Moving hens

[Verinda]

Due to unavoidable circumstances my hens have to be moved to another location, not far away just down the hill a bit, closer to our house. They will also have a new hen house, I'm a bit concerned this will upset and stress them. I only have two hens now as sadly Maggie and Tilly both died a few months back of the horrible feather eating mite...or something like that, but the other two were not affected.

Does anyone have any advice about moving hens? Will they mind or do they just take it in their stride?

Many thanks.

[roitelet]

They will take it in their stride. Take them out of their house at night and move them to their new house. That way they will be less stressed than trying to catch them during the day when you will have to chase them to catch them.

[Scarlet]

As Roitelet says, if you move them at night they will be fine. You need a few young ones Verinda

[Verinda]

Thank you so much, do you mean to bring them down to their new home just before they roost? Won't they be upset if they are lifted out after they've roosted?

Yes I do need a few more, I suppose I'm worried about the two I have they are so content and such good friends I don't want to upset them.

[roitelet]

Wait until they have roosted. They will be quite docile and sleepy. Take them off their perch and pop them in a box. When you get to their new home put them straight in the house and they will resume their sleep. They will never even know they have been moved.

[Verinda]

Thank you, that's a relief I feel much better about moving them now x

[Verinda]

This is the new hen house, Mr V built it out of odds and ends and I painted it the hens seem happy thankfully. The other picture shows the other end of the run, a guinea pig hutch made from an old kitchen cabinet and my hen watching stool I found at the beach haha!

[fishpond]

You have some grass in your run---how?

[Verinda]

Because they've only been in that run for a few days and they're free range for half the day. The grass won't last much longer

[Verinda]

Ever since I moved my two hens Milly and Alice, they haven't laid a single egg, they stopped laying the exact day they moved and never started again.

They are exbatts and I've had them for two and a half years so I guess they're quite old, they look beautiful and healthy and I love them but still half hoping for a surprise egg, even one would be nice! They are so happy and content I can't bring myself to upset them by getting new young hens.

Can I ask if its normal for hens for hens to stop like that and never lay again?

[veggiechicken]

Have they been laying away from the henhouse? Maybe you'll find a stash of them somewhere!

[Scarlet]

I think they are hiding them as VC has already suggested. Not to worry in the winter but come mid/end of feb, get on your chair and watch. Although now they have settled in they may well lay in their new coop. My turkey didn't lay for a few weeks once, was always in her run..I went to pick my courgettes and she'd laid half a dozen in the middle!! She flew in and out of her run to lay. Crafty......

[Verinda]

I moved them near the beginning of August last year, they are free range most mornings but mostly visible, pottering about near the kitchen window and if I'm out then always with me, hardly ever out of sight, no loud, just laid an egg clucking, but yes there are plenty of hidden places where they could lay eggs, I do look along the bank and any other possible places but no sign of anything. Its a mystery!

[veggiechicken]

Can you keep them enclosed for a few days? Just to limit where they may be laying.
I think Lisasbolt had something similar happen recently!

[Verinda]

I don't let them out of their run when its howling or lashing rain, which is quite frequent at the moment so they are often in their run for several days but never a sign of an egg.