New chickens acting oddly!

[Haley Brook Chickens]

Took delivery of 30 Bovan {Red Stars} hens and 2 roosters yesterday. They are 20 weeks old and slept on the floor last night instead of the roost and I let them out in the outdoor run this afternoon and just came home and half of them were still outside sleeping huddled in a corner on the ground at 11 o'clock at night. Never had a chicken that wouldn't roost or come in when it was dark!

 

[zatsdeb]

sometimes you have to make them go in the chicken house. How high is your roost? we have lower rungs...a total of 4 different levels so they can jump up however high they want. do you have a light in the chicken house? you might leave that on when it gets dark and maybe that will lure them in, you can try putting them on the roost, they are 20 weels old so maybe they are getting used to the new place, did they have a roost where they came from?

 

[MotherJean]

Zatsdeb asked: "did they have a roost where they came from?"

I think that's a good question. Still, I think I would have treated them the same way I treated my youngsters when they graduated from brooder to coop - I locked them in the coop for several days before turning them loose in the run. Perhaps, you should do that?