A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (31 page)

Settling Your Chickens in Their New Home

Before going to collect your chickens make sure everything is ready for them so they can be put into their new quarters with the minimum of delay or fuss.

Your henhouse should be set up and the run prepared. Spread a layer of bedding in the henhouse. There should be enough to comfortably cover the floor, but it needn’t be very deep as it’s mainly there to absorb droppings – be more generous if the weather is particularly cold or wet. Ex-battery hens need a thicker bed to give them protection and warmth, especially as they may sleep on the floor at first.

Provide a good layer of bedding material in the nest-boxes. If you have bought some diatomaceous earth, sprinkle it around the house and nest-boxes.

Put a full drinker and feeder in the run. Fill the grit hopper. If there is no run, put the drinker and feeder in the henhouse.

The chickens may be stressed after the journey and the change to their surroundings. They have probably been kept with many other birds and now find themselves on their own. It may take a little while before they feel confident in their new home but they will settle more quickly if their relocation goes smoothly.

You may feel rather nervous if you haven’t handled chickens before, but try to keep this process as calm and relaxed as possible. Shut other pets away and ensure that everyone stays quiet while you move the chickens from their carrying boxes to their new home.

Open the box enough to slip your hand in and locate the chicken. Talk quietly to the bird – it doesn’t matter what you say but keep your tone gentle. Press lightly on the chicken’s back with one hand, bringing your fingers round to keep the wings from flapping. Slide your other hand under the bird, so she is sitting on your palm with her legs between your fingers. You should now be able to lift her gently out of the box, and place her in the house.

Hold chickens securely but not too tightly

Handle your new chickens with
confidence (even if you don’t feel it!) and hold them securely but not too tightly. Stopping the wings from flapping is important – once you have lifted the hen from the box, you can tuck her under your arm while her front stays comfortably balanced on your hand. Keep the rear end pointing away from you to avoid messy accidents! Don’t ever pick a chicken up by the legs or grab a wing.

Alternatively you could place the carrying box in the house and allow the hen to make her own way out. Although you’ll have to handle the birds at some point, this may be easier for now and cuts down the risk of chickens escaping.

Putting the new chickens straight into their house will help them to realize where home is and give them a feeling of security. Leave them shut in for an hour or so before letting them out into the run – put a drinker in their house if they have had a long journey. If they have arrived in the late afternoon, offer some food and water in the henhouse, and then let them settle down for the night.

If the chickens are to be free-range, either rig-up a temporary run or provide food and water in the henhouse and keep them shut in for a couple of days.

It will be very exciting finally to have the chickens after all the preparations, but try to keep their surroundings peaceful – no barking dogs or noisy children. Talk to them when you approach, and keep movements slow and deliberate so as not to startle them.

Having been careful not to let your chickens out while they were acclimatizing, you may be surprised not to be knocked down in the rush when the pop-hole is finally opened. Sometimes it takes them a while to summon up the courage but if you put a feeder where they can see it and scatter some corn, they will eventually emerge.

Once they have come out, they should find their own way back at night but don’t count on this. Ex-battery hens especially can take a little while to understand the difference between night and day.

If you find your chickens have settled down in a corner of the run, pick them up gently (this will be easy when they are drowsy) and place them on their perches. Ex-battery hens should be put on the floor of the house as they may be too weak to jump down safely from perches – wait until they are strong enough to hop up by themselves.

Make sure free-range hens are moving towards their house as evening approaches (put the feeder by the pop-hole) or you may end up searching for them with a torch!

Chickens will look for a safe roost for the night and usually return to their henhouse once they have spent some time there. Soon they will happily put themselves to bed – you will only need to check they’re in and close the door.

The chickens will quickly begin sorting out their social structure.

What feathers ex-battery hens have left may start to fly – they are adult birds and unused to living together.

Pullets will also need to arrange their hierarchy. Sometimes peace can break out after a few pecks, but if two hens want the top role you could find yourself witnessing a ‘hen fight’.

Establishing a pecking order can sometimes result in fights

These battles can be distressing but they have to be fought so try not to interfere physically unless necessary. The following tactics should help:

•
Extra feeders and drinkers can help avoid squabbles

•
Hang up some vegetables to provide a distraction

•
String up some old CDs – chickens are attracted to shiny objects

•
Logs, branches and small bushes will provide entertainment, as well as hiding places

•
Clapping your hands or shouting ‘Oi!’ (as if to a group of naughty children) may distract the hens – and relieve your feelings

•
Chickens go for their adversaries’ combs, which can bleed quite alarmingly, although they soon heal – petroleum jelly on the combs prevents hens from getting a grip

•
Allowing confined birds out to free-range for a while can calm things down

Free-range hens usually settle more quickly than enclosed birds. They may still fight but there is more space and lower ranking hens can easily hide.

Make sure that no hen is being badly bullied. Blood is a magnet to chickens so quickly remove any birds that are bleeding to avoid further attacks.

Occasionally a hen keeps bullying the lower ranks – or one bird is picked on by the others. If a hen is having a particularly hard time, she may be prevented from eating. Removing her completely will only make matters worse when she eventually rejoins the flock but you could try giving her food and water just outside the run. This will ensure she doesn’t starve and help build her confidence. Stay close when she is feeding with the others again, reassuring her with your presence.

It’s usually better to remove the bully rather than the victim. Put her in a separate pen where she can see the others but not attack them. Being taken out of the flock for the day may reduce her status and give the others a rest too. Put down several food and water containers when she returns to avoid further confrontation.

Chickens generally settle down easily and once they have sorted themselves out the flock becomes a strong unit, with each one knowing her place.

If your chickens are tame enough to be picked up easily, it’s much simpler to examine them or to administer treatment.

Talk regularly to your chickens – they will soon come to recognize your voice and know you as the person who brings food.

Making friends

Chickens may enjoy human company but food is what really counts. Offer some corn or mealworms and most chickens will want to be your friend. Some might immediately take these treats from your hand, although others will be more suspicious.

Once they are confident with you, progress to gentle stroking – chickens are easily spooked by overhead objects so bring your hand from below rather than above.

With your chickens running to take treats from your hand and submitting to being stroked, you can proceed to picking them up. Never grab or move quickly. Slide your hand under the breast, fingers spread to take the legs, so the chicken is balanced on your palm. Support the back and wings with your other hand. Put the chicken down after a short while and reward it with another treat.

You may find the feel of feathers strange but this usually passes as you become used to handling chickens.