Currently we have a 4 hens of varied ages. I just got another from a local backyard keeper which is 2, and the oldest of my birds.
Normally would have kept but her in the side yard to free range during the day, in a large dog crate at night for a few weeks. Insert Tropical Storm Andrea. I have a small house, no garage, large dog and the husband said no indoor chickens. So in order to keep her safe I had to put her in the run/coop with the others the moment I bought her home.
I'm sure she's stressed but seems to be getting along great. Eating, drinking, normal behaviors, clean.
My chickens are up a little before dawn and waiting at the run door. I open it when I get up and the free range in my back yard during the day. The first day we had this one, I went out there and my two youngest chicks and her were still in the coop. Not surprised, there was a tropical storm going on. Today though, I went to let them out and she was still sleeping again.
Is that odd? Could it be just because she's older so she sleeps a bit later. Do chickens do that? Or the stress of a new place, combined with tropical storm? Or could my coop just be darker than her old coop and she doesn't get the signal to get up?
Anything else I should be looking for? Other than sleeping later, I don't see anything that seems different.
Normally would have kept but her in the side yard to free range during the day, in a large dog crate at night for a few weeks. Insert Tropical Storm Andrea. I have a small house, no garage, large dog and the husband said no indoor chickens. So in order to keep her safe I had to put her in the run/coop with the others the moment I bought her home.
I'm sure she's stressed but seems to be getting along great. Eating, drinking, normal behaviors, clean.
My chickens are up a little before dawn and waiting at the run door. I open it when I get up and the free range in my back yard during the day. The first day we had this one, I went out there and my two youngest chicks and her were still in the coop. Not surprised, there was a tropical storm going on. Today though, I went to let them out and she was still sleeping again.
Is that odd? Could it be just because she's older so she sleeps a bit later. Do chickens do that? Or the stress of a new place, combined with tropical storm? Or could my coop just be darker than her old coop and she doesn't get the signal to get up?
Anything else I should be looking for? Other than sleeping later, I don't see anything that seems different.
