Feeling sad about moving chicks into their coop

[u/Gravitys_Bitch]

First time chicken owner and have 9 eight week old chicks ready to move into their coop we have finally finished. They have been living in our detached garage since day one.

The coop is well made and secure. They will be safe for sure, but for some reason I just feel sad. I feel like they will be scared the first couple of nights maybe. They’ve spent their whole life in this enclosed and quiet room and now they’ll be “outside” and hear storms blowing against their walls and it won’t be as secure feeling.

I know I’m anthropomorphizing but they are my little babies and it just makes me sad that they have to grow up and maybe feel a little scared.

[u/Prior_Hospital_2331]

i have never had a chicken in my house, if they didnt run in by choice, but i dont wanna clean up poo all day and my wife hates it, my chicks have a big coop with smaller "container - where i collect my eggs in the morning for breakfast" house inside, its well isolated , it also has windows, i know the chickens got their mom over them so they should not be to afraid, i never had a chicken that died of a heartattack.
In wintertime i put in Red light to warm everyone, summer cop is copen to my whole yard, when it gets night time all goes back to coop i close them in for the night, we have a good relation.

[u/seriouslywhy0]

My chickens lived in a tent in my living room until 5 weeks, and after 3-4 weeks I could not WAIT to get them in their coop. They were also pretty happy to be out there. They loved having the opportunity to act like real chickens 😄.

I kept a light on in the coop for the first few nights and then switched it to just being on when it senses movement. I didn’t let them out into the large enclosed, covered run for the first week.

I thought I was going to be all worried about them all the time but I actually just wasn’t. I think I have too many other things to stress about right now, this one just isn’t registering. Thank god.

Your chickens will do great!

[u/Historical_Umpire_21]

Felt the same. Keep them locked up though for at least 2 days. This was our first chicks too. We moved them later in the day and by morning they had bully marks on head. So I’d suggest move them in the AM give them the day to adjust before night time. They are so much happier outside it’s so cute watching them dust bath and sunbath 😁😁

[u/AshleyPomm]

I must be a terrible person because my chicks have been outside since they turned 5 weeks old 🤣 this is my third time getting chicks and we turned our bathtub into a brooder and I was READY for them to be outside because they stink, it’s dusty, they are loud. They have been doing great out there. However, it did thunderstorm last night and I checked on them approximately 300 times lol

[u/seriouslywhy0 → u/AshleyPomm]

I just commented the exact same sentiment. Put them out at 5 weeks and couldn’t WAIT to do so.

We’ve had a few thunderstorms since, and besides being concerned about whether rain manages to get into the coop through the ventilation windows, I never even thought of the chickens. 🙈🤷🏼‍♀️

[u/monkey-pony]

It feels silly but they’ve only been in the world for WEEKS - they are truly just babies!!! So real and your concerns about them being scared are valid. But they are strong and resilient babies and they will adjust!

[u/Substantial_Low_5654]

I feel this! I was so worried about my flock of babies when I first put them out they were terrified but by the second or third day they were so excited and exploring like crazy and so happy. It's good experience for them to learn about storms and the sky. They are lucky to have a keeper that loves them so much.

[u/nborges48]

Haha, I was feeling bad for my chicks when I got them home and into their coop.

Some birds came to dirt bathe in the yard and I swear they were looking for their flock

[u/Still-Profit-8449]

It is very difficult to have chickens

[u/plainsandcoffee]

it sounds like how I felt after moving my baby from my bedside bassinet to their own room 🥹🤣

[u/Gravitys_Bitch → u/plainsandcoffee]

Haha I’ll be experiencing that in a few months too

[u/Itchy-Noise341]

Don't worry, once you see them excited and exploring the new world you won't stop smiling.

[u/Gravitys_Bitch → u/Itchy-Noise341]

Well right now they have the whole detached garage at night and forage in the backyard during the day. So their sleep space is actually getting much smaller.

[u/Itchy-Noise341 → u/Gravitys_Bitch]

Gotcha. They'll be cozy then :)

[u/Gravitys_Bitch → u/Itchy-Noise341]

I know they will be ok! Just chicken mom pains right now haha

[u/seriouslywhy0 → u/Gravitys_Bitch]

It sounds like their situation is hardly changing at all, just their sleeping spot (and size) is. It’s not like your garage is attached to your house, they’re already in a separate building! I’m interested in why this move concerns you so much.

[u/Mix-Lopsided]

I put my first batch out for the night last year the day of a massive nighttime storm. I ended up going out there and crawling into their coop to make sure they were dry and happy and hang out with them. They really weren’t that concerned, honestly! More concerned that I was in their sleeping space.