Hi from Wanganui

[supasi]

Hi all

Have finally got some chickens. Something I have wanted to keep for many years but never had the opportunity to do so.
4 lucky girls were liberated from the batterys and now reside with me.
Settling in well now they have learned to eat pellets.

Some pics of my run

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Hope to learn from you all.

[wolga]

Hi Supasi,
and welcome to Poultry Central. You found the right place to learn everything
you need to know about chickens.You've created a very nice set up for your new
chickens . It might take a little while for your hens to settle in and get used to the
new enviroment. I'm sure the will provide lots of entertainment.

[sewren]

Hi supasi - the run for your girls looks great, lots of places for them to scratch around find bugs to eat, and great to hear that they are eating the pellets ok now too. Looking at it from thier point of view, it must be a massive change from their previous life, so no wonder it took them a few days to settle in.

[supasi]

Can anyone please tell me if it is normal for chickens to sit out in the rain all night?
She was in the house at dusk but every night she goes out and sleeps under an agapantha plant and gets wet.
will she eventually learn not to do this? I am concerned as it is not going to be mild at night for much longer.

[Marina]

No, it's not normal for chooks to go out of the house again at dusk once they've been in there. Could you put a bucket held in place by a brick in front of the entrance so that they have to stay in there?

If it gets cold and they look like pin cushions they can die from exposure, especially if they get wet as well. Your ladies will need a lot of special care before they're proper chickens as they've never learnt anything but eating and drinking. So a gentle push into the coop at night and a lock-down will be necessary. It shouldn't take too long before they learn - maybe a week or two.

And while you're at it - I'd train them to roost at the same time. Put them onto the roost before you close up the coop for the night. Wait a couple of seconds and if they don't hop down close the coop and cross fingers they stay on there.

Your set-up looks lovely - very lucky ladies indeed and I hope they'll reward you with lots of yummy eggs come spring.

[supasi]

Thanks Marina

I followed your advise and I now have four hen house roosting hens.
I also decided yesterday to let them roam the backyard. I now have some even happier ladies and one very confused cat.
I have kept an eye on the cat but she is content with just following them and watching them. She had never seen chickens before so got a bit of a fright when they walked up to her. LOL

[wolga]

Well done Supasi ! Your girls have such a nice house and they should really use it.
I'm sure they will thank you with lots of eggs in spring.