Christian Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Most of us have to leave the hens in the run during the day. Don't worry, they are perfectly happy. In the summer they will have a lot more freedom and you will see them more. As others have suggested, hang something up in the run to keep them amused. Maybe a couple of branches to perch on etc. The fact that you are worrying about them, makes you an excellent chicken mum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 okay....I feel some perspective is needed here firstly, your chickens are not people, they do not in all probability think like people do they have a simple priority system. Am I safe?........yes, while in the run. Is there food and water nearby?......yes, while in the run. I think that's pretty much it to be honest. As time goes by they will become more confident and possibly curious too. they will come to associate you with foody treats. But for now, all they need is security, sustenance and time to settle in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 okay....I feel some perspective is needed here firstly, your chickens are not people, they do not in all probability think like people do they have a simple priority system. Am I safe?........yes, while in the run. Is there food and water nearby?......yes, while in the run. I think that's pretty much it to be honest. As time goes by they will become more confident and possibly curious too. they will come to associate you with foody treats. But for now, all they need is security, sustenance and time to settle in Yes, I guess I'm being too worrying. Just that I don't have childern and at 41 cats and chickens are about as good as it gets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Most of us have to leave the hens in the run during the day. Don't worry, they are perfectly happy. In the summer they will have a lot more freedom and you will see them more. As others have suggested, hang something up in the run to keep them amused. Maybe a couple of branches to perch on etc. The fact that you are worrying about them, makes you an excellent chicken mum!! Thanks for that advice Christian, I know I am only a keeper of chickens but I just want them to be happy! I will adopt treats once the stinky poo has settled a bit. Will go to the woods next to our house and get some interesting branches for the run tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Just that I don't have childern and at 41 cats and chickens are about as good as it gets There is nothing wrong with that Sarah! I love my girls and won't be without them! Thanks for that advice Christian, I know I am only a keeper of chickens but I just want them to be happy! I'm sure they will be! It is nerve racking at times especially your first few weeks. Try not to worry, they is always good advice and support on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Another thought, try giving them garlic powder with their food. Although the garlic smell is strong, by the time it has passed through the chicken there's no pong. Make sure it's the horsey stuff not what you can buy in supermarkets Just ordered the powder and other stuff from Omlet - thanks Lucy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick pick Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Hi Sarah Have been thinking of you and you new arrivals over the last couple of days the weather down south has been pretty horrible, wet and windy. I hope over the weekend things settle down and you can spend some time with your girls and start to enjoy them. I was abit concerned about the smelly poo!!! now I know what I have too look forward too. must invest in a poop scoop, maybe hubby with volunteer for this honour. Debbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Don't worry Sarah, there are many who, like you, are at work all day and can't let their hens out for their own safety. I can only let mine out if I'm in the garden to supervise. In all honesty, from about November through to this weekend, my girls have probably only had a couple of hours a week free-ranging, and some weekends not even that. If I'm home at the weekend, then they get out whatever the weather, but if I am away they don't. It's not ideal but it's safe, and they are perfectly healthy, don't pull each others feathers out or seem to be unhappy, and two of them laid eggs right through the winter. I'm so excited about the lighter evenings, because it means they will get some playtime nearly every evening - I love seeing them out of the run. They are not suffering though, so don't lose sleep over it, just enjoy them when you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 okay....I feel some perspective is needed here firstly, your chickens are not people, they do not in all probability think like people do they have a simple priority system. Am I safe?........yes, while in the run. Is there food and water nearby?......yes, while in the run. I think that's pretty much it to be honest. Well put! If I may offer additional comments with my zoologist's hat on...? (I specialised in animal behaviour for my degree) If you are used to cats, Sarah, you may be expecting too much from your chickens. Cats are very social animals with a lot of behaviours in common with primates: mutual grooming, greetings, and so on. They also relate to humans as surrogate parents, and enjoy close physical contact. Chickens are also social creatures, but the overlap with our own behaviour is much smaller, which makes them harder to interact with. Whilst they need the company of other chickens, being a flock animal, they don't actually interact with one another very much, except to assert their place in the pecking order - so why should they interact with a human? Also, since you are the one who lets them out of the run or shoos them back in, you take the place of the cockerel in a normal flock of chickens, which is why, once they come into lay, they crouch for you, waiting to be mated Going back to Tara's post, I would add secondary priorities, which set our hens apart from intensively farmed ones: * Have I got space to scratch around for food? Yes. * Have I got somewhere to dig and make a dustbath to help keep the parasites out of my feathers? Probably... Well that last one depends on the setup - if your eglu is on a patio or other hard surface, you would probably need to provide a tub or large cat litter tray of earth, but a run on soil or grass will allow them to dig for themselves (no wonder they ruin our lawns!). All that chickens need in life is a place that provides the basic necessities of life and opportunities to express their instinctive behaviour, like scratching the ground in search of food. Anything on top of that (free-ranging in your garden, being fussed over by humans) is pure gravy! P.S. About the only thing they miss out on is sex, and since sex for a hen is not exactly that much fun (the cockerel actually stands on top of the hen, and his claws can do a fair bit of damage!), we're probably doing them a favour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayte Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 my fence has just blown down in the