Questions from a Novice

[RachelEllen]

I have had my tiny flock of two for about a month now and have an assortment of questions! So, hopefully this is the correct forum. The girls were started pullets when they arrives - so somewhere about 4-5 months old.

1) How long does it normally take to train the chickens to use the roost, and can I accelerate the process? For the past two weeks, I've been nightly moving them from either the laying box or floor up to the roost. They stay there all night long but will not go up on their own.

2) Any suggestions on things for the to amuse themselves with during the day? I have a treat ball, but they can empty that thing in about 5minutes. I also have assorted roosts out in the run which they love. I put a swing out there too, but it's low and they don't seem to use it. I was thinking one of those bricks of treats they sell for indoor caged birds would last longer, but I wasnt sure if it was healthy for chickens or not.

3) My set-up is small, I'm hoping to expand to three chickens one day, but I'm at 12 indoor square feet and just at 30 st feet in the run. So pretty tiny. That being said, space for accessories is at a premium. When they start laying, can I combine grit and oyster shell in one small bowl? Or are separate bowls needed? I know it sounds silly, but with one wall of my tiny run the entrance door, one wall the coop door, the water bowl, the grit bowl, and a roost/swing, it feels like I'm always tripping over stuff.

4) I have straw and PDZ inside the coop. The floor is linoluem and its super easy to pick up droppings and do a full sweep and scrubbing. However, the outside is pine mulch and it tends to get wet with heavy rain. I don't see a lot of poop to clean up outside. Do chickens just do most of their pooping indoors? Or, am I missing a lot? If I'm missing a lot is this a problem? There's no smell whatsover,and I do sprinkle PDZ out there when I clean.

5) Finally, I've been doing a full clean out once a week. Personally, I'm thrilled with how clean and fresh the area is staying. If, after a month its this nice, is it likely to stay that way? Or, is there some problem build up that tends to sneak up on people?

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry it took so long to respond.


1) Different chickens take different amounts of time to learn to roost. Make sure they can reach them and they are comfortable and not crowded. Putting them in the roost at night should teach them to go in there (it takes only a couple days for my chicks to learn, but this is with the help of adults showing them).


2) Chickens love treat balls, squash, watermelon rinds, hanging greens, dirt or deep litter to dig in, dust boxes, fun perches like natural branches, and a view of the outdoors.

3) The grit bowl and oysters shell bowl don't have to be that big, they can just be pushed off to a corner in small dishes, since you only have a few chickens.

4) They probably dig around in the mulch and cover up their droppings, which is good, as it allows them to naturally break down into dirt. Birds do a lot of their pooping at night, when they are roosting.

5) It is a smart idea to do a thorough cleaning once or twice a year, otherwise, you seem to be doing everything right!

I hope this helps. Best of luck!

 

[tdaigle]

At your size you won't have much to worry about. 1)Most chickens roost by themselves. 2)If you go to tractor supply they have seed blocks that chickens love. 3)To tell you the truth our 12 chickens just started laying and we don't have any of that and we're fine.4)When chickens forage they tend to kick a lot of dirt around covering their droppings an again, 2 chickens not a lot to worry about. 5)I would continue to keep cleaning it on a regular basis so if it does catch up with you, you won't have to worry.

 

[RachelEllen]

Thanks for the replies!

They do go in the coop at night. They just keep snuggling in the nesting box rather than going on the roost bar. I'm sure they can get up there, as they love to hang out on the various branches I have hanging in the run.

I guess I'll plan to just dig the mulch out of the run every few months or so and replace. I'm not used to natural mulch and its already breaking down nicely.

I'll try to find the seed blocks. Those sound like fun for them.

 

[GitaBooks]

Yeah. My birds are over a year old and sometimes sleep in the nest boxes still. It certainly makes them dirty.

 

[centrarchid]

I have had my tiny flock of two for about a month now and have an assortment of questions! So, hopefully this is the correct forum. The girls were started pullets when they arrives - so somewhere about 4-5 months old.

1) How long does it normally take to train the chickens to use the roost, and can I accelerate the process? For the past two weeks, I've been nightly moving them from either the laying box or floor up to the roost. They stay there all night long but will not go up on their own.

You can accelerate the move up by making the ground / nest roost site less attractive or even move it incrementally upwards each day to where you want birds ultimately to roost. I can also get birds to abandon a roost by giving them a scare after they are on roost. That can be a life saver in a free-range setting.

I have had my tiny flock of two for about a month now and have an assortment of questions! So, hopefully this is the correct forum. The girls were started pullets when they arrives - so somewhere about 4-5 months old.


2) Any suggestions on things for the to amuse themselves with during the day? I have a treat ball, but they can empty that thing in about 5minutes. I also have assorted roosts out in the run which they love. I put a swing out there too, but it's low and they don't seem to use it. I was thinking one of those bricks of treats they sell for indoor caged birds would last longer, but I wasnt sure if it was healthy for chickens or not.

Take a large board and drill lots of holes in it but not clean through. Then put food items such as whole seeds and even live mealworms in them for birds to look for and extract. Place board at an angle so they can climb it. Place wood strips if need be to enhance perching options.