Bexiboo Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 And what time to you open/close your eglu/cube door for breakfast and bed time? Also so you feed your chooks as soon as you let them out in the morning. My husband leaves for work at 7am and so could open the door any time from about half six to seven, is this early enough for them? What would happen on a weekend if we didn't open the door till 8? I ask about the feeding as soon as they are let out thing because I know sometimes my husband has to leave in a hurry for work and so would still open the door but may not have time to sort out feed, would it be ok for them to wait for me (about 8am) to feed them as I have to sort the children out for school first. Thanks for your help. I am just trying to get organised before my beautiful chooks come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 we always close the door at night as I have noisy chooks! during the working week they are let out 6.45am - 7am. Later at weekends (7.30-8am) the chickens are perfectly fine we have a camera inside the cube and I have been waking up early lately (5am) and when i look at the camera they are all asleep almost until I let them out. Sometimes they are stood there preening for a few minutes and then they go back to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omletina Kyckling Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 First of all welcome to the forum and the world of chickens! Now to your question, getting and going to bed times vary throughout the year, according to the hours of daylight. A lot of people (me included) leave the Eglu door open at night (with the run door locked of course) so their girls can come out in a morning when they are ready so they can get to food and drink. I've heard mine clucking about at 5 in the past few days if I've been awake. The girls will naturally put themselves to bed on an evening just as it gets dusk. I leave the food in the run for them (never noticed any vermin visiting in the night) so they have access to it all day. I don't know if this helps, but this is my system!! Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura & CTB Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I let mine out at about 6am all year round - this time of year they are quiet but awake and waiting to come out (I also have a camera in the eglu )- the first place they head for is the glug followed very closely by the food bowl - mine would certainly be miffed if there wasnt any food available when they emerged Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucking mad Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 i tend to sort their feed out before i open the eglu door as not to be bombarded by chickens trying to break free, i do this at about 6:30 and as soon as they hear me i hear scrabbling inside the eglu. last night they didnt go inside their eglu until really late and so i decided not to shut the eglu door, and by the time i was out in the morning they were already outside pecking away as if nothing had happened. ultimatly i think they are creatures of habit and so if you dont open it until 800 everymorning then they will get used to it and not wake up until 800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I don't let mine out until 8 and have done this since I got them. They don't seem bothered by it at all. I keep the food in the run. They tend to take themselves to bed about 8.30 - 8.40 ish. I shut the cube door when I remember (usually 9 ish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I leave the Eglu door open all the time. The grub and glugs are refilled every evening and stay out all night. My girls are up and scratching about between 2.30 am and 3 am at the moment and still scratching about at 10.30 pm, I go to bed before them We only have about 3 hours of true darkness up here during the summer months so the girls have short naps during the day. In the winter it is like the twilight zone and the girls semi hibernate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms Tilytinkle Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hello Well, ours toddle off to bed as the sun goes down ...they form an orderly queue oin their perches & file into the cusbe . .usually same order too always the white one first. Time therefore varies with the seasons i guess. Not sure what time they would like to come out but i usually open the cube door at around 7am. It used to be 8am , when i first decided 7am is fine they sat benetah their cube all huddled together for an hour as though huh why did you wake us upo .. bless .. now theyre yuused to the change and as soon as they hear the gate iopen they start a few quiet buk buk. For anyone curious about the noise, a few have mentioned noisy chooks, we must be sooo lucky our chickens are soooooo quiet unless laying or being territorial or warning each other about a cat etc . . aah & meal worms did get them vocal fingers crossed they stay this way Ms Tillysmadealovelyflanforteawithfreerangeorganiceggsfromherchooksmmmmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reikiranf Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I'm lucky as I seem to have easy going chooks, at night when I shut the eglu door I bring the food indoors as I'm scared it may attract mice or rats, I know they are everywhere but I'm sure that if the neighbours see any my girls will get the blame They take themselves off to bed around 9.30pm at the mo but earlier if they've been freeranging for longer. They are silent when I go out to them in the morning but when I put the grub back in the run I hear them moving about, obviously vying for the best postion ready for when I open the door Weekdays they get let out 7-8am and at weekends sometimes not until after 9am I don't tend to let them out of the run until mid afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 mine get let out of the eglu at 7am every morning or before and they take themselves to bed anywhere between 9pm and 9.30pm so I close them up then. They always sleep with Cocoa in the nestbox and Sugar next to her but on the roosting bars it never differs at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*mummy_hen* Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Mine get let out between 6.30 and 7.30 am everyday and they go in to bed at this time