pollipazzi
In the Brooder
- Mar 18, 2025
- 9
- 14
- 16
hello. i’ve just joined because i don’t have a clue about chickens and i now have 2 of them.
they belonged to a neighbor, who is not someone i see very often but friendly enough with. i was told they escaped soon after he got them. i am guessing they are 6 or 7 months old and have just started laying eggs.
for reasons i do not know, they picked me to live with.
they have been in my backyard for 2 months. they are here all day and have been sleeping in a different neighbor’s trees at night.
the neighbor who they belonged to originally, has tried to catch them for ages and could not. but they befriended me and follow me around so he said i could keep them. i call them thelma and louise.
(sorry this is so long)
we got a coop with a little run (we will make a bigger run very soon) and i kept them in there for about 6 days. louise seemed to be taking to it the best. she lays an egg almost every day in the nest box and goes right up at 6:30pm.
thelma had a harder time getting adjusted and was a bit panicked at first. now that she has freedom, she won’t lay in the nest box, but chose the tiniest flowerpot in my greenhouse (that’s a whole nother story) to lay her eggs.
today, while thelma was laying her flowerpot egg, at around 5:30, louise disappeared. we found her in the usual tree (down the street and very high up!). but without thelma! she is never without thelma.
thelma is safe and sound in the coop asleep.
so all of that to ask…
what is the best thing to do? i am sure she will be back tomorrow. neither of them will let me handle them, but they will eat out of my hand. and i can get her into the run with bribes. i just want them to be safe.
but should i lock them in again? for longer?
should i just get them in the run earlier since they will go up once they are in? everything i have read says lock them in the coop for a week or two. does that mean no run at all?
i have been trying to find the answers on my own but i couldn’t find anything specific to this situation. thanks in advance!
they belonged to a neighbor, who is not someone i see very often but friendly enough with. i was told they escaped soon after he got them. i am guessing they are 6 or 7 months old and have just started laying eggs.
for reasons i do not know, they picked me to live with.
they have been in my backyard for 2 months. they are here all day and have been sleeping in a different neighbor’s trees at night.
the neighbor who they belonged to originally, has tried to catch them for ages and could not. but they befriended me and follow me around so he said i could keep them. i call them thelma and louise.
(sorry this is so long)
we got a coop with a little run (we will make a bigger run very soon) and i kept them in there for about 6 days. louise seemed to be taking to it the best. she lays an egg almost every day in the nest box and goes right up at 6:30pm.
thelma had a harder time getting adjusted and was a bit panicked at first. now that she has freedom, she won’t lay in the nest box, but chose the tiniest flowerpot in my greenhouse (that’s a whole nother story) to lay her eggs.
today, while thelma was laying her flowerpot egg, at around 5:30, louise disappeared. we found her in the usual tree (down the street and very high up!). but without thelma! she is never without thelma.
thelma is safe and sound in the coop asleep.
so all of that to ask…
what is the best thing to do? i am sure she will be back tomorrow. neither of them will let me handle them, but they will eat out of my hand. and i can get her into the run with bribes. i just want them to be safe.
but should i lock them in again? for longer?
should i just get them in the run earlier since they will go up once they are in? everything i have read says lock them in the coop for a week or two. does that mean no run at all?
i have been trying to find the answers on my own but i couldn’t find anything specific to this situation. thanks in advance!