New to us chickens

[JLoner]

We got four 19-20 week old layers 5 days ago from our local farm store.
They are so scared of us they won't go anywhere near us. How long will it take for them to be comfortable? They have a pretty nice set up. The coop is predator proof... it's roofed and fenced in outdoor coop - we actually wrap it during the winter so the snow will stay out and they can use it on nice days. An insulated indoor coop with nesting boxes and three roosts. Lots of pellets and fresh water. At night they try to roost outside, so we have to shoo them back inside. Outdoor coop is about 12'x6'. Indoor coop is changed a bit since this pic - they now have proper ramps to get to nesting boxes. It's half of our shed, about 6'x6'. Below is a pic of my 10 year old trying to "train" them (she is the local chicken whisperer!)

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Are we too impatient?

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

The set up is very nice!Looks good. Try not to get too frustrated, it takes a while if they aren’t used to you. Mine were quite timid when i got them and now they jump on my shoulder whenever i go into their run!Gradually they will become less scared. For now i would let them know that you’re not a predator by sitting near them for a while. Just so they can see you, not too close. Go in the run when required obviously and do what you normally do but also spend an extra bit of time for them to get used to you. They’ll come out of their shell eventually.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

5 days isn’t enough time for them to get used to you. It takes a little bit of time for them to trust you and bond with you. Food always helps though lol .

 

[MountainWoman73]

More time. I advise you to give that 10 year old a can of canned corn and see what she can do.

 

[JLoner]

More time. I advise you to give that 10 year old a can of canned corn and see what she can do.

I have lots of frozen corn that I'll thaw and give it to her. Thanks! Was just about to add cracked corn to my errand list for the week...

 

[JLoner]

5 days isn’t enough time for them to get used to you. It takes a little bit of time for them to trust you and bond with you. Food always helps though lol .

Thank you! I wondered if we were too impatient.... the others we've had in the past didn't take any time to get used to us. Makes me feel for these poor girls, how their life was before . We will make sure we spend more time in the coop. I was worried we were stressing them out by being in there.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

Thank you! I wondered if we were too impatient.... the others we've had in the past didn't take any time to get used to us. Makes me feel for these poor girls, how their life was before . We will make sure we spend more time in the coop. I was worried we were stressing them out by being in there.

I don’t think you’ll be stressing them out, i’m sure they’ll soon get used to you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Nice set up. Give them more time. Do what you need to do in the coop/run, but if you have extra time to spend with them, try doing nothing more complicated than reading a book or having a cup of coffee. It'll let them acclimate to your presence without any pressure of being chased around or handled, when they're not comfortable with it.

To get them to home to the coop, easiest thing to do is to lock them inside the coop (the "outer coop" is the run) with food and water for a few days. You have enough space to safely do that.

 

[aart]

Nice set up. Give them more time. Do what you need to do in the coop/run, but if you have extra time to spend with them, try doing nothing more complicated than reading a book or having a cup of coffee. It'll let them acclimate to your presence without any pressure of being chased around or handled, when they're not comfortable with it.

To get them to home to the coop, easiest thing to do is to lock them inside the coop (the "outer coop" is the run) with food and water for a few days. You have enough space to safely do that.

Ditto Dat!

Time, not treats, is the key.
Don't give treats every time you go out there.
Go out frequently, talk softly, just be around then leave again.
Couple times a day spend more time just sitting.