Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: peewee_lane on September 22, 2008, 11:08
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Hi there everyone, first time poster, long time reader! Have gotton so much fantastic advice without having to post (caecal poops being one).
I started off with 2 light sussex & rhode island and it only took 3 days for them to realise where the heat and hay was and entered the nesting box religiously.
THEN, I got 2 older Rhode Islands and a Welsummer and they have decided they are not going into the nesting area and instead sleep up on top of the coop on a pole.
I was lifting them in each night but the older girls are much bigger and I was hoping they would learn but they refuse and I am worried about them attacting rats and foxes now.
Anyone else religiously put their chicks in their nesting box at night? Or would you suggest its okay and come Winter they will enter the box.
PS - I'm in Ireland, so its cold! Dont understand why they dont want to keep warm?
Thanks a mil guys, look forward to any advice :o)
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From what I understand chickens like to roost as high up as they can. Can you remove the pole? Stop access to the pole? This would be my fist thoughts.
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Do they have a perch in their coop. Perhaps they prefer perching to their nest box and that would be a compromise?
Just one other thought from someone elses post a while ago. There is no signs of mites are there? Can't remember who but someone had a similar problem and it turned out that they had a bit of an infestation and the hens didn't like the coop as they were getting munched on at night by the evil little critters.
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Well, the coop has been built brand new, and I have since cleaned the nesting area out twice and replaced the shavings and straw/hay)dont know which one it is).
I think you're right there Roughlee Handled, if I removed the nesting pole up top and replace it with one in the nesting area, it could be the solution I'm looking for.
Thanks guys. :wink:
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Not to scare you but you will get Red Spider Mite that is if you coop is wood. I am on week three of trying to rid my coop of the bu@@ers.
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Just to temper your post a bit RH, it's not inevitable that you get red mite with a wooden coop.
It's just more difficult to get rid if they do arrive. :shock:
I would back up all the comments about removing the pole outised and giving them a perch in the coop. It wants to be about 2-3" wide with rounded top edges., and about 9-12" width for each bird.
Also, can you make sure it is straw, rather than hay, because the hens may eat the hay and it can get caught in their crops, causing problems. :(
Good luck with it, and let us know how you get on. And post some pictures on the Chicken Chat forum please :D
Rob 8)
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:oops:
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Just to temper your post a bit RH, it's not inevitable that you get red mite with a wooden coop.
Well after a year I haven't had red mites in my wooden coop.
hang on.. chickens shouldn't be sleeping in the nesting box, as they will poo in there and be sleeping in it. 100% make sure they have a perch for sleeping on, then they aren't sleeping in their own po.
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Some of mine refuse to perch and always sleep in the nest boxes. It just means I have to clean the poo out of them every day! But to save time and mess what I have done is "layer " each box with a couple of sheets of newspaper and a bit of straw, about 4 or 5 layers, then I can just fold a layer up each day and chuck it with a minimum of mess!
ps now they go into the shed round the back to lay!
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:oops:
:lol: ... I hope I'm not proved wrong now. :?
Ceri. That's a brilliant idea. :D ...might have to pinch it. :wink:
Rob 8)
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I blocked off my nesting boxes at night so they couldn't sleep there.. they soon got the message :D :D
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I blocked off my nesting boxes at night so they couldn't sleep there.. they soon got the message :D :D
Might have to pinch this idea. i've 2 who won't go on the perches. always the same birds.
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Mine so far have not gone to roost in the coop but instead like to sit down just right of the entrence, so I'v left them there as there only young.
My roost bar is about 18 to 19 " high is it to high ?
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Mine's about 10" high. But that's in a coop a couple of feet off the ground.
2 freestanding perches just high enough for them to walk under.
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Last night to my dismay they all had flown on top of the nesting box and were nesting on that, so I picked them up individually and placed them in the nesting box. I felt I had to, two are sneezing and its Ireland and blooming cold at night!
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If you could get a perch inside the coop, I think they would be happier.
As long as the coop doesn't have draughts blowing across where the hens are perched (but ventilation at roof level), they should be warm enough. They generate a lot of heat themselves and will huddle together on teh perches to keep warm.
Rob 8)
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It may be force of habit. Give them a couple of days. Or Clip one wing so they can not fly up.
