It has not been a good week with my younger flock of adults, teenagers and chicks, what with the cow invasion and all. I'm having three problems with them that are leaving me stumped.
First, I have three 9 week old chicks that have added themselves to my broody's family. The broody's five chicks are now 3 1/2 weeks old. It works okay in the daytime for mama to care for all 8, but it's a jumbled mess at night. Small hen trying to cover three very large chicks plus her own.
Last night I decided enough was enough and I locked the 3 teenagers out of the broody crate. They went nuts trying to break into the crate to get back to "Mama". I felt so bad, I finally relented and let them in, but this really needs to stop.
Secondly, my younger hens are not taking to the fact that their pop door has been moved at all. They'll use the pop door just fine to come out of the coop in the morning and some of them will use it go in at night, but they are not wanting to use it to go in to the nestboxes during the day. I have no idea where some of them are laying. Some of them pile up against the old door until I relent and go open it for them. Some are going to my brahma coop to lay. They'll use the pop door on the brahma coop just fine.
Third is my young rooster TJ. He is four months old and I am attempting to move him to the brahma coop to replace his dad. I put a crate in there for him, to protect him from the hens until they get used to him. I put him in the crate at night, but let him out to free range with the brahma girls (now to be his hens) each day. He doesn't want to stay there! He attempts to go back to the coop he grew up in each night. How long will it take for this silly bird to realize he's got it made - his own coop to be king of the castle in, with 12 very pretty women to call his own???
They are driving me crazy (-er) with all their new antics! Any input on any or all of these three issues would be appreciated.
First, I have three 9 week old chicks that have added themselves to my broody's family. The broody's five chicks are now 3 1/2 weeks old. It works okay in the daytime for mama to care for all 8, but it's a jumbled mess at night. Small hen trying to cover three very large chicks plus her own.
Last night I decided enough was enough and I locked the 3 teenagers out of the broody crate. They went nuts trying to break into the crate to get back to "Mama". I felt so bad, I finally relented and let them in, but this really needs to stop.
Secondly, my younger hens are not taking to the fact that their pop door has been moved at all. They'll use the pop door just fine to come out of the coop in the morning and some of them will use it go in at night, but they are not wanting to use it to go in to the nestboxes during the day. I have no idea where some of them are laying. Some of them pile up against the old door until I relent and go open it for them. Some are going to my brahma coop to lay. They'll use the pop door on the brahma coop just fine.
Third is my young rooster TJ. He is four months old and I am attempting to move him to the brahma coop to replace his dad. I put a crate in there for him, to protect him from the hens until they get used to him. I put him in the crate at night, but let him out to free range with the brahma girls (now to be his hens) each day. He doesn't want to stay there! He attempts to go back to the coop he grew up in each night. How long will it take for this silly bird to realize he's got it made - his own coop to be king of the castle in, with 12 very pretty women to call his own???
They are driving me crazy (-er) with all their new antics! Any input on any or all of these three issues would be appreciated.
