- Feb 27, 2014
- 25
- 16
- 99
I have a small flock of hens who free-range in my well-fenced yard during the day, with occasional excursions into the barn and paddocks for bugs. I've got three RIRs and one Black Australorp. I had a Buff Orpington, about one year old, disappear about a month ago. Just didn't show up at the coop one night.
And then four days ago she turned up in the yard, healthy, well-fed, glossy, and ... ummm... independent, shall we say? refused to coop at night, was putting herself to bed in the barn and laying her eggs in a straw bed she made there. And looking closely at the eggs we've been gathering, I think she was there all the time, just hiding for whatever strange chicken reason.
In the meantime I have two more coming along, a pair of Easter Egger pullets. They are pretty good-sized but their voices haven't changed yet, and I've been keeping them in a small coop by themselves rather than mixing with the older girls. Today was the first day I let them roam around in the grass for about half an hour, and as chance would have it, the BO popped into their run to see if there was anything nice in there. So we shut her in.
I'm thinking that I will keep her shut in (the run is a nice size) and see if I can retrain her to coop at night. The youngsters are a bit astonished but seem to think it's ok. I will, however, bow to greater experience than I have if there's a good reason not to keep her up until she remembers where she lives. Ideas and thoughts?
And then four days ago she turned up in the yard, healthy, well-fed, glossy, and ... ummm... independent, shall we say? refused to coop at night, was putting herself to bed in the barn and laying her eggs in a straw bed she made there. And looking closely at the eggs we've been gathering, I think she was there all the time, just hiding for whatever strange chicken reason.
In the meantime I have two more coming along, a pair of Easter Egger pullets. They are pretty good-sized but their voices haven't changed yet, and I've been keeping them in a small coop by themselves rather than mixing with the older girls. Today was the first day I let them roam around in the grass for about half an hour, and as chance would have it, the BO popped into their run to see if there was anything nice in there. So we shut her in.
I'm thinking that I will keep her shut in (the run is a nice size) and see if I can retrain her to coop at night. The youngsters are a bit astonished but seem to think it's ok. I will, however, bow to greater experience than I have if there's a good reason not to keep her up until she remembers where she lives. Ideas and thoughts?
Grrr.
