New chickens won't come out of the coop!

[murdeb]

Just picked up my first 2 chickens yesterday. They are 5-6 month Buff Orpington hens. They will not come out of the coop! Yesterday, I shooed them out of the coop and into the run but even there they stayed in the corner for hours! We went out to dinner and when we came home they had at least went up into the coop for the night. Is this normal behavior for new birds?

 

[citychickx6]

Completely normal.
They need time to adjust. At least they went in on their own.

Oh and

 

[peepblessed]

Yes, very normal.

Hope you're enjoying your new project and the great info on BYC!

 

[SteveBaz]

I got 3 new 6 week old chicks yesterday and they have hardly moved this morning they are more active in the water and the feeding. I just think they forget to be nervous the next day or they think it was a horrible dream and then they just go on.

They will get over it for sure

Steve

 

[HollysFlock]

Our flock took days to figure out that they could leave their coop. They then found a few places outside that they deemed safe enough and frequented those areas. Now they are becoming more and more brave and venturing further and further. I thought we raised a bunch of wimps for awhile, but they are learning.

We finally concluded that it's a lot to expect for them to go from their safe, secure brooder to a large open coop, to (gasp!) the outdoors. Clearly, we free-range.

Your's will figure it out with time, too.

 

[Tripp16]

Yep completely normal! They should warm after a few days!

 

[murdeb]

Thanks guys! They are now out and exploring! I guess I was alittle impatient!

 

[threechickfarm]

I just got new chickens and they are all huddled up in the coop too. I had to shove em in there. They have food but the water is outside..eek! The coop is kinda too small for water. Will they search outside for water?