my chickens stay in one spot

[nosduj]

i have two thicken right now part of my pen is under my porch and then the other part is outside along the side of my house with grass and plants for them to scratch around at but my chickens always stay under the porch i dont no if there afraid of my dogs or just like it under the porch what should i do to incourage them to venture around the pen more

 

[Portia]

under the porch is safe for them right now, there is something over their heads. If they came from an area where they were in a pen/coop without open sky, it will take them a little while to adjust. Don't worry, their curiosity will get the best of them over time. My flock is free range & when I introduced a 4mo old rooster that had lived in a more confined area he spent the first 2 weeks hiding in the woods, coop or under the deck. He would get a little braver each day, but open sky can be very daunting (and dangerous) for a chicken that has never experienced it before. Patience.

 

[nosduj]

WELL THE THING IS THAT THE CHICKENS YOUSED TO BE FREE RANGE BUT I GUESE SINCE ITS A NEW AREA THAT THEY FEEL SAFER UNDER THERE

 

[LynneP]

Chickens are understandably afraid of most dogs. Are your dogs supervised around the chickens? If not, anything you can do about this will put the birds at ease. Their fear is totally rational.