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

[Katy]

For the last two nights our has settled herself down behind a bush in the garden rather than heading back to the eglu. Fortunatley we saw her as she was disappearing on the first night otherwise we would have been in a right panic!

 

I'm planning on blocking her entrance route tonight, but does anyone have any idea why she would be doing this?

[Egluntyne]

She probably hasn't got the hang of going "home" before it gets dark.

 

It might be worth confining her to barracks for a few days so that she "unlearns" her bad ways.

[Abbey Road Girl]

Hi Katy,

 

I see you've only had your hens since the 2nd of this month. Did you keep them in the run for the full five days or did you let them out to free range early? If the latter, it might explain your hen's eccentric behaviour.

 

Or should that be ex-hentrick?

[Katy]

We kept them in for 6 days (OH wanted to be double sure) and then they have been out for a few hours a day, longer at weekends, ever since.

 

They've both been fine and toddled off to bed at bang on 8.45 everynight except for the last two when Ginger has decided to camp out . Blackie keeps sticking her head around the door of the eglu as if to say will you PLEASE hurry up!

 

It's not huge problem as we don't have a big garden and now we know where to look she is easy enough to scoop up, but I just wondered if something could have upset her. She is the younger one, and from what I have read Blackie who is a few weeks older looks like she is almost ready to lay - could this be what is bothering her?

 

For now I've attempted to block off the gap she was getting into and can always resort to raisins at 8 and shut them into the run early. If she manages to do it again tonight I'll do as Egluntine suggests and keep them in the run for a few days.

[chocchick]

My chicken (Katy) has a thing about hedges. Once she escaped and we tracked her down to inside the hedge where she was stuck and completely silent, refusing to give away her location. Then she developed a liking for perching in the hedge, which resulted in an escape to next door and some extra fencing.

She always goes to bed in the eglu 1/2 hour-hour before the other chickens though.

 

Sometimes chickens avoid roosting because of mites, but she could just have developed a liking for hedges.

[Abbey Road Girl]

There was an old saying (my parent's generation!) that monkeys were the "quasiest people". Well, maybe chickens are!

[andrewhelen]

One of ours, Charlie, the Miss Pepperpot has taken to roosting on a chair by our front door! The other goes back into the eglu every night. I think I'll try the 'confine to barracks' method and see if it works

[Snowy]

I wonder if it's the time of year, with the warmer nights? Five of mine now roost on the branches in their run rather than going into the cube. I leave them to it as they are tucked away at the back of the run and well away from the mesh sides. Maybe it is just cooler for them outside.

[superjules]

When I got my first 2, if they were free ranging at bedtime they'd roost on top of the dog's kennel, as I think they were attracted by the light from the kitchen window nearby. Sometimes my skylines roost in the tree in their run and my SLW used to roost on top of the eglu run (inside the big run) and keep guard at night. They all have their funny little ways. She'll get the hang of it if you confine them to the run for the last hour before bedtime.

[Abbey Road Girl]

Now that I think of it, my top chick Biccie has been found on top of the Glub at bedtime (not good for the purity of the water). A dog will want to be as high as it can get in order to establish that s/he's the dominant one and maybe chooks do the same.

[Katy]

After two days kept in the run, the bush seems to have lost it's appeal - for now.....

[sandyhas3chucks]

I wish my 3 would go to bed at 8.45!

I too have one the top chick that goes to nest box way before other 2. none of mine roost, all want the nest box