Scared of coop

[alessadry]

I can try that in worse case scenario. So far there are several hens that want to go in but then the roosters call them back to the tree.

 

[alessadry]

Four chickens got into the coop. Other ones are being herded still away by the stupid roosters who keep making idiot sounds like a chicken who just made an egg.

 

[kitkat5505]

I'd try to get more once they are asleep, especially the roosters.

 

[alessadry]

Phewww. so 13 chickens got inside except for 3. I did as Kit5505 said get them at night. They were hidden in between thorns we got a bit scratched getting them but they were extra easy to get! Thanks so much for the tip, you saved us from a night of worrying and perhaps our chickens turning into a predator's meal!

 

[alessadry]

So that they are all inside, now we decided to keep them cooped up (but with access to their run that is about 400 square feet) for several days, maybe even a week until they get acclimatized to the new door opening and closing and sleeping in the coop. Does this sound like a good idea? they are 16 chickens. They might get frustrated at first being that they cannot go out free range, but better safe than sorry.

 

[kitkat5505]

That's great you got them in. I agree that keeping them confined to their coop and run is a good idea so they know it is home.

 

[alessadry]

Awesome, sounds like a plan, many thanks!

 

[alessadry]

Can you lure them by calling them and using treats? If I go out and do the "chook chook" call and sprinkle their favorite treats, they always follow me. But it has to be me. They don't do it for my husband.

They normally have a good recall- when they are calm. When they are in this scared state of mind, even meal worms won't attract them. The roosters tell them in some sort of chicken language to stay away. Since I moved the ramp, I am afraid they now think I am unpredictable. Their fear generalizes pretty quickly and it takes them quite some time to recover.

I never had such skittish chickens before. My other chickens I could even run with my dog in the yard and they cared less. My husband could even pass the lawnmower nearby and they cared less. With these, I don't know what's up with them. I feed them meal worms every single day, I got them used since baby chicks to eat from my hand and the roosters up until a month ago were happily on our laps being petted.

Now any thing out of the ordinary scares the heck out of them. It can be a new thing in the coop, it could be me moving something or anything out of the ordinary and they freak out. And the roosters are the first ones to panic. They just started laying eggs, some times I wonder whether chickens go through fear periods like dogs do.

They got a bit better, before even if I was tossing food or getting up from crouched down, they would panic. Now I desensitized them to these actions but still anything odd gets them in a panic.

 

[bekachickenborn]

They normally have a good recall- when they are calm. When they are in this scared state of mind, even meal worms won't attract them. The roosters tell them in some sort of chicken language to stay away. Since I moved the ramp, I am afraid they now think I am unpredictable. Their fear generalizes pretty quickly and it takes them quite some time to recover.

I never had such skittish chickens before. My other chickens I could even run with my dog in the yard and they cared less. My husband could even pass the lawnmower nearby and they cared less. With these, I don't know what's up with them. I feed them meal worms every single day, I got them used since baby chicks to eat from my hand and the roosters up until a month ago were happily on our laps being petted.

Now any thing out of the ordinary scares the heck out of them. It can be a new thing in the coop, it could be me moving something or anything out of the ordinary and they freak out. And the roosters are the first ones to panic. They just started laying eggs, some times I wonder whether chickens go through fear periods like dogs do.

They got a bit better, before even if I was tossing food or getting up from crouched down, they would panic. Now I desensitized them to these actions but still anything odd gets them in a panic.

So glad you got them back. Let us know how things go with the last three. That's also good info on the roo. I just got a roo. Behavior patterns are always interesting to me so I know my chickens aren't "strange." And I agree also with the idea of confining for a few days.

 

[alessadry]

Bekachickenborn, curious to know what made you think your chickens were strange? I am also interested in chicken and rooster behaviors and can watch the flock for hours! I haven't had roosters before so it's interesting how they influence the chickens.

So far my roosters though have been a pain, mostly because they are the ones overreacting the most to stimuli that chickens could care less about. They stir up panic. I hope with age they will get more wisdom. They are 4 months right now.

Sometimes I will have chickens come to see me and the roosters come to herd them back to the flock, like if they don't trust me for some reason (or perhaps I shouldn't take it personally and it's simply instinct to want to keep the chickens all together in one spot so they're easier to keep an eye on) .

So far the chickens are the ones that seem to have more wisdom and they recover faster and see non-threats where the roosters see threats.

My hens were the ones who in the very end decided the coop was safe to roost despite the changes. The roosters followed at the end because the majority of the hens were inside and they had no choice. We later got the three hens when it was dark at night as Kitkat5055 suggested. They were easy to catch and we put them in the coop. This is good to know for future reference if I ever need to medicate a chicken and take her home.

Now, they are going to stay 'in chicken prison" (in the fenced run in front of the coop) for some time until they understand that the coop is safe again and they get used to the recent changes (new door installed, tarp moved away and new nesting boxes in the coop). At night, they will have no choice than sleep in the coop.

Problem is now, the automatic door freaks them out when it opens in the morning, but hopefully, in a few days they'll realize that it's the door that ultimately gets them out from being cooped up. I think when it closes at night when it's pitch dark it would be OK being that when they're sleepy they seem less likely to react.

Once this is all sorted out, hopefully, they can go free range again and all s back to normal. If they still freak out from the door, then we're back to the drawing board and may have to give up on it.