Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[LizzieLloyd]

On Saturday we thought we would make our new WIR more exciting by adding some perching platforms and a couple of ladders for the girls to reach them. We let them FR in tha garden whilst we did the building work and had an almighty job getting them back in the WIR when it started getting dark which involved us having to take out one of the ladders which seemed to be unsettling them.

 

Yesterday our girls seemed very disgruntled with the additions and wouldnt venture from their house into the run even for mealworms (most odd!) and this morning were still quite stroppy and flighty. Is this normal behaviour and have others experienced this kind of behaviour. We've made quite major changes in their environment before and they seemed to take it in their stride. I'm hoping we havent taken them a step too far...

[alet_chicken]

Hi, that sounds exactly like some of my girls behaved when they first moved into the WIR. It turns out that some of my chickens don't like change. It did calm down within a couple of days, when they realised that there was no reason to be scared (or more to the point, their love of mealworms overcame their fear!).

 

It may take a couple of days for them to get used to the changes (which sound great by the way). Positive reinforcement with plenty of treats in the run / around the new additions might help.

[LizzieLloyd]

Thanks for the reply. They are still in the house today and look as though they spent most of yesterday in there aswell. If it doesnt improve by the weekend I'll take the ladders out. Its a shame as I thought I was improving their home not making them miserable

[Leicester_H]

We had some branches that OH made into free-standing perches - all OK.

Bit left over, made into something else (small - difficult to explain) - they were 'terrified' of it !!

Had to take it out.

Left outside, they got used to it - all OK now.

 

Nowt as mad as chickens!

 

H

[Jools]

My last year's growers were absolutely terrified by a seed tray filled with lettuce grown just for them!

 

 

They don't like change

[Omletina Kyckling]

I love that photo, Jules!

[Jools]

Thank you

 

It was pretty funny watching them pluck up the courage to investigate further!

[LizzieLloyd]

That photo is superb! Silly chickies. I do hope they get used to the additions - it took me blimmin ages to make the ladders from picket fencing!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Mine were scared witless by a lovingly selected and cleaned tyre which I filled with lovely dustbath materials . I had to remove it in the end as they wouldn't go within 3 feet of the scary black ring of death .

[goodinparts]

So bearing all the above in mind, do you have any tips about how best to move my girls into their in hopeful preparation for the arrival of bantams post Reading...The cube has been up in their playground for a few weeks now, and once or twice they have wandered into the run...

I guess the thing to do is to simply transfer them one day this week (I'm away next week so they won't get FR time for 4 days, - so it will be happier for them if they have the larger run) and leave them shut up for a bit?

I don't want to make the disappear, even though they might find that helpful, as with any luck it will soon be occupied by bantams...

oooooooooo

I'm getting stupidly excited here.

Morehens is at an acute phase, I think

[LizzieLloyd]

This morning all the girls came out to play and were very interested in the new additions. I managed to grab a snap but just missed Prissie halfway up the ladder! At the weekend I'll put the other ladder back in so hopefully they will be settled.

[alet_chicken]

That's good news! The ladders and perches will make things very interesting for your girls, they are very lucky.

[LizzieLloyd]

Please ignore that state of our garden - its a mud bath at the moment!