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I'm going about perches today for the inside, but clipping wings stuart? How do you go about that, and is it okay?
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It is fine does not hurt chuck.
Here is what Aunt Sally says
"Traditionally it's the left wing that's clipped. This diagram should sjow you how much to clip off: "
(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff221/Aunt__Sally/Wingclip.jpg)
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=11410
All you need is a sharp pair of scissors and may be an extra pair of hands.
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two are sneezing and its Ireland and blooming cold at night!
keep an eye on the sneezing the cold won't do that, is there plenty of air in the coop without it being draughty ?
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There is plenty of air in the coop yes, and the nesting box is large and well ventilated. The two RIR's came to me with a sneeze on them. I thought they developed it from the move but now others are sneezing.
Anyways, yesterday two perches were installed inside the nesting area and only two (the ones who are laying) went inside. Today am going to block upstairs off.
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two are sneezing and its Ireland and blooming cold at night!
Err two things about the sneezing I reread your first post and firstly you mention
...................it only took 3 days for them to realise where the heat and hay was .................
I assume that you are using the hay as bedding? If so then this is not viewed as good practice as hay is dusty and has spores, can cause respiratory problems in chucks. I used to use it but no longer. Secondly how old are your chucks and where are the photos. The reason I ask the age is because if they are young and if they where bought from a large producer then they may have been inoculated recently (normally around 16 weeks when they leave the large producer to regional sellers). My understanding is that they are given a inert strain of a virus which then gives them the ability to produce antibodies. This inoculation can cause slight symptoms and should clear up in a couple of weeks.
I hope that makes sence and if I have said anything wrong PLEASE PLEASE Do not be shy guys and tell me.
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us, shy?
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OK :roll: :lol:
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Just a quick note, I blocked off over the nesting box and put perches in the coop and they have happily waddled in and perched and spent the night in the nesting boxes. Thanks folks!
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I have three hens with a nest box and a perch in their coop. For the first 3 nights, they slept on their perch. Then one slept in the box, joined the next night by a second, and the next night by the third. Now none of them sleep on their perch. I don't mind cleaning up each day (I will try the layered newspaper method), but I'd prefer it if they went back to the perch.
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I have three hens with a nest box and a perch in their coop. For the first 3 nights, they slept on their perch. Then one slept in the box, joined the next night by a second, and the next night by the third. Now none of them sleep on their perch. I don't mind cleaning up each day (I will try the layered newspaper method), but I'd prefer it if they went back to the perch.
Nest boxes should be lower than the perch, best to check that. Also just block up the nest boxes just before they roost. they will learn, you just have to keep persevering :)
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I had a bit of wood I used to block the nesting box up with each evening. Worked a treat
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Thanks for all the advice. Their nest box is the same height as the perch, so I have raised the perch a bit. Is there an ideal height? I will see how that goes over the next few nights. If not, then plan 'b' is to block the box. I had actually already considered doing that.
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Depends on the breed for perch height, or you can make them a simple ladder to go up and down. Thats what I did even though they could fly up to it.
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Thanks for this post. All three of my ladies are sleeping in one nest box and I need to encourage them the perch is better! I will try the block method. Unless someone has some other idea not given already?
I don't think it's a mite problem as I can't see any at all and the house is only 1 week old and the chooks are clean. Bad habits maybe?
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Great posts. Some really useful information here.
I have an eight foot long perch and four nesting boxes in my shed and my birds all sleep on the floor in the straw. It's a lovely warm draft free purpose built shed but it has an open cage window at five feet and the perch is only 20 inches high but it is opposite the window. Would this be a problem? Strangely, the birds use the perch during the day from time to time.
The nest boxes are under the window (no direct sunlight) and are a little higher than the perch, say two feet. Is it OK that the birds all nest on the floor together?
We've had our birds since they were eggs and they are all about 5 months old now and have always lived together. We have a mix of Buff Orpington pure bred and Orpington Hybrids there are six boys that will be leaving us at the weekend and eleven girls that have just started laying.
Pics on my blog under "chickens" look for the table on the lower right had side of the front page. Yep, all hand built. It's 24 feet long and 8 feet wide.
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Hey Pewee Lane, whereabouts in Ireland are you? I'm in Ireland too.