Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: newatthis on October 12, 2010, 12:36
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Hello, i was woundering, about the day light hours or the lack of them over the winter and what other people did, to solve the problem of letting out.
the reason i ask is the allotments im on have now started changing the padlock at sunset and sunrise so i cant get on to my plot,
as my girls wait till it's dark to go to bed im putting them to bed about half an hour befor lock change(ie lock change at the min is 6.15 so my girls go at 5.45ish) and then they are let out at 9ish instead of 7ish, as i have school run in the morning and cant get there and back in half an hour as they put the lock back between 7 and 8,
my friend has said that it's wrong to keep them locked up that long with out food or water, so she said i should give up the hens, which i dont want to,
i would get 1 of the atuo pop opener's but i dont have 165.0 ish for the vsb 1' but someone on fle bay is selling a battery 1., which is still out of my buget but if they are any good i will get 1,
the question is im asking is
is it wrong to keep them locked up for more than 12 hours at night/morning with out food or water????
i know when winter is in full swing it will get dark at 4 and light around 7/8ish, so what to do...
please any advice would be greatfull, sorry it's long winded
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If work prevents you getting to your girls then I'd consider moving them to your home or if that's not possible then giving them up. They need as much daylight hours as they can get, especially in winter and they do go ballistic if they can't get out
You can only risk leaving their door open if you know your set up is completely fox proof adn that would involve a secure cover over everything
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hi, i dont work, the reason is the allotment are changing the locks to stop people from going on after sunet or going on befor sunrise, my set up is i hope is fox proof, and i do the school run between 8.30 and 9.00 in the morning, and as for them being at home is a big no no as it's a rented and they have said noway
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Another option is to get a key for the lock so you can get to look after your hens. I would certainly ask about this
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already asked and the answer is nope, i wll just have to leave the pop hole open till spring, i was just woundering if they could use a cat flap...???
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there are plans on here I feel sure for home made flaps
Your run would have to be covered over as foxes are brilliant climbers and diggers so you'd have to cover all angles before leaving their door open :)
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if you can get to let them out at 08.30 they will be ok, what time would you be able to shut them up? It does get dark early anyway. One of the main problems in winter is their water freezing - would you be able to change this mid day as well?
I wouldn't leave the pop hole open all night - cold draughts can kill birds.
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I am a late starter so ours don't get let out until 8 - 8.30am, and at the end of the month the clocks go back, so they will be going to bed an hour earlier anyway until spring.
I think going without food is okay for a bit longer, but if there isn't room for a little drinker in their coop, could you perhaps get one of these things that hangs on the side and make a little hole through the wood for the nipple or whatever it is they drink out of? That way at least they will be able to drink, and the bottle could perhaps be insulated to stop it from freezing?
Just playing with a few ideas here. Btu I agree, leaving pop hole open isn't a good one
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Sounds like you need an automatic opener.
Ps, Possibly an early Dec 25th present? :)
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Hi
I don't know anything about allotments but could you maybe get a bigger shed that your chooks could live in. It would mean that they could hop of their perches and dander around inside your shed until you can let them out. You could maybe pick one up on freecycle.
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hi thankyou for your replys, i am toying with the idea of making my shed bigger at the min they are in a 4ft by 4ft shed and i have at the min 9 girls with the poss of 4/5 girls more to go in (they are 10/7 weeks old at the min and in their own coop and run inside the main run), as for early Christmas, already had it, a new drill, the greman shep eat the charger... lol
so what size would i need to make it if i had 15 girls in there, the shed that is thankyou
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They change the locks at night time :ohmy: - I've never heard of any site doing that before. Why do they do it ?
My DIL has a battery operated pop hole opener and it works very well.
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yep they change it due to having a new playground put in for the children and they dont want it being nicked...
thats good news about the battery operated pop hole opener, i will get 1 but i better save up for the next couple of weeks
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Crikey - do they think the plot holders will steal it ? :ohmy:
Could people with a legitimate reason for access e.g. need to see to chickens, not be issued with the new lock key - Have you asked ?
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yep they think someone will take it, as there has been people on the site after dark and befor sunrise, and i have asked about a key and they said no.. so i have to get sort something out fast, i will look in to getting a battery op pop hole opener and may be looking at getting a bigger shed for the girls, may be a 6ft by 4ft, which is 2ft bigger than what they have got now but at least i can fix a water container in there somewhere
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I know you have asked about a key and you have probably done the request by phone or face to face to one person. However how about the mighty pen (or printer/keyboard)? Write a formal letter to your allotment committee/ owner/council or all three requesting access to the allotments and a key. Also make it clear that you are a responsible adult (you are aren't you?) and also request in your letter that if their decision is to decline you access you would like the reasons put clearly in a return letter. Keep everything extremely polite, positive but firm. Indicate the problem you are having as clearly as possible. If you hear nothing for 10 days send a copy of your original letter with a covering note saying you've not heard back yet.