wind so our girls will have to stay in the run for a while or else they could just stroll out! the only prob i see with the run is that the chooks won't be able to partake in their favourite mission impossible attempts to break into the house now... although I'm sure queenie is digging a tunnel... queenie belle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Sarah...all your concerns are perfectly normal for a novice hen keeper. I was a bag of nerves for a couple of weeks, as were we all, I'm sure. It was like having a new baby in terms of "help...what do I do now"...but without the sleep deprivation. Ask yourself this......how does your hens' lifestyle compare with that of a battery hen? ~Are they warm, but not too warm? ~Can they walk about and exercise their legs? ~Can they stretch their wings? ~Can they scratch about? ~Have they got free access to clean water and good food? ~Are they safe from predators? ~Have they got somewhere comfortable and clean to roost at night? ~Can they see the sky, see the sun rise, and the moon and stars, experience the changing seasons, and feel the breeze in their feathers? ~Have they got the means to dustbathe and dig occasionally? ~Are they experiencing the normal social structure of a flock, with all its minor squabbles ? ~Have they got a caring owner who has their welfare at heart? (Although who owns who....or is it whom....is debatable!) If they can answer yes to most of these questions, then they will have no cause for complaint! Try not to worry. You are doing fine. In a couple of months you will wonder what on earth you were anxious about. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 excellently put, Eyren and Egluntine (ooh, too many 'e's in that!) The comparison between cats and chickens is an interesting one, Eyren - I understand the cat relationship, but you have explained a couple of things about chicken behaviour that suddenly make sense. I think we all feel a bit guilty if we can't let out girls out more, but since the Hugh and Jamie programmes, I remind myself that my Eglu could legally hold 34 intensively-farmed chickens, not the two that strut around in there. (I think I'm right - 17 per square metre) That always makes me feel better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I think we all feel a bit guilty if we can't let out girls out more, but since the Hugh and Jamie programmes, I remind myself that my Eglu could legally hold 34 intensively-farmed chickens, not the two that strut around in there. (I think I'm right - 17 per square metre) That always makes me feel better. Yeah, my mind boggled at that! I think the Omlet run is somewhat less than 2sqm, since it's a lot narrower at the eglu end, and the sides slope quite a bit which further reduces the area - I would estimate it as no more than 1.75m of clear walking space - but that still means an intensive farm would be able to cram up to 30 chickens in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Doesn't bear thinking about does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Gosh - I hadnt thought of it like that at all that's just awful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Hi Sarah Have been thinking of you and you new arrivals over the last couple of days the weather down south has been pretty horrible, wet and windy. I hope over the weekend things settle down and you can spend some time with your girls and start to enjoy them. I was abit concerned about the smelly poo!!! now I know what I have too look forward too. must invest in a poop scoop, maybe hubby with volunteer for this honour. Debbie Hi Debbie! The girls are much better today thanks, poos seem fairly back to normal and they have had access to the run since 7. I think it's helping that the weather is so much better today and they are getting used to the environment. They do go back in the eglu for a rest from time to time but I guess that's normal as they are not free ranging yet? Bet you can't wait for yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 excellently put, Eyren and Egluntine (ooh, too many 'e's in that!) Thank you Olly. Very kind of you to acknowledge our efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 Yes, thanks to everyone for their replies, I think I've been over-worrying. I do realise they are not social in the same way as my cats but I want them to be happy and healthy and a part of my family none the less. They had such a miserable day yesterday settling in, but seem much happier today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilda-and-evadne Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 f I may offer additional comments with my zoologist's hat on...? (I specialised in animal behaviour for my degree) [et seq] Thank you, Sarah B, for starting this topic - and to Eyren and everyone who commented - although Hilda and Evadne look happy and alert, I was worrying about the same things that you mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 (edited) That is good to hear,Sarah. Edited March 1, 2008 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Glad to be of help, Olly! They do go back in the eglu for a rest from time to time but I guess that's normal as they are not free ranging yet? One of my newbies, Nutmeg, is much more nervous that the others and she does spend a lot more time in the eglu, especially if there's any disturbance - like this morning when we had to take down about ten feet of garden fence owing to storm damage I'm sure yours will come out more once they're used to their new surroundings and all the unfamiliar noises Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah B Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 One of my newbies, Nutmeg, is much more nervous that the others and she does spend a lot more time in the eglu, especially if there's any disturbance - like this morning when we had to take down about ten feet of garden fence owing to storm damage I'm sure yours will come out more once they're used to their new surroundings and all the unfamiliar noises Tikka is the one who pops back in, and she goes home to roost before Madras as well. She seemed to have a powernap for 5 mins at lunchtime in the run? They both enjoyed their live mealworms today, it's still very early days, I'm not worried like I was yesterday. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waders Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Hi Sarah, My girls are in their run a fair bit too and they are fine. In fact I was a bit worried because I had a soft shelled egg the other day and they don't appear to be eating their pellets. The lovely people in this forum gave me some great advice. One was to leave them in the run for a couple of days so they had to eat their pellets the other was that they are great at pulling the old guilt trip on you! Well, I followed their advice - no more soft shells though they still don't appear to be too keen on the pellets! And yes I did feel guilty about leaving them in! So listen to the lovely people in this forum - they know their onions (or should that be eggs!). By the way, I see you're not far from me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
