4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[sootem]

Took delivery of my new cube on Thursday and managed to put it up without too much trouble. Collected my 6 Goldlines today - they are 18 weeks old. They have obviously been traumatised by the car journey, clipping of wings and new home.

 

At the moment they are all cuddled together under the cube. They haven't eaten or drunk anything yet. Is this normal and if so how long does it take for them to settle down.

 

Any advice/reassurance welcome.

 

Thanks

 

Susan

[Christian]

I sure they will be fine Susan. It is probably just the shock of the move etc. Mine didn't eat or drink on their first day.

 

As long as they start eating tomorrow I wouldn't worry too much.

 

 

[sootem]

Thank you Christian, I feel a little better now. However don't know how I'm going to get them into the cube tonight

 

Susan

[Christian]

Try leaving a torch in the cube and hopefully they will head towards the light when it gets dark. Or get a small child to crawl in the run and put them in!

[sootem]

Thank you - will try the torch method - or I will have to squeeze through myself! No small children - just middle aged hippies

 

Susanxxx

[Abbey Road Girl]

Hope that you (or they) got it sorted tonight. Remember that (as Egluntine reminds us) they come with their own duvets. And in mild weather, some even elect to sleep in the great outdoors.

 

When the Omlet man set up my Cube, he put the Omlet Pepperpots into the Cube so that they would have to come down the ladder to get pellets and water. One was very bold but the rest had to be encouraged with a gentle push with a broom from behind, but all went well. For the benefit of others reading here, it's a good idea to have your hens come down before they have to go up.

 

I assume that you have managed by now to tempt them up to bed, but without having to squash yourself into the run!

[sootem]

Thank you everyone for your help. Here is an update on the Third day .

 

Day One

I read the postings on putting the girls in the cube for them to get used to it but only after I had put the chooks in the run first. So...

Having crawled through the little door - one bad back later and a realisation that I am no longer Size 6 I managed to put the girls in the cube. I have to say that they took it well and it gave me the opportunity to get to know them. Having closed the door and feeling very pleased with myself I left them there for 20 minutes.

 

HOWEVER - when I went out to release them the door to the cube wouldn't open. PANIC what was I to do. I had visions of them being trapped in a great big green cube forever. So, having put my thinking cap on I decided that the only thing to do was to fix the door, which I couldn't do with the girls inside. The only thing to do was to one by one remove the girls and bring them around to the front and put them in through the run door. Six times I had to do this - what the neighbours must have thought I really don't know

 

I then managed to fix the door - though I really don't know what the problem was - has made me nervous.

 

That evening - the girls obviously didn't know how to go to bed - so once again I donned my now very very smelly old chook jeans and ventured once again in through the very very small door. The girls were then once again lifted and put into the cube Still not knowing what the ladder was for

 

Day Two

Yesterday morning at the crack of dawn I opened the door - two hours later the girls realised that if they wanted to eat they had to come down the ladder. One by one they slipped and slid into the run - but they soon settled and had a lovely day - as did we all.

 

Last night once again (torch trick didn't work) had to once again crawl into the run and put them into the cube.

 

Day Three.

 

This morning they all came out together and seem really happy.

 

I am hoping that tonight they may know where to go to bed. I have visions of years of me having to put them to bed every night!

 

What fun we have had

 

One good thing - it rained last night and my cube didn't leak. Hooray.

 

So, one bad back later and a resolution to loose weight I am a very happy chicken mummy at last.

[Abbey Road Girl]

Oh dear, better you than me, Susan. Don't know if I'd have been able to squeeze through that little Hansel & Gretal door!

 

I too had trouble with the door the first time I tried to use it. It simply pulls straight out and I had tried to twist it as you do with the eggport. Very scary!

 

Maybe Omlet should do an Eglu/Cube Instructions for Dummies!

 

Easy mistake to make though.

[AJuff]

Hi Sue,

 

Congratulations on getting your chooks. Any pics yet??

[Abbey Road Girl]

Hi Sue,

 

Congratulations on getting your chooks. Any pics yet??

 

Thanks loads for asking. I have two ways of taking pics (mobile and 35mm) but no way of transmitting them via my iMac.

 

I am slowly gaining in confidence about the girls freeranging under supervision (it's the herding them back in which is most worrying as there's four of them and only one of me! ).

 

In due course my son should be able to email photos from his PC to the ever-helpful Super Kate who will do the rest!

[Abbey Road Girl]

This place is literally crawling with Sues and Susans!!!!

[MaxBaz]

Our girls absolutely WOULDN'T use the ladder, so made a little wooden ramp for them which they are much happier about.

 

Have put two perches high up in the cube, and the two gingernuts happily sit up there until I come close them up at 9.00pm. The two Pepperpots are already in the roosting box.

 

I've found that if I fiddle with the sun shade immediately above the gingernuts head they get all flustered and within 5 minutes head for the safety of the roosting bars.

 

I have done the crawling on the knees in the cube too many times!

 

Am planning to leave the door open for them to go to bed when they want later in the summer (but the run door FIRMLY closed) as they will be up later then me!