Not going to worry if they murder each other - they are just chickens, right?
The next morning I open the coop and let all of them out. The chick hutch gets dragged out of the pen again and put behind a shed. It will be good for storing the chicken stuff.
All four can now use the pen, coop and run all of the time. They will never, ever get along, so I just have to keep watching they don't hurt each other. Oscar and Nina still bite me though if I try to pick them up.
Surprisingly, they seem to enjoy all the extra space. Maybe that was the problem - not enough room.
The fenced in run gives them a chance to take dirt baths, which all chickens love doing. Evil One and Lucy are tame enough to free range around in the grass for most of the day (I can still catch them) and it keeps them out of trouble..
Seems as if things MAY work out after all!
I never have to catch my chickens, even the one who will bite me or really tame ones. The one things chickens respond to is food floating down, something like oats. They go in their pen at night after free ranging all day in my city yard. However, if I want them in early, I call them and sprinkle oats in their pen. They come running. I keep sprinkling oats until they cannot stand it and just run in.
ReplyDeleteI use rice in a canning jar - when they are scattered all over the yard, I just shake that 'ol jar and they come running! Mine like oatmeal when it's cooked with just a little milk added to it!
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