New to chickens

[Blue Raptor]

My name is Mary and I am a first time chicken owner. I recently bought 5 polish hens and they are about 4 weeks old now. I have a chicken coop with a secure run. I have been taking the girls out in the run for a few hours at a time. They are happy when I am with them, but seem stressed when I leave them. There is a covered secure area near the coop where they can hide. I'm just wondering if this is normal. My neighbors think that I'm nuts for sitting out in the run with the chickens!

Your not- I did the same!

I also wonder when I do put them in the coop permanently, should I keep the water and food inside the coop for the first couple of days? I have so many questions and hope that I'm doing this right!

Welcome to BYC!! If your birds are locked in the coop at all, they should have access to food and water.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Tookie]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[chrissynemetz]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! We're glad you joined us!

 

[swampfox440]

Hi, welcome to BYC! pleased to meet you and thanks for joining us.

 

[N F C]

Hi Mary, thanks for joining us!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi Mary and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[Boppo]

Glad to meet you, and welcome to BackYard chickens. It sounds like you are having a great time and bonding with your little chickens already. Enjoy!

 

[Mzcooke]

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad I found this website!

 

[Cathy Roberts]

Hello there, Mary! It's really nice to meet you. My first question would be is do your neighbors have any idea what to do with a chicken in the first place? A lot of people hang out with their chickens and enjoy it very much, me included. Secondly, does it make any difference what they think? There are lots of people here that can answer just about anything you can think of and will be happy to help. Enjoy!