What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Beez]

Got my girls this august, and now me and whole family, (including very reluctant OH) are obsessed with chickens! I have 2 pepperpots and 2 gingernuts in a cube, and they free range when we are around. I have always shut the run door at dusk, but have never shut the cube door, but now it's getting colder, do i need to close it at night? If so, are they ok without food or water overnight? Also, is it possible one of my gingernuts is not yet laying, i don't think i've seen her go upstairs, and she does look younger than the others? Anyway, i would love some advice please! Thanks (still can't do all those funky faces)

[Janepie33]

Hi Beez. Welcome to the forum.

I have 5 girls in a cube and I never close the cube door. When it was warm, the girls used to sit up the front by the ladder - maybe gazing up at the stars!

Now it is getting a bit cooler, they snuggle up together nearer the back of the cube.

Your girls will be fine overnight with no food or water. They will just start eating again when it is light.

I am sure your gingernut will start laying soon. It's very exciting when you open the nesting box door and find an egg from each hen. I have a photo of 5 eggs in the nest box as the screne saver on my phone!

 

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[Beez]

Thanks for that Janepie, glad to hear girls ill be ok with door open (can imagine getting to work only to drive home again realising i had forgotton to let them out Looking forward to my first 4 egg day

[Egluntyne]

They will be fine without food and water overnight.

 

Has your girl got a red comb and wattles and is she squatting when you approach? If so she will be getting round to laying if not there already.

[Beez]

Hi Eglutine,

 

Her wattles are stil pretty pink compared to the others, but she has just started to crouch rather than run off when i go near, i'm hoping this is a good sign?

 

Thanks

[RubyReckless]

Yes, that sounds like she is getting there!

 

Don't worry about them overnight, they sleep when it is dark and don't need food or water until morning. In the deep dark mornings of winter I've been down to open the door before the lazybones chooks have woken up! I think closing the door is a good plan in the winter - it gets cold and damp out there!

[dancing cloud]

My little monsters get shut in their cube at night, following a morning in summer when Hope decided to waken up the rest of the world at 4.45 Never again!

 

They don't have food and water in with them, but fill up before they go to bed and are always happy to tuck their beaks into breakfast in the morning