My name is Janet, I am new to the whole chicken world and I just posted a pic of my new chicken that I am concerned aboutin the introduction of new members forum. I was advised that its a male game bird. I received him from my uncle because all of his hens and roosters ( including the young ones) were severely eating this guy up. He would rarely leave them rafters of the barn the coops were placed in. I have 6 6-7 week old road island reds and he is the same size as they are. He seems quite small to me. Anyways....he wants to sit in the nest box all the time, I have to encourage him to come out for food or fresh air. Each day he seems a bit more relaxed but something inevitably scares him back into the nesting box. He is eating and drinking but I honestly can't say how much. I hand feed live mealworms to my girls several times a day and he wants nothing to do with that, even if I put them on the ground near him he still won't eat them. I have not seen him peck the ground or scratch the ground once, he only eats the chick starter feed I give to my girls. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do to help nurture self confidence in this little fella. I am trying hard to give him his space and time to adjust while at the same time allowing him to watch me interact with my girls. He doesn't even interact with them at all and they seem to completely ignore him, except for one who has chosen to stay with him some of the time the girls are exploring....I so much want him to feel ok about life. He is super quiet when he talks and doesn't talk often, as though he doesn't want to bring attention to himself. Also, when he is in the nest box, he faces the wall rather than the front where he would be able to see outside. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Here is a picture of my little Francis ( I didn't know if he was a boy or girl so I named him Francis)
