Hey y'all...I'm new to the forum and 5 months into my first "flock" of two hens (buff orphington x barred rock). They're about 7 months old and started laying towards the end of April. I've never gotten a bad egg! Problem is...up until recently they were eating and drinking out of quart sized cheap chick feeders which would get knocked over, dirty, and I had to fill them up at least once a day.
From reading posts on here I decided to order an Aqua Avian Miser (http://www.avianaquamiser.com/). It took me a few days to teach them to use it but every time I moved their tractor or moved the waterer to fill it up, they seemed to have forgotten how to use it. I finally decided to send it back because they clearly weren't drinking enough or from it at all on some days (protesting change, maybe?). I'm back to the quart waterer but unhappy with it being dirty, knocked over esp. in hot weather now and me and the hubby going out of town a lot - need to be able to trust they'll have water all the time!
Feeder is a similar issue. Ordered a 5 lb. capacity gravity feeder on legs with a "hat" and to my dismay they didn't eat from it at all for a couple of days. Finally they tore the top off and eat from the top - refuse to eat from the bottom tray.
At this point, I can tell they are stressed and unhappy with the changes and they make noise almost all the time. Laying has slowed also. I'm to the point of giving them away. They're stressed, I'm stressed, and I can't seem to make them happy. They are in an 8 x 3 tractor with a good run and a semi roof for rain protection. We move them at least once a week for fresh grass but can't let them out where we live.
Any ideas on what I can do differently or do I just have stubborn birds that want to be free? Thanks a lot!
From reading posts on here I decided to order an Aqua Avian Miser (http://www.avianaquamiser.com/). It took me a few days to teach them to use it but every time I moved their tractor or moved the waterer to fill it up, they seemed to have forgotten how to use it. I finally decided to send it back because they clearly weren't drinking enough or from it at all on some days (protesting change, maybe?). I'm back to the quart waterer but unhappy with it being dirty, knocked over esp. in hot weather now and me and the hubby going out of town a lot - need to be able to trust they'll have water all the time!
Feeder is a similar issue. Ordered a 5 lb. capacity gravity feeder on legs with a "hat" and to my dismay they didn't eat from it at all for a couple of days. Finally they tore the top off and eat from the top - refuse to eat from the bottom tray.
At this point, I can tell they are stressed and unhappy with the changes and they make noise almost all the time. Laying has slowed also. I'm to the point of giving them away. They're stressed, I'm stressed, and I can't seem to make them happy. They are in an 8 x 3 tractor with a good run and a semi roof for rain protection. We move them at least once a week for fresh grass but can't let them out where we live.
Any ideas on what I can do differently or do I just have stubborn birds that want to be free? Thanks a lot!
