i somehow acquired 2 runaways and i have questions. please help

[pollipazzi]

i did change the roost again. the one i made is in the polytunnel for them, and i made another less bulky one but they have never roosted on any of them at night. they sleep in the nesting boxes. i even put treats on top of the roost to see if it would entice them to go up there. they never did!

i have so many places in my garden that they could perch on but they never do. for chickens who were sleeping in trees, they stay on the ground or in the big flower pots. the highest they go is up on my window sill to look for me

they also never poop in the coop. never. but they make up for it in the morning. i don't know if that's healthy.

i have been putting them in the polytunnel thing earlier than the time they would go to the tree, and they have a bit more room in there and a big flower pot to dust bathe in. but they are only in there for about 5 minutes and they go up into the coop and don't come out again until morning. i don't know why it bothers me that they do that. they could be out a bit longer, but that's what they do. then i go out at dusk, close the coop door, take up the food and water, lock up the small run and lock up the polytunnel.

i did put sand in the small run and i keep it clean. i put a little straw in there too because they seem to like it.

we are working on a greenhouse and most of the stones in the polytunnel will be put around the greenhouse. then i will get sand to put in there for them. and we are planning on building the run in there properly and taking the polytunnel out. they are free ranging all day. supervised. but i can't keep doing that all day. especially when the weather is bad! so i have been trying to get them in the polytunnel each day for a little while so they can get used to it. only they will go right in the coop in the middle of the day!

because i know nothing about chickens, i am thinking they think being in a run means it's bedtime.

there's so many things that have happened that i'm learning from and trying to keep them happy but also safe. most of it is in this very long and sometimes ridiculous thread.

thank you so much for having a look! i appreciate your input!!!

also. just after i wrote this, thelma went in to lay an egg and louise jumped up on the small wall and was peeking into the schoolyard. she's got something in her head. i don't want her to go in there because there's a big field across from it where i have seen foxes and other things that would like to eat her. so i distracted her with mealworms and i got out my weeding tools. we spent the time since... i got some weeding done, and she had something entertaining to do. when i find a worm or something, i put it near her and point at it and she follows me all along scratching around.
i then dump the weeds in a big pile so they can scratch around in it before i put it in the compost.

but i never know what she's gonna do. some days she doesn't even think about leaving the garden and others, she's off. with thelma or without.

when without, thelma panics. i don't ever have trouble with thelma trying to leave or anything unless she's following louise.

 

[pollipazzi]

Roosters . . . .I know no help . . .a good rooster will die for his flock

yeah. i don't think that's something i can do, unfortunately

 

[pollipazzi]

Hi Pollipazza,
I need to read more of the previous posts first before I can give a better advice/comment. I will tell you a bit about my bantams so maybe you find some good ideas in it.

Did you make a larger run by now so the confined space is larger now? They do need more space if you lock them in!

For starters
Bribing them before dusk and lock them up in the coop/run is very good. I needed to do this for 6 weeks before the tree-huggers finally gave up to sleep in the tree.

My run is rather large and covered with strong cat netting so they are safe in it and don’t need to free range daily. In general I keep them in mornings. They do free range without supervision most of the time. I lost a few over the years but they are so happy and healthy free ranging that I prefer this combination. Better than keeping them in jail whole day. If I let them free range whole day they wonder off too far.

If the garden has bushes, trees and other spaces to hide or flight on/in the bantams know how to escape. I would trust them during the day bc they know how to escape from predators. Just keep in mind an accident can happen. At night chickens are sleepy and are more at risk.

For your other problem I think you need to address the chickens as if it were nagging children.
If I have a noisy hen, I ignore her.
In general: If you give a nagging hen for treats at your back door, she keeps doing so. If you let a nagging hen who’s at the gate to free range, and you let her out if she is nagging she keeps on doing so.

My idea : try to open the gate if she is quiet.

Supervise only if you like to. I like to lock mine in at night for safety (bc we have some kind of weasels here). .
In my village there are people who free range their chickens, and they walk up the street, to forage in the green beside it. The chickens seem to know they have to keep away from the traffic. My chickens don’t do this often bc I live at a dead end street.

thank you so much for this! it's so helpful! i missed it at first.

yes they have a bigger run. an extension on the original small one that is safer and a makeshift polytunnel one around it with more room. there's pictures and all further along in the thread.

one main question for now... if they are free ranging and you have to go out somewhere, do you put them back in the run? are they free ranging when you aren't at home?

