Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi, we are now the owners of 3 chooks, ex free range organic farm birds that are a year old.

Have built the coop and the run and need your advice please, have put the chooks in the run and they seem fine but how will they know to go up the ramp into the coop from the run? Will they do this is bad weather like today?

Please help, feeling guilty that they look like drowned rats !

Thanks

Put them in the house at 'bedtime' and they will come OUT down the ramp in the morning. After that they will know where it is if they want to go back (they may prefer to get wet)
You may have to place them indoors every evening for a while, but before long you will find them safely tucked up when you go out....

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Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.

Don't worry if they are out in the rain. Seriously considering buying mine wellies because they will not come in even in a torrential downpour. They look all skinny and white when soaked but, like little kids, will not take shelter. The only time I've seen them go in is in hailstones. I've brought them in the house and shed when it was raining but they soon wanted back out. Just make sure the hen house door is open so they can get in if they want and, if possible, provide some other kind of shelter - a bush or picnic table or, it they are confined to a run, slates or plastic over part of it - but don't be depressed if they ignore it completely. Also try to keep their food sheltered or it turns to mush and they won't like it (at least my picky little chooks don't).
They probably will go in tonight - it's like magic! But if not - you could put a torch inside and leave them for a few minutes and they might go and investigate. Or you could catch them and physically put them in. If all else fails, try bribery - a tin of sweetcorn, grapes or slice of bread. Good luck!

You might have to catch them and put them in tonight but they will get the hang of it. When you get any more put them straight into the house late afternoon and shut them in until morning so they get used to this as their home. Basically this gets them used to the house first before they go into the run.

Good luck, you will have great pleasure from them, Andrea.

Spend 3/4 hour with a torch in the hen house but it worked all went up and closed them up... great! next night up on their own, even better. 2 weeks later, 3 eggs a day and ones fallen ill/broody - why didn't any one warn me !

Sorry to hear about your ill hen - is she eating? You could try mixing a little poultry spice with something really tasty like sweetcorn to give her a vitamin&mineral boost.