[Touché Turtle]

Hello all,
Have been lurking for a while reading all your useful posts,and have finally decided to join in!

I have a small query and would appreciate your advice please.....   

Sorry, it takes quite a bit of explaining...

We have 3 hens, who've been living very happily in our back garden since we got them in the spring this year. (we started with 4 but one died suddenly after about a month).

Two of the girls absolutely insist on sleeping in the next boxes, even after all our attempts to stop them. (We tried placing them on the roosts after they'd gone to bed every night- they'd get off again, then tried blocking off the boxes during the night for about a month - they slept on the floor of their house til we unblocked the nest boxes. )

So we have come to accept that this is where they sleep. However, this leaves one chook, Hetty, left on the perch at night all on her own with no-one to snuggle up to. Now it is getting colder we'd like her to have some company.

I've been planning on getting a couple more girls in the Spring anyway, but is now a good time? I was hoping to wait til they can spend more time running free in the garden with a wide open space to get to know each other. I'm concerned that introducing strangers when they're cooped up for longer would cause more trouble with hen-pecking.

Any advice or comments gratefully received please!

TT

[ANHBUC]

It is always best to keep new hens quarantined away from your flock for about 3 weeks.  Put them where they can see each other but no cantact in case they are harbouring any diseases.

Could it be that the perches are too high for your hens?  If they are different breeds they have different needs in height and dimensions of perch. 

Welcome to the website Touche Turtle 

[joyfull]

she will be fine with her own feathered duvet and if she wanted she could always join the other two 

[Touché Turtle]

Wow, what speedy replies! And thank you for the welcome.

ANHBUC- Not sure about the perch height, it's only about a 10" off the henhouse floor?
We thought the original 1" perch might have been too narrow when they wouldn't use it, so we changed it for one about 2" wide - they still won't use it.
I think they just like being awkward!

Trouble is, there's only room for one hen in each of the two nest boxes, so there's no room for Hetty even if she did want to join them. She'll just have to use her feather duvet for now, but she looks lonely!

Hmm, so the new chooks now wouldn't be an impossibility.... if I can quarantine them for a bit.

This leads to another question then! (sorry!! ) I have a metal run I could put new girls in during the day but nothing suitable for night time. How do people manage this? Do I HAVE to have another proper hen house or are there temporary alternatives?

[Goldfinger]

We had that same problem with our chooks roosting in the boxes and on the floor.

Our cure came from a night light. 

We have power to our half shed half coop at home, and decided to try a small night light on a timer, it comes on before they go in, they then settle and perch and by then the light goes out.

Never had a problem since. 

Hope this helps. GF

[ANHBUC]

Some people use a cat carrier on a night but if you do this you would have to put them somewhere warmer like a shed.  They would also need somewhere to shelter during the day in bad weather.  If they are already laying you would really need somewhere for them to lay their eggs as well.  If you can get another coop it is best as it will come in handy if you ever have a poorly hen and need to isolate her.  You might be able to pick one up on birdtrader, preloved or gumtree.  Even a large rabbit hutch might be suitable for a short while.  

[Touché Turtle]

Thanks for all the advice!

We have a large pet carrier and a shed for shelter, so it is looking optimistic!

[Beano]

My husband made a temporary quarantine coop out of a kitchen unit put on its side. It works a treat provided we put something over the top to stop it getting too wet and we keep it off the ground with a couple of bricks.  We bring it into the garage when not in use.
Three of ours sleep in the nestboxes  and when it's particularly cold the one that usually roosts joins them. I havent tried to stop them, they're old and they can do whatever they want at that age.

[grinling]

My 3 girls are using a rabbit hutch in the polytunnel at the mo and somehow cram into the upper level split section to roost!!! The hen house and run is currently being decontaminated.  Try freecycle or preloved or local paper. Try to make sure it cannot get soaked in the rain.