rooster ?

[broschicks]

Okay my nephew got my son a rooster and a hen they sleep on top of the coop my husband built ; worried about what to do with them cause its gonna get cold here soon ! What do you think we should do ? Will they be ok staying out like that even if it rains they stay on top the coop ! The chickens we got for him they go in the coop at night and we lock them in to keep them save !

 

[chicmom]

They are doing that because they are newbies, and so they're low on the pecking order. When you introduce new chickens to a flock, the established birds can be so darned mean! I would just go and put them both inside at night if the weather get bad. Hopefully things will settle down and they'll start using the coop.

You might want to make sure they're getting enough food and water. It's just the natural way of chickens. They're very territorial, and they can even kill a newbie.....it's the one thing I dislike about chickens.

If you have room, can you put a smaller cage inside the coop for night time? That way, in the morning, the others can get used to seeing them in there, but they won't be able to hurt them, and if you put food and water in the smaller cage, it guarantees they'll be getting the food they need.

Let me know how it goes! Good luck!

Sharon

 

[broschicks]

Thanks for the info ! They been together for about a month now ! He is the one in charge he keeps the others in line we been watching them and they get alone no pecking on the others in a harmful way ! just wondering if maybe the guy who had him first didnt have without a coop !

 

[dawg53]

First of all you should seperate the two from the others and quarantine them for at least 30 days. This will give you time to inspect the newbies and time to treat any problems they might have. You dont want them introducing problems to your already established flock. Then you can follow chicmom's excellent advice. Good luck. Just saw your new post...too late now. But if you add new ones in the future, think biosecurity first, it can save you headaches.

 

[broschicks]

Thanks for the info !

 

[bburn]

My Lone Rooster is sleeping on top of the 'coop'....it is a big dog house that I set up with a roost inside....all just for him. But he sleeps on top of it even though it is elevated....guess I did not get it high enough for him. But he was on top this morning and it was in the 30's and he slept on top of it through the high winds earlier this week and he slept on top through the rain last week. He does not seem to have suffered for it....and he sure is clean and pretty!

He will get a big coop in a couple of weeks when DH gets home from working out of state. I would have built it but he told me I could not! He was afraid it would fall down. Don't know why he has to be like that! And he laughed at the dog house! Once all is finished it will be time to take his girls out of quarantine and start the intros.....hope that goes smooth!

 

[Tiss]

One of my roos tried sleeping on top of the run for a few weeks. I'd whack at him with a broom til he'd come down and go inside. My thinking was that I don't want predators to think of my coop as a buffet and he was easy pickin's up there. It took persistence on my part, but he finally gave up and started sleeping inside again. I'd condition yours to go inside for the night too.

 

[broschicks]

Thhanks looks like I will be chasing him tonight to get in the coop