of year about 9 -9.15 pm, although they get sleepy about 8.30ish. It will all change in the winter due to the daylight hours, etc. I put a little food in with them at night - a lot of people don't but i just feel happier knowing they have it there if they want it. I always have food down for them in the morning but if you put a little in at night i guess you wouldn't have to. Otherwise i think 9pm - 8am could be a long time for a little chicken to go without any food or water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuggywoo Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Phillip and Pingu take themselves to bed (in their own arc) between 9 & 9.30pm - well, I steer them. The 4 babies all wander into their own huge great house, then all wander out again - they do this continually for about 20 mins... I let them all out at about 7am - earlier at the weekends. The babies have food and water in with them, the biggies don't, but I give them all their last 'snack' about an hour before bedtime so they go to bed stuffed (sorry) and as they free range all day in woodland I know they're not hungry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 This topic has made me want a camera in my eglu but I would never get ANYTHING done at all. My girls get up at about half six and then they go to bed at about 9pm I would say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bexiboo Posted June 5, 2008 Author Share Posted June 5, 2008 Thank you for your replies. I don't mind leaving out the water over night but like Reikiranf I don't really want to leave the feed overnight as I know neighbours would blame any mice on us (although our younger cat is a fabby mouser) I guess what might be a good thing to do is to get the feed ready the night before (they get fed layers pellets at the mo so I won't change them) and put it by the back door, Scott could then just pop the food in when he opened the door, that wouldn't be any hassle for me to do the night before and also easy for Scott in the morning when he is in a hurry. Do you think that this would be ok or does food need to be prepared fresh? (I am going to be adding the bokoshi bran to the pellets too) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hi Bexiboo I keep the pellets in a large plastic box on the window sill near the back door (with added garlic powder, poultry spice and bokashi bran). The grub/glug get brought in every night and sit on the box. My OH is always up first - he fills them both and puts them in the run. If I'm feeling kind I'll fill up the food the night before but he hasn't complained yet if I don't! So, yes, you can put the food in the grub the night before if you want to save your OH the bother! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Posted June 5, 2008 Share Posted June 5, 2008 I leave the Eglu door open all the time and just shut the run door into garden when they go to roost at night so they have complete freedom to when they get up.Currently,they are getting up at dawn around 4.00am and going to bed at 8.45pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchlayer Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 God you all make me feel really lazy, but then there is an hour difference in the time I suppose. So mine get let out 8.30 ish your time in the morning, and I give them fresh feed, and I put them to bed at around 9.00pm with a bowl of goodies left over the kitchen during the day. Later at weekends They do have room for food and water in there house as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliveb Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I too leave the Egloo door open and the run door shut overnight. The chickend have been spotted at their food bowl as early as 4am and seem quite happy. Bedtime seems to be around 10pm when they both file back into the Egloo quite happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 I put a little food in with them at night - a lot of people don't but i just feel happier knowing they have it there if they want it. I always have food down for them in the morning but if you put a little in at night i guess you wouldn't have to. Otherwise i think 9pm - 8am could be a long time for a little chicken to go without any food or water. Chickens wont eat at night, they cant see hardly at all in the dark and go into roost mode. They need time to allow the food in their crops to digest and empty. By not feeding them at night its a nice way to know that their crops have gone down and are working properly, as they will be empty when we let them out in the morning. Up to you of course if it makes you feel happier, but our hens survive the night without food/water!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abwsco Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Mine have food and water in their coop overnight as we don't let them out until 7.30am at the earliest. I'm not too sure what time ours are pottering about before we go down to open it up but they seem happy enough. Have wondered about leaving the pop hole open overnight but I'm worried about them making too much noise early on in the morning in their run. They're currently going in to bed anytime between 8pm - 9pm. I'm another one who wants to set up a webcam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prettychic Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I let my ladies out between 6.30 -8.00, they go to bed about 21.30, Im sure this will all change whne the winter comes along x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChickNic Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 If I let the eglu door open I would get very noisy 5 - 7am wake up calls. I think for naughty chickens like mine they need routine. If some days I shut the door and others I don't, they do not know when to get up, which means they are loudly bawking from early on. Either beacuse they think they should be in the run, or if in the run, they think that as they have been in there a long time it is about time to call me to let them in the garden. So, Eglu door gets closed everyday. They are let out at 8am on weekday and 8.30am at weekend. Unless of course we forget to shut the door, and then we have early wake up calls for the next 3 days while they get back into their routine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
