Introducing new chickens (pols) to Hutch

[ChrisBNorth]

Hi All,
Any advice gratefully received, we are picking up 4 chickens on Sat (our first) and I'm told that I will need to shut them in the Hutch for 24 hours whilst they acclimatise ? Is this true and if so can I let them into the run or do they have to be shut in all 24 hours (seems very hot to be doing this to me). These are our first Chickens so we have probably miss understood this completely !

[Flummery]

I was told to keep mine in the house for 3 days! I did to. They weren't bothered for the first 2 days. They snuggled in together and chuntered to one another. Naturally I did supply food and water in the house. By day 3 they were ready to be out though. They come out of the house into a fair sized walk in run - 3m x 2.5 which I think's ok for 4 hens. I was also advised to leave them in the run for at least a fortnight. This allows them to become sort of fixated on the house as their home and the run as their safe place and they do return to them. Mine have never been any bother to get to bed at night and they even return readily to the run when they've been out on their bit of grass for a play while we're here to supervise. It sounds hard but I think it's good advice. The house should be well ventilated anyway so they ought to be fine in there for a while.

Excited? (We were!)

[MaureenHall]

It's best if they are kept in the coop for a while just so they know where "home" is. They'll get confused and more stressed if they don't know where to go at bedtime. Some people do this for up to 3 days with no problem (apart from more than usual poo in the coop and having to keep checking food and water in case they poo in there too!!) Keep food and water close by so they know where that is. If they've got a small run, then they could be let out into there on the second day, but don't let them free-range too soon.

Good luck with your girls, and welcome to the Vine

[ChrisBNorth]

Thanks Maureen, I was going to let them free range straight away but will keep then as you suggest in the run for a couple of weeks and the house for a couple of days - Thanks for the advice (collection date has crept up on us very quickly so minor panic now setting in !)

[HayleyB]

BTW, welcome to the madvine Chris. Nothing more to add to above really

[julesapple]

Seems I've done everything wrong then

We put our girls straight into the house as it was night time when we brought them home. Next morning I let them out at 7am to free range in their half of the garden.

They put themselves to bed in the house at 9.30pm and they've done it every night since. Anything frightens them and they're straight back into either the house or the covered run.

I knew nothing about keeping them in for a while.....hope my ignorance won't affect them.

Jules

[MaureenHall]

Bang goes that theory then I'm glad it worked out for you the way you did it. I must admit that in the past when introducing new chooks to an existing flock, I've put them in the coop at bedtime and they've been fine the next day. Possibly the old ones showed the new ones the ropes

My new girls are sleeping in the same coop as the older ones, but I've sectioned off a little part of the run for them today so they can start to feel a bit more comfortable around the old ones without getting too stressed out and pecked. 2 of the old girls have found their way in though and so far things seem ok - but it's not bedtime yet!!

[RichmondHens]

Different birds do different things. When we moved up here just before Xmas I shut the bantams in a stable for 2 days which they hated (used to being free range) but then let out to free range on day 3. They were ecstatic to get out, roamed around most of the day and all made it back by nightfall. Clever little things. The big ones got let out in a small pen surrounding their house straightaway (they had travelled for over 2 hours in boxes) but because (I think) they recognised their house (yep, everything came with us) they all went straight to bed with no problem. We extended the run the next day and they stayed in that all Xmas.

Chris - I think 24 hrs in their house is probably enough, and then they can go in a run for a week or so. Then they can free range. Train them to come to a treat pot (corn or something they like that will rattle). Only feed them that when they come to you. They will soon get the hang of it and will come from wherever they are when they hear the sound. It works for me anyhow. Mine will be totally out of sight somewhere in the field but the moment I walk out and rattle the pot and shout for them, they fly in from all corners!

[Nicos]

It's an interesting /worrying time isn't from what I have heard about bullying of newbies into the flock?

We are hoping to collect 3 old gals at weekend when the 2 boys have 'gone'()

It'll be one more chook in total in the chook house- so it won't be overcrowded- but my concern is for our 4 week old chicks in the same coop- no doubt the mum and aunties and uncle and daddy will protect them from the new gals????( the little uns still sleep under Betty's wings)

I'm planning on doing the introduction at night and keeping the new gals in for a couple of days. My coop is an old pigsty- so I'm not worried about it being hot- just if it rains cos the others usually go indoors to stay dry...I'll need to rig up some more sun/rain shelter I guess!

Welcome to the Vine Chris....most of us are newbies with chooks( I only got mine in November! and get fantastic help here!

I look forward to seeing how you get on!

[ChrisBNorth]

Thanks for the advice and the welcome

General concensus seems to be to keep them in for 24 hours ish - My hen hutch is mobile so will position it under some large trees for shade, put some food and water in with them and the run will then cover a border which I was going to get round to weeding sometime anyway ! - I'll just let the girls scrat it up. Thanks again everyone for the advice.

[Nicos]

Sounds good to me!

Let us know how you get on!