that's what they're use to. We moved everybody a couple of months ago. They were stuck on the trailer for over 24 hrs b/c the closing got pushed back. I let them out when we got here before the coop was even set up...they went straight for the food I put out and straight into the coop that night at bedtime.