Chickens.

Our hens are also in an enclosed, secure run and we just let them put themselves to bed whenever they feel ready for it and leave the pop hole (except when the weather's colder when they get popped after dusk and the pophole opened when we it gets light which thankfully is much later in winter than midsummer) so they can get up whenever they want.

The feeder hangs from a hook on some bailer twine suspended from the rafters so it's always off the ground and out of reach of any mice that get in, and the drinker sits on some bricks to raise it off the ground so they can eat & drink whenever they want. Raising them off the ground also helps stop stuff getting kicked in them as they scratch around.

New hens can sometimes need a bit of guidance with bedtime training (which can also include lifting them off the coop floor and placing them on the perch rail), but they might just be a bit excited with their new home and will soon settle down.

 

What lovely lassies... and I love that green sheen on the black one, thank you for putting up those piccies Rusty. Drawing the short straw for the first egg tasting?
Jenny

 

Just been down to try and catch the girls to put to bed, but they have all taken themselves in the coop and they are all cuddled up on the perches. Im so glad I didn't have to catch them I am not feeling great tonight and I didn't want to stress them too much. You are right about the colours in the rhode rock Jenny, the picture doesn't show how beautiful she is.

Rusty

 

Hi All,

The hens are great and seem to be settling in ok. I have got 2 feeding out of my hands already and they are actually hopping up onto me to be fussed. The other 2 are still a bit wary though. They are making a right mess in the coop overnight. I need to put a droppings board in, but have a couple of questions:
1) I presume I need to suspend it under the roost bars, but how far under the bars should it be?
2) How far past the roosts should t stick out , so that it doesn't get missed?

Rusty

 

I'll measure in the morning.

A common arrangement is for the nest boxes to be under the perch and for the poo shelf to form the top of them. The shelf needs to be wide enough to catch poo from hens who insist on facing the 'wrong way' facing backwards, and for a clean area at the front for them to hop up/down to/from the perch. Covering with newspaper keeps it clean and makes it easy to just roll everything up and clear away. Also put newspaper under straw in the nest boxes and rest of coop floor.

 

I had an old one of these knocking around..https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=C..._on%2Fpotting_benches%2F13480_0c.html;600;600
. which I found handy for under the perches ,I line it with news paper and it's easy to clean

 

P.S. Did you slightly chamfer the corners of the perch rail as sharp corners are supposed to make it uncomfortable for them?

 

Thanks for the replies. My perches are at the opposite end of the coop to the nest boxes so I cannot do it as you picture shows Scrungee. The 2x2 I used for the perches were already rounded at the edges. I will go and have a measure up and see what I can knock up forthe droppings board.

Rusty

 

Lovely hens rusty My Amber star was very vocal and used to pace up and down before she laid as thou she had forgot where to go and do it
Great coop and run you have made they will love their new home

 

Thanks joolz. I have already discussed extending run to get more girls with the wife, let's just say it ain't happening. The amber star will not come anywhere near me and if I make any attempt to catch her she hides under the coop. The other 3 actually seem to get a bit jelous if I am showing any attention to one of the others, but none of them seem frightened anymore, even my 4 year old can stroke them without them running off.

Rusty

 

The eldest will be top hen,they will get their pecking order in line soon enough,only they can do that,so if you see them falling out dont interfere as they will be fine
Bullying you can recognise by bald patches at the top of their head,there is always the underdog(lowest in pecking order) that one usually takes the brunt of pecking(being told off) not nice to watch as you want them all to live in harmony but such is sometimes with hens
My amber wasnt very friendly,my warrens(the brown ones) love me more but they are so greedy x

 

Hi All,
I have had my 4 hens for 2 weeks now and 2 of them have started acting very strange around me. When I go near them they kind of squat down and put there wings out and there back end up in the air. Once I give them a but of a fuss they carry on as normal, but this happens every time I go into the run. Has anyone experienced this and it anything I should be concerned about?
Rusty

 

Hiya Rusty...have they been laying yet? it sounds like they're ready to if not,nothing to worry about though...they do that because as you hover over them they think you're a rooster and are assuming the 'position'...

When I first got my chooks I was convinced I had them trained to 'sit' and it used to be a bit of a party piece until I found out different...

Hope they're all getting on OK

 

Hi Lolimac,

Thanks for the reply. No they are not laying yet, but three are really reddening up so I think it will be soon. Do I ignore them when they "assume" the position or just fuss them as I have been?

Rusty

 

Either, they won't object.
You'll be getting eggs before too long! Mind you, to be fair, mine tend not to lay from about end of Oct-end of Jan (and that includes my Sussex, which are supposed to be prolific layers)!. As the days shorten, you'll find that your girls (once in lay) may not be quite so obliging on the egg front. Then again, you may still get one or two a week (fickle things, chooks!).