Hello from Columbus Ohio It's starting to get cold here!

Hello everyone.

About a year ago a rooster showed up roaming our neighborhood. No one knew who owned him but everyone fed him. He roosted in an evergreen tree across the street.

In the spring, our next door neighbors decided to get 6 chicks and entice the rooster to come live with them. When the chicks were big enough they started to roam the neighborhood too. One of the chicks, a Little Red Hen, injured her leg and I asked if I could take her to rehab. She has healed nicely. In the meantime, our neighbors have moved and I have the Little Red Hen and the Rooster!

Yes, Brewster the Rooster decided to come over and spend the day with the Little Red Hen. He will find food and call her. He "stands guard" while she lays her eggs. While he will warily eat out of my hand, he does not want to be touched. He has started roosting in a tree in our yard. Even though he will sometimes, during the day, go into where our hen roosts, he will not go in at dusk.

We have ordered a nice coop with an attached run. My hope is, if I place food in the evening inside the run they will go in to eat and if I close the run, they will go into the shelter to roost as it gets dark. Then I can remove the feed. In the morning, I would let them out of the run.

My concern is it being a different place and routine for the Little Red Hen and that Brewster the Rooster will (a) not go into the run, or (b) will freak out at being "trapped" in the run. I don't want to cause them any stress but roosting in a bare leafed tree when it starts to sleet and when the temperatures fall into the single digits and the wind picks up would be more stressful I would think.

I would appreciate any and all advise and please wish us luck.

Rose, the Little Red Hen and the Rooster.