Two new pullets and have a few questions

[torsinadoc]

I have two 10wk old black australorps. They have remained in the coop for the first 48 hours and will not venture into the run (one looked out the door). Granted its a pretty nice coop....I realize they will eventually get use to their environment and come out and this is normal behavior. Do I need to keep food and water in the coop? Should I leave them alone or try and interact with them. At first they would just show my their backs, now they will look at me and talk. Its a hot summer and I dont want them to get dehydrated.

Thanks

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

Yes, keep the food and water in the coop 24/7 or at least during the day. If you want them to be friendly then yes, defiantly interact with them. Always make sure they have water.

 

[iwiw60]

I have Black Australorps....they are such delights! They are so docile and friendly, too! Try putting some water and feed out in the run (leave your water/feed in the coop, too) . If it were me I would step into the coop....verrrry slowly and sort of 'walk' them to the pop hole to go outside. Don't be alarmed if they throw a hissy fit..if they do just stop where you are, talk to them (they love being talked softly to) and proceed.

They'll venture out and with this awful heat everyone's having, the run will be a cooler place for them....keep me updated...I'm a BA lover of the breed!!

P.S.: I sit with them and just watch Chicken TV, talk to them, give them sunflower seeds. One of my girls will walk up to me and rub against my leg as she walks by. After she did that a few times I reached down slowly and she lets me pet her all the time now....cool!

 

[torsinadoc]

Thanks. Once I got them to eat out of my hand they figured out where the feeder was located. They also drank water in the coop. My coop is a 4x4 with a glassboard floor so I cant really get in to coax them out. The smaller is more confident than the other. Im sure they are a little stressed with a new home AND all the fireworks the last two nights..

 

[torsinadoc]

whew. they managed to put themselves to bed. I wasn't sure how I was going to coax them out from under the coop (run is about 2 feet high under the coop).