Annabele,,,good morning...wow you are getting some good support for your situation. Hosspak speaks of getting a coop. The stall in the barn that I mentioned will make a nice coop/safe place for them. They have to have a safe place to sleep at night and a place to retreat to when they sense danger (so leave the barn door open when they are free ranging). Or, cut a small opening and put a door on it. Then they can come and go through the small door. There are predators (raccoons, etc) that will seek out chickens/eggs. So you want to be able to lock your hens safely in the barn/in the wired stall until morning. Then you can let them out to free range when you are comfortable doing so. Cats will watch the hens, but if the hens are full grown and you have more than 1, they will gang up on the cat, chase it and it will take for cover. My cat plays stalker with my hens, and when she gets to close for their comfort, Big Red will run at her with her wings in flight mode to scare the cat. Cat runs for under the back porch and all is well. I hope you are feeling more confident about your girls. Don't worry about petting them and such. I couldn't pet mine until after they started laying, then they seem to want some praise for their good job well done. I work in the yard in the evening and they free range. The more time we have spent with them this summer outside, the more comfortable they are with us. It won't take long and they will be seeking you out for treats. My hens favorite treats are watermelon and grapes. Want to have some fun with them. Give them some cold spaghetti (I put just a dab of oil and stir it up with the spaghetti. It prevent the spaghetti from sticking together). They go after spaghetti like it is worms. Enjoy your girls.Annabele,.. Everybody in this thread has given you tons of good advice because of their experiences. That's what BYC does. Just take it slow and not try all these suggestions all at once. The coop is the best first step. This should be their safe zone. If you don't have one, get one or make one, but the flock needs a coop. Free range is great but they still need that safe zone. Read the coop posts here on BYC. Nest boxes that provide a dark place to hide and roosts that are placed above the boxes for them to sleep on. and keep them penned up for a few days so they know this is their spot. They will calm down after awhile depending on their breed. My Easter Egger still won't come close unless I have worms, but the rest will jump on my lap or let me pet them when I walk by. Don't give up, because you will be rewarded when they imprint on you. When I shake the worm bag, you better look out because they will come galloping towards you. They will warm up to you just like a dog does. But you really do need the coop up before anything, they will love you for it. Yes, do post your pictures so we can try to determine what breeds you have, then the BYC regs can go crazy showing off their knowledge.
Then, you can spend what little time you have left to do this...
