Greetings from the new chicken home. Yes, the girls are Finnnnnaaaaaallllllyyyyyyy moved out to my new location. Yes, it did take TWO MONTHS to get them here. Yes, I did take my sweet time (not on purpose). Thankfully for me, I had the option of time, as I had a friend’s son taking care of the hens in the in between time (without having to move them from their old location to do it).
I used to live on an extra huge lot, so I took advantage of the space and way OVER BUILT the coop, and gave the girls a nice spacious 40×100 foot chicken yard, fully fenced and pretty safe from the world at large.
I recognize accommodations like this aren’t always possible in the city. Neither are they possible in my new location. So, while we’re all downsizing in our own way, I’ve set up a space for the hens and they’re adjusting nicely.
But it didn’t start out like that.
When moving hens, it’s a nice idea to do it at night. They’re more lethargic. They can’t see in the dark. And the theory is that they will wake up in the new place forgetting they haven’t always lived there.
Fat chance on that one! My girls wouldn’t step foot out of the coop for days without me coaxing them out. And as soon as I left the scene, they’d hightail it back inside. So much for forgetting they haven’t always lived here!
I had some unhappy hens. Seriously unhappy. But they’ve forgiven me. The telltale sign of adjustment was being rewarded with two eggs one morning last week. Yay.
The new hen living situation isn’t exactly like I’d like it, but funds were low and rain and cold abundant, so for now, it is what it is and it works well enough (the coop and run are less than half the size of the old one, but still more spacious than they truly need. They’re just spoiled!) The only thing left is to build a fence around part of the yard so they can free range with a bit more safety. Until then, I closely supervise recess for them.
Onward we go.
In the meantime, with the ruffled feathers settling, I wanted to tell you guys about an opportunity to win some essential oils. If you’re new to oils, I just want to say I use them not only for my own health and well being, but also for my flock. I’ve saved several hens with EOs (and the garage smells like a spa instead of a sick chicken when I use them). You can read more about some of that here, here and here. (PS I’m not a vet just a chicken owner looking for natural solutions.)
There are no strings attached. Simply go enter to win. Hurry though, the contest ends on Monday the 15th. Good luck.
PS and with the move over, I’m flying a bit more above the radar these days and promise you’ll be hearing from me more often!
