Worried newbie

[kimangers]

My coop is finally done and the girls are 6 weeks old. They have been in a storage tub brooder and moving to a large dog crate during the day for the last week. Today they spent many hours in the run and seemed happy until 7:30 pm they started peeping loudly. Once my ameraucana tried flying up the walls of the run (with 1/2" hardware cloth) and I was so worried she was going to get a toe caught or hurt herself from the fall.
I ushered them in the coop and the peeping turned into cries. Next my Buff tried flying to the hardware cloth covered window. They all huddled on a 2x4 ledge instead of the dowels I installed for roosts. I couldn't tell if anyone was injured and my adrenaline was pumping so I brought them in the house. Am I worrying too much? Will they hurt themselves on the wire? Is crying normal? I think my coop is safe (especially from predators) but I didn't think much about self inflicted injuries. I'm going to post pics in the morning in hopes of some honest critiquing.
Thanks a bunch.

 

[jetdog]

The fussing is normal it will take a while before they get use to the new surroundings, if they are roosting on the 2x4 ledge I would replace the dowels with a 2x4 roost it's easier for them to stand on and move around. I'm sure when it gets dark everyone will settle down quietly for the night.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If chickens weren't designed to survive a fall, Mother Nature wouldn't have fitted them with wings.... or maybe chicken wings were designed by Mother Nature to protect your biddies from the falls of life. Anyway, they're just being chickens, relax, and enjoy.

 

[disneyguy]

If chickens weren't designed to survive a fall, Mother Nature wouldn't have fitted them with wings.... or maybe chicken wings were designed by Mother Nature to protect your biddies from the falls of life. Anyway, they're just being chickens, relax, and enjoy.

Haha, great mantra!

 

[vehve]

After a month in their coop, denser members of our flock still occasionally slam into the netting of the run. Luckily, it has some give in it, nothing like flying into a window. So far, they're all alive. One even did the "Spider pig" walk up the net today, flapping her wings. Just let them sort it out for themselves. If something happens, it's Darwins theories at work. But I really feel you're worrying about nothing. Think about how much cleaner your house will be after a proper scrub

I know I was disgusted after seeing how much dust we actually had inside after 6 weeks of chicks.

 

[B-Goock]

Just take them out of the house and put them in. They will get used to the new surroundings. They will fight and squabble to make a pecking order. Run around like that, take off suddenly with bursts of energy, jumping, flying, and generally being clumsy. It's how they learn.

Most people make the roost out of 2x4's turned with the 4" as the part they stand on. Then for whatever reason they will decide which position is the choice position and play what I call "monkey move up". Basically an hour of them jumping up and down off the roost as they argue over who gets the best spot on the roost. Just let them be. They will figure it out. Now if one is being pecked badly with feather loss and blood then you should get involved.

Just remember they are almost wild animals. They really don't need you....except for the food, water, oh and the treats.

A local guy from peru or somewhere said they had wild chickens running around like we have rabbits. They can almost or can take care of themselves. A little story.
My mom got some for free years ago. Domestics. They got out the first night or two and lived in the woods behind our house. Roosted in trees. Wouldn't come back for food or water. Couldn't catch them. They hung around there all spring but never came up to the house. Then we would see them traveling farther out into the fields and other pockets of woods. I assume they eventually became coyote food or didn't last the winter but they took care of themselves a long time.