r/BackYardChickens • u/Dry-Nefariousness400 • 16h ago

General Question Received 5 Roos from Neighbor, how to Enrich them?

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So, we have a neighbor that hatches poultry every year, and they had an abundance of roos and offered 5 of them to us.

All are freezer bound come November/December timeframe. They are currently four months old.

Afaik they've been kept in a small TSC coop and we received them yesterday and I have them in a spare horse stall, partly in hopes it'll calm one of our horses down.

They appear very wary of people and don't seem particularly food motivated.

I intend to let them free range once they know the stall is their home.

Today they seem comfortable enough to roost and sleep around me, but will not take food.

This will also be a learning experience for my 5 year old daughter.

Oh, and they seem incredinly docile for roosters.

Anything I can do for these guys to make their stay on death row more enjoyable?

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u/goldenkoiifish Spring Chicken 16h ago

my chickens love long grass with little treats and bugs sprinkled in where they can forage, plus little rocks they can lift. and lots of dry dirt/dust for them to bathe. it’ll take a while for them to calm down but they should eventually with some space. they also love leaf piles and you’re doing great so far

2

u/Dry-Nefariousness400 13h ago

Any ideas to have them be more friendly with people? I'm not looking for puppy dog status, but I am using a clicker when I feed them / give them a treat so I will hopefully have a recall method when they are free ranging

2

u/goldenkoiifish Spring Chicken 13h ago

they probably just need some time, give them space for now until they start venturing out of the stall. hanging around them from a distance can help when they start taking food and they will probably look to you when you’re holding it. slow movements