[n.b83]

Hi ther,
I have been given some chickens by a local farmer (6 hens and 1 cock) they are arriving on thursday. I have a 6'x4' shed fro them to live in, which i want to add a run to for when i aren't on my allotment. But I have a couple of questions I hope some one can answer.

When they arrive do I need to do anything for them? (Leave them in the shed for a couple of days to help them settle in ect)?

I dont want them to be stuck in the run all the time, so can they be trained to go back into their pen when I leave?

My nabours chickens are often in my allotment, is this a problem?

Thanks Neil.

[Vecten]

24 hours in the shed should be long enough for them to acclimatise to their new home. They will go back into the shed at night on their own volition when dusk falls. I would seriously consider fox proofing the shed and run though, if you want to keep them. If I were to keep chickens on my allotment I would also purchase an automatic door closer.

[Jeanette]

When i get my girls i put them straight into the coup and leave them there overnight. Dont let them free range straight away because they wont know were to go back to at night. Some chickens will put themselves to bed but others wont you will have to check on them untill they know where to go (it depends on how old they are)
If you are planning on having the chickens free range on the allotment you will have to protect your plants because they will eat everything they find and you wont have anything left.
Make sure you have got the run or allotment fox proof by digging in wire mesh into the ground making a skirt on the run so a fox cant dig under. If free range then you may need a eletric fence.
I know this sounds like a lot of work but foxes are around even if you havent seen them and to have a fox attack on chickens is awfull. I learned from experiance.

[Lindeggs]

I got six pullets on Sunday afternoon and kept them in their coop until Monday mid-day ish.  Then I let them out into their run.  They all went back into their coop willingly that evening and put themselves to bed, so they seem to have adopted it as 'home' very quickly.  They also scoot in there if they get a fright so they obviously see it as a safe haven.

I have found it really valuable to spend time sitting on an upturned bucket in their run.  It has meant I could keep a close eye on them, and they have started to get used to me being around.  It also allowed me to make sure all of them were eating and drinking, and that they could all use their chook-door properly.  As it turned out, I needed to put a couple of bricks outside and inside the door to allow them to step in the door without having to flap to get up to it.

So keeping them confined for a while, and taking time to observe them, has proved very useful for me.