New to Chickens - Question(s)

[Enchanted1s]

Should be dark where you are soon if not already.

Talk about bad weather sheesh!

I do hope they end up in some sort of protected spot even if they don't go in the coop on their own.

I went out in this mess to check on them and they are no where in the yard, so they must have somewhere they go? It will have to wait till morning now. The coop is there, but I don't think they had enough time to figure out what it is before the storm.

 

[21hens-incharge]

They call your yard home so should come back in the morning.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Yes - they were back in their area in the morning. I have managed to trap them in their penned area, but I don't know if they are actually going into the coop. They are NOT happy about being locked in the pen. I'm actually surprised they haven't found a way out yet. The gate is only about 4 foot.

I do have a question / concern. Folks here said we should pick up her eggs and feed them back to them. We are doing that. BUT - since we picked up her 6 eggs - she has not laid another. She was laying 1 every day, it has been 3 days now.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chickens HATE change. She will likely be thrown off being cooped up...that being said some hens will choose another place to lay. She may be laying just not where you expect her to.

Be very patient with her and things will work out.

 

[TexasSam]

Chickens HATE change. She will likely be thrown off being cooped up...that being said some hens will choose another place to lay. She may be laying just not where you expect her to.

Be very patient with her and things will work out.

X2 plus keep them there for 2 weeks and you will see the difference when you finally let them out too range. It is important that you don't let them out for two weeks

 

[Enchanted1s]

Keep them there LOL. You are funny. Let me be clear - I cannot chase a chicken. Neither of us are spring chickens anymore and I do not know how I could catch either one of them. I did try, somewhat, when she first arrived and VERY quickly realized what a bad idea that was! I am disabled and my better half is retired. Maybe with a net?? I thought I had done pretty good getting them into the pen! I blocked their exits, but the pen was built to keep the goats out - not the chickens in.

I was quite surprised this evening when they were both still inside the pen. BUT, it did not look like either had been inside the coop. Their eggs and feed looked pretty much untouched. We waited until dark, hoping they would go inside the coop and we could lock them in, but no. She jumped to fence and roosted in the trees just behind the property. He followed shortly after - although he fell a few times before finding a suitable branch.

I left their exits to/from the pen blocked. I will go out at first light to see where they are. Without spending some more $$ to turn the pen into a coop - I don't know how we are going to get them to use the coop.

BTW - I DID find an egg, so she has not quit laying yet. I placed her egg and an egg looking rock in her laying nest inside the coop. She must have laid it before I got them inside the pen.

 

[TexasSam]

Keep them there LOL. You are funny. Let me be clear - I cannot chase a chicken. Neither of us are spring chickens anymore and I do not know how I could catch either one of them. I did try, somewhat, when she first arrived and VERY quickly realized what a bad idea that was! I am disabled and my better half is retired. Maybe with a net?? I thought I had done pretty good getting them into the pen! I blocked their exits, but the pen was built to keep the goats out - not the chickens in.

I was quite surprised this evening when they were both still inside the pen. BUT, it did not look like either had been inside the coop. Their eggs and feed looked pretty much untouched. We waited until dark, hoping they would go inside the coop and we could lock them in, but no. She jumped to fence and roosted in the trees just behind the property. He followed shortly after - although he fell a few times before finding a suitable branch.

I left their exits to/from the pen blocked. I will go out at first light to see where they are. Without spending some more $$ to turn the pen into a coop - I don't know how we are going to get them to use the coop.

BTW - I DID find an egg, so she has not quit laying yet. I placed her egg and an egg looking rock in her laying nest inside the coop. She must have laid it before I got them inside the pen.

We mean keep them inside the pin and don't let them out for a week at least better two just because they are A little wild

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think a fishing net may be a good choice. Yes catching chickens is rather difficult. Especially if they are roosting in trees.

Once you get them into the run attached to the new coop keeping them locked up in there will teach them that it is home.

 

[aart]

Yep, just keep tightening up that pen until they can't get out.
Lure them back in the open pen door with food each time they get out.
Eventually you'll 'keep' them in there.
Then it will be a waiting game until they calm and eat/drink.

 

[Enchanted1s]

Well - I did it! I got both of them out of the trees, back into the yard - and eventually into the new coop! (Thank you Wal-Mart for the use of the fishing net) I don't think the rooster will ever trust me again. He is a pretty big bird for that little coop. When I went out to shut the middle door, and lock them into the nesting side, she was pacing back and forth trying to figure out how to get up in the tree for the night.

She has had to fend for her self since she was pretty young and it's a pretty safe guess that she has always slept in those trees. She has been much happier since the arrival of the rooster. He too would roost as high as he could get, but his wings were at least partially clipped - hers are not. Plus, he is so much bigger that many of the small branches he can jump to will not hold him. He fell last night, trying to roost? and ended up on the other side of the fence. She is small enough that she can walk through our goat fence. He cannot - he's too big. Early this morning, I tried providing him 2x4's to get back over the fence - but by 4pm he still had not figured out how to get back in. It was quite a challenge getting him back inside the property line fence! Last night was the first time they had been locked inside the pen. When dusk came, she just jumped to the top of the fence and up in the tree. He tried to do the same, but fell.

I don't think they are ever going to want to roost in this coop because it is so low to the ground and they apparently like to be as high as possible. I hope they don't run away when we let them out. Everyone was quite happy with just allowing them to roam freely - I just got concerned about their safety and well-being. Perhaps I shouldn't have - they had been out there for several weeks with no signs of predators - just squirrels, that they seemed to have no issues with. I am as anxious to let them get back to roaming freely as they are! I was thinking of at least blocking their access to the trees that line the pen. I want them to be able to roam freely, but I don't want him stuck on the wrong side of the fence again.