Hi everyone. I'm new to the site and new to keeping chickens. Someone gave me a fully grown Bantam rooster 3 days ago. He had to be moved immediately as he was attacking a new rooster. I haven't had time to build a coop and, being the bright eyed animal lover I am, I let him wander around the house to get used to me before letting him outside. I have tiled floors, so it's not quite as gross as it could've been. The questions I have may be a little silly, but I'm wondering about his general behavior.
The first night he was with me he perched on a vegetable rack that has the perfect round border for chicken feet to grip. By a stroke of luck, his bum was over the dustbin on this perch, so I didn't complain. He was quite happy to spend the next day scratching around in the yard. Towards the end of the day he stood in front of the front door and made a clucking noise until I let him in. He wandered back to his makeshift roost and went to sleep. Yesterday evening he again asked to come in after a busy day of rooting around outside, but he decided against the usual roost and settled on the bottom crosspiece of the dining room table where I was sitting. I hadn't moved anything to make his previous perch inaccessible. He's very tame, but not to the point where I can pet him. He slept under the table all night.
This morning I let him out, but after half an hour he was back in front of the door, crowing and chatting and asking to be let in. I stood talking to him for a few minutes and he fell asleep, but as soon as I left he started crowing again. He's been wandering in and out of the lounge for the last 6 hours, making clucking and squawking noises. The furthest he's willing to go is the doorway. Is my chicken lonely or am I being too human about this? I'm looking for a hen for him, but I think I should get his coop sorted out first. After all, few women want to move in with a man who still lives with his mother. Also, my house is starting to smell strongly of chicken
Is this type of behavior normal? I grew up on a farm where we kept chickens, but they were very much outside birds and I had little to do with them. I should probably mention that this little guy lived in a coop and his previous owners would never have allowed him inside. It's also a very mild day, so I don't think he's cold or hot. I'd appreciate any comments. Sorry about the long post!
The first night he was with me he perched on a vegetable rack that has the perfect round border for chicken feet to grip. By a stroke of luck, his bum was over the dustbin on this perch, so I didn't complain. He was quite happy to spend the next day scratching around in the yard. Towards the end of the day he stood in front of the front door and made a clucking noise until I let him in. He wandered back to his makeshift roost and went to sleep. Yesterday evening he again asked to come in after a busy day of rooting around outside, but he decided against the usual roost and settled on the bottom crosspiece of the dining room table where I was sitting. I hadn't moved anything to make his previous perch inaccessible. He's very tame, but not to the point where I can pet him. He slept under the table all night.
This morning I let him out, but after half an hour he was back in front of the door, crowing and chatting and asking to be let in. I stood talking to him for a few minutes and he fell asleep, but as soon as I left he started crowing again. He's been wandering in and out of the lounge for the last 6 hours, making clucking and squawking noises. The furthest he's willing to go is the doorway. Is my chicken lonely or am I being too human about this? I'm looking for a hen for him, but I think I should get his coop sorted out first. After all, few women want to move in with a man who still lives with his mother. Also, my house is starting to smell strongly of chicken
Is this type of behavior normal? I grew up on a farm where we kept chickens, but they were very much outside birds and I had little to do with them. I should probably mention that this little guy lived in a coop and his previous owners would never have allowed him inside. It's also a very mild day, so I don't think he's cold or hot. I'd appreciate any comments. Sorry about the long post!
