The Poultry Keeper

eejay · Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Cornwall

Well, we've finally got some hens- hooray! I feel like a new Mum and keep fussing about them. The two we got on Thursday are fine and settling in well. We also got three hens and a coq from our neighbours yesterday and put them in the henhouse with the others after dark yesterday evening. No problems there. But- today it's really cold and windy. The three "newbies" (including the coq) are refusing to come out of the henhouse- I don't blame them really, but do I need to put food and drink in the house for them (the food and water is in the run at the moment). Also, in their previous henhouse, they slept and laid eggs all in the same area. In our henhouse, the roosting area is above the nestboxes, and you have to go down the ramp to get to the nestboxes. So should we be trying to shut them out of the roosting area anyway?

Thanks for all the help, and Happy New Year everyone! Very Happy

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

I have food/drink in my hen house as well

then if the weather is bad they can stay in

jaydee67 · Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 5:27 pm Post subject:

I keep the food in the hen house to keep the wild birds way from it. Also have water in there for the hens - on a raised shelf - since we got ducks it's the only way for the hens to have access to clean water! Some of my guys don't go out every day either - they just scratch around inside and jump about on the roosts.

Lisa · Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

I don't have food and water in my shed (they've knocked it over too many times so I gave up Rolling Eyes

)

When I got my last pair of new chooks they did stay in the shed quite a lot at first. Probably would have stayed their all the time given a choice, but I picked them out and put them in the run a few times each day. While out there they did eat and drink.... before rushing back in the shed again Rolling Eyes

And I put out 3 feeders so if they got chased way from one, there was always another one to go to. (One of those cheap plastic garden chairs makes a great temporary food bowl cover to keep the rain off Wink

)

After a few days, they gained in confidence and came out on their own.

Must admit though, at this time of year mine are less likely to come out, so if I had newbies at this time of year I might put food and water inside on a temporary basis...

Water is most important. They can go for longer without eating than they can without drinking. And personally I'd use their hunger to tempt them out into their new surroundings.

But really its a case of whatever feels right and works for you is the right thing to do.

Best of luck settling your new ones in.

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I never had any of my girls staying in the house ~ I don't know if they knew that the stuff coming from the sky would make them all wet and possibly cold!
I've never put food and drink in the house either. I got hold of a large very colourful, golf umbrella ~ put a washing line spike into the ground and stood the umbrella in there ~ just resting on the side of the run ~ food was always kept under there to keep it dry.

jaydee67 · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 12:59 am Post subject:

Hmm, don't think that would last long in Shetland! I have my feeders inside hanging - one from teh roof on a long bit of nylon string and the otehr hangs beneath the nest boxes. To keep the starlings out I had to put rubber matting cut into strips across the pop hole.

eejay · Joined: 07 Aug 2005 Posts: 17 Location: Cornwall

Thanks guys. It's been sunny and a lot less windy today, and they have all been out scratching around, so I'm feeling a lot less worried. Good to hear about other people's solutions though- we can get quite battered by the wind and rain here ( although I guess not as much as in Shetland!) - so I'm sure it won't be the last time the hens decide to stay inside!

jaydee67 · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 9:02 pm Post subject:

I started out in Cornwall - then my parents moved us to Shetland, 26 years ago next week, not that I'm counting! Wink