lpyrbby
Songster
I had no idea how to title this. So.
*waves from the chicken noobie asking ridiculous questions because she can*
I bought 8 new birds last Saturday and they're in a small introduction pen next to the main coop. For most of this last week, they've all been roosting on the PVC roost we built for them. It can only go up so high, so everyone is on the same level. Today, I noticed them making a different kind of chicken noise. Not distress, but not happy/excited. At first, we thought that maybe they were alerting to something out in the yard. We did find a snake in a tree several yards away from the coop but it didn't really seem feasible that they'd know about it, as far away as it was. Later, we refilled their food, gave them treats, interacted through the pen as best as possible. A little while later, I took one of the dogs out to potty and heard them fussing again, so I took the pooch out in the yard with me and kept at a distance to try to see what they were squawking at, without interrupting them. It *looked* like they were fussing because the four birds in the big coop were up on their roost, getting settled in for the evening.
I went out about 30 minutes ago to check on the birds again and there are only 2 out of 8 actually snoozing on the PVC roost. The rest appear to be piled on the ground. It's still in the 80s right now, so it's not that they're cold. Is it possible that they're wanting to roost with the other birds and are rejecting their roost in their coop, or am I putting human feelings on bird actions?
We're waiting on the local guy to deliver some kennel panels to the house so we can create an expanded area to let the birds out together. This next week is going to be tough! They need more space and I'm ready to start interacting with them more. I'm also ready for them to be happier to lay since they're around 6 months old now.
Any insight?
*waves from the chicken noobie asking ridiculous questions because she can*
I bought 8 new birds last Saturday and they're in a small introduction pen next to the main coop. For most of this last week, they've all been roosting on the PVC roost we built for them. It can only go up so high, so everyone is on the same level. Today, I noticed them making a different kind of chicken noise. Not distress, but not happy/excited. At first, we thought that maybe they were alerting to something out in the yard. We did find a snake in a tree several yards away from the coop but it didn't really seem feasible that they'd know about it, as far away as it was. Later, we refilled their food, gave them treats, interacted through the pen as best as possible. A little while later, I took one of the dogs out to potty and heard them fussing again, so I took the pooch out in the yard with me and kept at a distance to try to see what they were squawking at, without interrupting them. It *looked* like they were fussing because the four birds in the big coop were up on their roost, getting settled in for the evening.
I went out about 30 minutes ago to check on the birds again and there are only 2 out of 8 actually snoozing on the PVC roost. The rest appear to be piled on the ground. It's still in the 80s right now, so it's not that they're cold. Is it possible that they're wanting to roost with the other birds and are rejecting their roost in their coop, or am I putting human feelings on bird actions?
We're waiting on the local guy to deliver some kennel panels to the house so we can create an expanded area to let the birds out together. This next week is going to be tough! They need more space and I'm ready to start interacting with them more. I'm also ready for them to be happier to lay since they're around 6 months old now.
Any insight?
