Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: peewee_lane on October 10, 2008, 08:09
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Morning all,
This is a question for those of you who would close your hens in the nest box at night and open it for them in the morning.
What time do they wake up?? Is it sunrise?
Woke up to a miserable dark day in Ireland and they did not come out, so does this mean I get a lie on as such in the winter?
Sorry if this is a silly question, we're getting an infra red webcam soon to see who's laying the eggs and then we'll know. But until then... anyone know?
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Now the mornings are starting later now (7.30 it is still dark) the girls are quiet. They start to go daft to be let out as soon as it is reasonably light and they see the front door is open and hear us moving about. Then they really let us know they want out!
The younger hens seem to stay inside a bit longer, the older girls are very keen to go out and see the world.
Colin (now deseased) the cockerel used to crow any time from 10pm onwards! He was confused I think. Neighbours cockerel starts his crowing at about 1am in the summer and 4 am now it is autumn
Pamela
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We've been gaining about 5 minutes or so a week in bed for the last few weeks.
It's now about 7am opening time. It was 6am in summer and they were impatient even then.
You're right. It is sunrise, or as soon as the light gets into the coop. In Winter proper, you can open them up quite late (7.30ish). I've fixed up a PIR light by the run now so whatever time they're opened up, they'll think it's daylight anyway ! :roll:
Rob 8)
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Colin (now deseased) the cockerel used to crow any time from 10pm onwards! He was confused I think. Neighbours cockerel starts his crowing at about 1am in the summer and 4 am now it is autumn
Pamela
No wonder he is now deceased!
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The latest I have let mine out in the morning was around 18/19th December on a really c**py day it didn't get light till 8:30 am :shock:
At the moment it's between 7:30 & 8 depending on the weather.
It's not very nice here on Anglesey this morning either :(
Sarah :)
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Our girls are up and about around 7.30am-8am
Bed time all tucked up by 7pm.
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ours have been 7 but today the OH went down at 7.3o and woke them up! Automatic door comes monday.. She will still be down there to feed them at 7am.
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Im must have lazy hens. :shock:
My lot took themselves off to bed a 6:15 last night - they didnt even bother staying up for a serving of the pasta I was cooking. I dragged myself out to open the coop up at 8am this morning and they just weren't interested at all, they surfaced around 8:45.
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Our hens were in bed quite early tonight, by 7pm as it has been a very dark, dull day here, very windy too.
We don´t get the very light mornings here, even in summer is itsn´t light until about 7am. Winter it gets light at about 8.15am, sother eisn´t that much variation on sunrise. In the summer it is dark at around 10-10.15pm and winter around 6pm (from what I can remember from last year :lol: )
Pamela
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Thank you so much guys, they were alol excellent replies.
Anyone got a link to the automatic doors? I could do with one of them fo whenI go back to work.
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ours get up and go to bed depending not only on the light but also on the weather.... if its a nice day then are out later into dusk and have to be herded in to bed than if its horrible weather and theyt just put themselves to bed ages before it gets properly dark
also our new young cockerel has learnt to crow :lol: , there are 3 cockerals in very close proximity in this part of the valley and once they all get going in their morning "i'm the king of the valley" argument then everyone's awake anyway :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Foghorn was up at 5.25 this morning giving it large, sure the neighbours appreciated it lol
(http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v208/232/2/526087353/n526087353_1219773_9400.jpg)
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Ours take theirselves off to bed around 8 now but are still keen to get up when I open the door at 5:50am, like corks out of a champagne bottle - they get let out when the horses get fed, we are about till daylight but if I don't let them out straight away they just make a racket and stomp round the coop trampling eggs and anything else that gets in their way :shock:
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LOL Ceri - When I had my old boy and his various girls, it was *exactly* the same here, even down to the 'I'm the king of the valley argument'! I've just got a new boy, who's just finding his voice. It's still a bit weedy (I'm the only cockerel in the village') but it will only be a matter of time. My new pullets haven't got the hang of putting themselves to bed and getting themselves up yet, and treat my assistance in these matters with various levels of disdain.
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The neighbours cockerals were all crowing at around 1.30am this morning :shock: So they set off the other neighbours birds too. Thank goodness the peacocks didn´t join in :lol:
Pamela