Help?

AndyRVTR · « **on:** January 28, 2009, 13:11 »

Hi everyone... I need some advice about my new chooks if anyone can help. As you may know, I got my girls on Saturday, and I have kept them in their new home until yesterday morning. On my way to work, I left the hatch open all day thinking they would venture out to explore, but looing at the bark on the pen floor, there doesn't seem to be any sort of scratting, holes, piles etc, so I wasnt sure if they had been out.
My FIL popped down this morning around 10ish and he has told me that there was no sign of any hens in the pen, but one or two of the girls popped their heads out the hatch to see who was there and then went back in.
I have been feeding them once in the morning with pellets and once around 5pm with corn, both times inside the shed.
My question would be, what should I do tomorrow, do I get them out of the shed and close the hatch so they are 'forced' to be out all day, or do I feed them outside in the morning, encouraging them to come out?

Roughlee Handled · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2009, 13:17 »

Are they ex batts? I they are then this behaviour is understandable.

I always leave feed out for the all day and I think most people here do as well.

Leave the feed out side, maybe just outside the pop hole.

Do not worry to much it is all new to them.

Added later
See this thread about eating "adlib"

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?action=post;topic=29919.0;num_replies=0

AndyRVTR · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2009, 13:38 »

Quote from: Roughlee Handled on January 28, 2009, 13:17

Are they ex batts?

No... they are all 18-20wk POL?

Tinkers · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2009, 13:55 »

All food for our hens is kept outside - and ours tend to eat alot, so if it was inside, I don't think they would bother coming out much to be honest

Keep their pellets outside in a place it isn't going to get wet if it rains, and make sure they know where it is - i.e pick them up and put them in front of it if you need to - we had to

I'm sure within a few days they will be outside a lot more. Hope this is some use to you

Roughlee Handled · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2009, 14:09 »

OK they may still have been barn kept up till now. But once they get more confident they will be out and about.

AndyRVTR · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2009, 18:26 »

Panic over...

I got to the lottie tonight around 4.45 and 6 out of my 8 girls were out in the run waiting for me, (or was it their supper)

.
Looks like they have been having a whale of a time scratting amongst the bark chippings this afternoon, but one thing that has me concerned though.
There was 2 or 3 pieces of what looked like a bread bun in the pen and these could only have come from the lottie next door.
Peter, my neighbour, keeps hens, ducks and geese and I can only assume that he has thrown titbits over the pen, maybe to tempt them out for me.
No one else is in the plot on the otherside and no one else can get anywhere near the run. is it ok to feed 20 week old POL bread or am I being over protective of my girls?

poultrygeist · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2009, 11:34 »

Hi Andy.

Most chicken peeps find it easier to leave a feeder full of pellets out for them all the time. Is there a reason why you can't do this ?

It may be that they looked hungry and he was trying to be kind. A bit of bread is not a problem but if you can let them helpt themselves to pellets when they want them you could ask him not to feed them anythign else. If they know a lump of bread is goign to appear every day, they'll wait fot that instead of eatign what's good for them !

I presume they have permanent access to water, grit and oyster shell ?

It's a learning process like most things and there's more than one way to do it so find out what works for you.

Rob

Help?

AndyRVTR

Help?

Roughlee Handled

Re: Help?

AndyRVTR

Re: Help?

Tinkers

Re: Help?

Roughlee Handled

Re: Help?

AndyRVTR

Re: Help?

poultrygeist

Re: Help?