I just fell into chickens when my neighbor gave me two of his leghorn pullets because their flock was picking on each other. It's well below freezing, and we have about 2 feet of snow on the ground. He helped build a makeshift coop out of pallets for winter. I have it in my fenced garden area for now, but plan let them free range, they were free ranged before.
He said I should leave them locked in the coop for two weeks so they know it's home. It just seems so small, and a recipe for more boredom problems. (One of them was the victim of flock pecking and has a couple bald spots) Is it necessary to leave them for two weeks, or could I let them roam the fenced garden area before two weeks is up? The fence is 7 feet high (deer fencing). Any advice is welcomed. I've had a crash course in chicken keeping this week, and it seems there are so any different "methods", I want to try to implement the simplest, most natural approach.
He said I should leave them locked in the coop for two weeks so they know it's home. It just seems so small, and a recipe for more boredom problems. (One of them was the victim of flock pecking and has a couple bald spots) Is it necessary to leave them for two weeks, or could I let them roam the fenced garden area before two weeks is up? The fence is 7 feet high (deer fencing). Any advice is welcomed. I've had a crash course in chicken keeping this week, and it seems there are so any different "methods", I want to try to implement the simplest, most natural approach.
! Pleased you joined us! I agree with CTKen...you could go for a shorter period and see what happens. The danger is they will want to go back to their former residence until their new home become imprinted on them. You can throw out treats in their coop like a little scratch grains or black oil sunflower seeds to entertain them a bit. Best wishes and thanks for joining our community!
