My new flock has never had bugs,worms and worse they have never felt grass,hay or anything but wire

[Tammy N]

well last night they gt hay and seemed Very scared the 6 week olds huddles the 2 4 month olds layed down the 8 month old d brama layed down.

i stayed with them and talked to them knowing those poor things where scared but today it took them
1 Momma 30 minutes to come out
2 4 month olds took 1 hr

the 5 week olds i had to hand out after 3 hrs of them Just looking .they finally started coming out about 7 pm but thats when i put the older ones back in and we got our first egg too Momma i might let her sit since she is older so i can get some babies for my friends i think 6-8 eggs will still be fertile last i had chickens it was LOL
so i went to my worm/compost ben and grabbed a hand full of worms LMAO

they seen them and Jumped back Me thinking now this is starting to make me feel sad the guy we got them from incubated the babies for us and had some great hens so i thought well he does not have any runs so i called him and sure enough they have never seen real daylight.

i sprinkled the food near the worms and when the momma got one on accedent her eye Light up and the poop Red Wigglers had No chance LOL .

 

[sumi]

Oh, poor things! You'll have to be patient with them, but the worms should help a lot LOL They'll get used to their new home in time. I had some battery hens once who also never went out. They were scared of everything! Took 3 days to get them to come out of the coop. In time I got them to free range all over our farm.

 

[Tammy N]

Thank you for responding the girls that are older came out but the younger girls where so scared . i did catch them a cricket that kinda helped but until they they huddled in a corner and it was sad . I will do my best to spoil them.

 

[sumi]

My hens liked to follow me around, so I walked out into the pastures with them. My DH called me the Pied Piper LOL Once I got them all in the pasture I used to climb through the fence, so they couldn't follow me back and they'd stay in the pastures for awhile. It took them awhile to get more confident about being outside. At first they we terrified of birds, they'd jump when a bird landed in the run. And they didn't know what to do with greens. My older chickens had to show them. But once they got the hang of being chickens they had a wonderful life. It took time and patience, but they came round and it was enormously rewarding!

 

[nurse_turtle]

A dish of treats will entice them out. Use colorful treats like watermelon and cantaloupe, cucumbers, tomatoes, and sprinkle with dried mealworms. You may consider placing a small dish in 3 or 4 different spots in the run. Sometimes when clean out the brooders, I dump the used shavings in the run and everyone loves to scratch around in it. You could play chicken sounds for them to pique their curiosity. Chickens generally do not adjust well to change. How scary it must be to have the sky overhead instead of plywood.

 

[Arica]

Oh poor things it is nice a nice person adopted them I have a ex battery hen like that

 

[tiki244]

How sweet! What lovely pictures. They should come around with all your kindness.