 

[pollipazzi]

thelma is in the coop 4 hours so far today. i hope that egg is worth it!

 

[pollipazzi]

thelma is in the coop 4 hours so far today. i hope that egg is worth it!

she's out! lol! every single time i say something it changes!
she's so cute. when she comes out...every time.... she goes running right up to louise and puts her face right on her face like she's telling her she laid an egg! then she comes to tell me

 

[pollipazzi]

thank you so much for this! it's so helpful! i missed it at first.

yes they have a bigger run. an extension on the original small one that is safer and a makeshift polytunnel one around it with more room. there's pictures and all further along in the thread.

one main question for now... if they are free ranging and you have to go out somewhere, do you put them back in the run? are they free ranging when you aren't at home?

@BDutch i thought of some other questions if you don’t mind.

the naggy one could be quiet in the run but as soon as she sees me come out, she yells her head off. i have tried waiting for her to stop, but she seems like she would yell for all eternity. the other one does not do this.

i was asking about the going out and do you leave them because i do have an appointment tomorrow and i don’t know how long it will take. i am hoping just an hour or two i will be gone. i don’t want to leave them in the polytunnel because i don’t think it’s safe enough and the small run, even though it’s bigger than it was originally, is still pretty small.
i think this is the main issue and i really need a proper big run before i feel ok with this situation. but i don’t have a magic wand and i have to do with what i have at the moment. any suggestions? should i just leave them free range? or keep them in the smaller run? i am not comfortable with either.

 

[ChaosMom]

@BDutch i thought of some other questions if you don’t mind.

the naggy one could be quiet in the run but as soon as she sees me come out, she yells her head off. i have tried waiting for her to stop, but she seems like she would yell for all eternity. the other one does not do this.

i was asking about the going out and do you leave them because i do have an appointment tomorrow and i don’t know how long it will take. i am hoping just an hour or two i will be gone. i don’t want to leave them in the polytunnel because i don’t think it’s safe enough and the small run, even though it’s bigger than it was originally, is still pretty small.
i think this is the main issue and i really need a proper big run before i feel ok with this situation. but i don’t have a magic wand and i have to do with what i have at the moment. any suggestions? should i just leave them free range? or keep them in the smaller run? i am not comfortable with either.

What (general) time of day is your appointment? I ask because mine often take a bit of a siesta around 1-3. Could you shut them in their coop while you’re gone, since the run isn’t really secure?

 

[MROO]

also. just after i wrote this, thelma went in to lay an egg and louise jumped up on the small wall and was peeking into the schoolyard. she's got something in her head. i don't want her to go in there because there's a big field across from it where i have seen foxes and other things that would like to eat her. so i distracted her with mealworms and i got out my weeding tools. we spent the time since... i got some weeding done, and she had something entertaining to do. when i find a worm or something, i put it near her and point at it and she follows me all along scratching around.
i then dump the weeds in a big pile so they can scratch around in it before i put it in the compost.

but i never know what she's gonna do. some days she doesn't even think about leaving the garden and others, she's off. with thelma or without.

when without, thelma panics. i don't ever have trouble with thelma trying to leave or anything unless she's following louise.

If there's room in your run at all, toss the weeds in there for your girls. They'll enjoy digging through it and you'll eventually get good compost out of it. I've seen quite a few set-ups with the compost pile built right into the run. If my run was big enough, that's where my "pile" would end up. Hmmm ... maybe it's time for some more chicken math. It definitely applies to structures as well as flock size!

 

[pollipazzi]

What (general) time of day is your appointment? I ask because mine often take a bit of a siesta around 1-3. Could you shut them in their coop while you’re gone, since the run isn’t really secure?

it's 10:45am. i have a little travel time but not much.
the little run is secure. just the polytunnel isn't. i suppose it wouldn't be the worst place to be for a little while. there's food and water and a place to snooze. if i put thelma in a big pot in a box, she'd be happy it's the other one disrupting the peace is the trouble

 

[pollipazzi]

If there's room in your run at all, toss the weeds in there for your girls. They'll enjoy digging through it and you'll eventually get good compost out of it. I've seen quite a few set-ups with the compost pile built right into the run. If my run was big enough, that's where my "pile" would end up. Hmmm ... maybe it's time for some more chicken math. It definitely applies to structures as well as flock size!

i do sometimes throw some grass and fennel in there. that's a good idea!