[tracy66]

Hi all

We got our lovely chickens today,3 hybrids, A Rhode Island called April, A speckled Maran called May and a light sussex cross called Julie (We have a rescued greyhound called June so thought we'd keep the month theme going!)

They seem to have settled in well, happily eating their food, drinking their water, and scratching around for a bit of grain we put in there this afternoon. They are understandably a bit nervous but seem ok!

When it got to dusk we shone a torch in the coop and sure enough bless them up they trotted to bed, we think a 'pecking' order has already been established as the place we got them from had placed them together for the past week and when they went to bed May and Julie got on their perches but May stopped April getting in for a minute, she then went in so we shut the pop hole and left them for 20 minutes then went back and April was asleep on the floor of the coop(not in the nest boxes) while the other 2 were asleep on the perches. We've just checked again and they are still in the same positions.Our question is as it's their first night is it ok to let April sleep on the floor rather than the perch tonight to let them settle?

Many thanks for your help/advice from a couple of nervous newbies!
Ps will post some pics over the weekend!


Tracy & Tony

[bantam novice]

Hello there 
I'm not an expert but my instinct would be to leave them to it and sort it out for themselves.  If she is still perching on the floor in about two weeks then you could try putting her up on the perch after dark.  Good luck and keep us posted 
By the way looking forward to the pics 

[tracy66]

Hi Bantam novice

Many thanks for the reply, we checked again about 10 minutes ago by shining the torch in and they are still in the same positions, so think we'll leave them to it as you say so we don't keep disturbing them.

Thanks again

[NormandyMary]

Hardly any of my new girls or boy want to seem to perch, they seem to want to huddle together instead. Once or twice a couple have perched, but most want to sleep on the floor. I just let them get on with it, they will do what they want to do, as per usual!

[tracy66]

Hi Normandy Mary

Many thanks, just another question if possible as you are all more experienced than us!!

We have wood shavings on the floor of the coop, in the nest boxes we have wood shavings and a light covering of straw and in the run we have a couple of inches of straw.

We have their feeder hanging so it's not on the floor, their drinker on a couple of bricks and grit and oyster shell in a seperate hopper, does this all sound ok?

Many thanks!

[ANHBUC]

Hi Tracy, You might want to add an additional feeder in case of bullying. Best to have at least 2 drinkers incase of spillage as they can dehydrate.     

[chickee]

We also have a white Sussex and speckled Maran (purchased during the summer) both as POL, to keep an "elderly" ex-bat who was alone company.  None of them seems to perch in their coop at night time (although the little maran did at the beginning) but they all cuddle up in their nest boxes together - in fact now that the weather is getting cooler, I am thinking of removing the divider between the two nest boxes so that the three of them can snuggle together if they want.  They all tend to lay in the same box.

Mine are bedded on short barley straw, and last winter when it was so bitterly cold, (it was my 2 ex-bats first winter), I topped up the whole coop every day after I had cleaned them out so the straw became thicker and thicker and they were able to nestle right down in it at night.  I also gave them porridge made with warm water in the afternoon before their bed time which they loved.  In fact the last ex-bat still sneaks onto the kitchen door mat to have a little bowl of porridge (her privilege as an old lady - the youngsters wouldn.t dream of coming in).  We also have a lurcher who looks on in total disgust!!

Enjoy them - they are very endearing.

[freebirdy]

Hi Tracey and welcome to the mad world of chicken keeping! Some birds prefer to bed down on the floor of the chicken house. I have 9 Poland bantams and 3 sleep in the nest boxes (2 in one box cuddled together and 1 in the remaining box) my cockerel roosts on a bar along with 3 of my other girls and the remaining two always sleep on the floor together! Some birds just prefer to roost, others to bed down in boxes or on the house floor. Suppose they're a bit like us humans, some of us like sleeping on our sides, back or front! Just leave them to it and they will soon decide where they want to sleep.I always make sure during the colder months I put plenty of shavings down topped with a good thick layer of straw for the "bottom sleepers" so they can huddle down into it.

[tracy66]

Hi everyone

Many thanks for all your replies, it's great to be able to get some freindly advice.
When our dog woke my OH up at 7.40 this morning to be let out he had a peer through the viewing window at the front and our Rhodie was actually on the perch with the Maran while the sussex was on the floor!
They have enjoyed a slice of brown bread and a few seedless grapes this afternoon as a treat and the maran & sussex actually ate them out of our hand while we were in the run the Rhodie is a bit more nervous, but she still enjoyed them.
We have noticed that our maran does have an occasional peck at the beak of our Rhodie but they share food together and it's not like she is stopping her eating or drinking, so presume she will be the boss! I guess it's just something we need to keep an eye on is it?
Another thing we were a bit nervous of was our retired greyhound meeting them but when we put her on the lead this morning to show her she just wagged her tail, looked at them quizically and then wanting to come in for a treat!! so good news. The chooks didn't seem too fussed either.

[Anndee]

Lovely to hear they are settling well.
 I also was concerned, when I first got my bantams, about roosting. they all (4 of them) snuggle up in the nest boxes and don't roost on perches at all. In fact I have now taken out the 2 perches so they have more room in the actual house. I put in the nest boxes, which are two together, shavings and then either chopped straw, or shredded paper and they snuggle up in that. On the house floor I put shavings and sometimes hay or sometimes chopped straw. they seem to be warm enough and I leave the pop hole open all night so they can come out when they want to in the morning. Its all secure as the house and run are or concrete near our house and it has a removable netted framed lid on which I put heavy pots on on a night so nothing can get in. I HOPE!!!  :blink:

[tracy66]

Thanks for the reply Anndee

Yes touch wood they are settling in really well!!