Think politely pushy and persistent.
Best of luck. OL
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Stress the fact that you need access to the hens and when you are on the site your eyes and ears improve security rather than lessen it.
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Excellent point 8doubles.
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i will phone them today and ask about the key/lock today as i have to report my greenhouse glass being smahed yesterday, after i left at 10 in the morning
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Blimey, what a set up?! Don't suppose there are alternative allotments? I'd definitely complain to the committee.
Would strongly recommend battery operated auto pop hole opener. They are expensive, but worth every penny for peace of mind. Mines never failed yet.
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i have phoned them and they are going to have a meeting about the padlock being changed to keep it going or not, i manged to get up there by 8 this morning so im hoping that i can put them to bed by 6ish tonight to try and give them a bit more daylight hours, i did tell them about my greenhouse and i also told them that i have noticed my eggs have dropped from 6-8 down to 2-3 eggs per day since me putting them to bed early and letting them out later, lets see if they choice not to carry on with the change of padlock,
but there was question i didnot put to them i only thought about after i spoke to them
they are worried about plots being broken in to and the playground stuff going missing at night but what about the day time??? i've been on my plot and i've been the only person there so to be truefull anyone get on anytime of the day and night as not alot of people go on in daytime...
i did ask about changing the padlock thats on there for all of us to use and they have said it would cost 600.0 to change it and thats not poss to do...
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I think everyone has covered all your options on this one. The whole changing of locks is so bizzare, if anyone wants to nick owt the just go through the fence!
We have discovered just last week several fence parts loosened, we have the propper big high security fence but then discovered that some of the bolts were only finger tight :ohmy:
Lets hope the commitee see sence and allow you back on at the times you want otherwise the auto door opener looks more attractive.
Good Luck
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Unfortunately my "how to make a low cost auto pophole controller" works off the mains which I suppose is no use for you.
If you get the the vsb one you'll likely need a timer anyway which is expensive. It's as well to get some advice from someone who has one to check if they can be set to operate well after dark or just at dusk. If the latter they may lock your chx out, which is what I found with my home designed light operated one. I needed a dusk delay or a timer which was easy to design in but it may not be possible with the Vsb unit without a timer module at an extra £45 or so.
My post on making a mains powered one is
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=65865.msg757124#msg757124
Re locking them up early and letting out late is not an issue as long as it's close to dawn and dusk as naturally birds roost through long nights without food or water. 15 in such a small house sounds a tad crowded though.
Personally I'm with GA, I'd say if you can get down there within 30 - 45 mins of dawn and dusk I wouldn't be too concerned. Black out any windows etc to make the house as dark as possible so they don't notice the light.
HF
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the auto pop hole we have is a light sensitive one, and to start with a few girls were getting shut out! But it is adjustable, so we were able to get it to suit their preference. I think you can buy a timer?
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hi im going to get a battery op 1 from fle bay this is the http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300480282245&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
im getting it looks smiple enough to put together, so fingers x
im cutting back on the chicks till next spring so there will only be 9 oldies and about 4 youngters, i will be looking for good home for a couple of the older 1's that are in their 3rd yr of laying
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We all have a key for the lock on our gate & can go up at anytime. I've been up there at 10pm before!
I thought one of the rules for been allowed to keep hens on an allotment, is that the welfare of them is kept up & not neglected?
Having this restriction by the allotment commitee is causing the above, therefore they are braking their own rule!
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We all have a key for the lock on our gate & can go up at anytime. I've been up there at 10pm before!
I thought one of the rules for been allowed to keep hens on an allotment, is that the welfare of them is kept up & not neglected?
Having this restriction by the allotment commitee is causing the above, therefore they are braking their own rule!
Very good point Craig and certainly worth putting to the allotment management.
HF
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i will let them know that 1, as it was we was late coming of the plot last night due to trying to sort out the chicks coop as rats have made a home under it so we had to move eveything and put the coop on blocks/railway sleepers to stop them going back there.. and i will be taking a trap(non-killing) up this morning and doing a bit more work to make it safe and better looking than we did last night..
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Could you not ask your commitee to modify the locking arrangements so that there are two padlocks, one for the general allotment members to use which they can change at night if they want to and one for you or anyone else keeping hens to use. This can be done using a sliding bolt arrangement with a padlock on either side that allows the door to be unlocked by undoing either padlock.
I
I
Q===[]=Q
I
I
I = Door Frame
Q = Padlock
= = Sliding Bolt