Chicken bald back

[JEAN]

Since we got our cube in October we have been religiously closing the door at night and opening it in the mornings. Recently though, the girls have taken to roosting at the top of the ladder and refusing to budge and some nights we have had to leave them in the cube & run. Should they be ok like this in terms of safety and temperature wise or does it put them at risk of becoming a fox target? How can I encourage them not to do this and to go back into the cube at night?

[Guest]

we've always been lucky in that our girls want to be inside at night but you could try sliding the roof back and shining a torch in, they might head towards the light.

[blackgold]

Better still shine a torch light on the grape you have in between your fingers, that will bring them up to bed..LOL

Edited December 14, 2008 by Guest

[Guest]

Better still shine a torch light on the grape you have in between your fingers, that will bring up to bed..LOL

 

[chelsea]

if you are prone to foxes I would advise closing the door, the cube cant be totally foxproof with the door open so better to be safe than sorry.

[Sandychick]

I'm wondering why they don't want to go in the cube? Have you checked it for mites etc? I think on these cold nights they would be much better snuggled up inside than outside on the ladder.

[SnowWhite]

They might just need some help with re-learning the routine. Pick them up and pop them inside and they'll get the hang of it after a few nights. I'm always happier when mine are inside and the door closed at night.

[Guest]

...... Pick them up and pop them inside .

 

would that it were that easy but that would be impossible with the run attached

[blackgold]

I remember those first couple of night when I had to lie down and crawl through the door to give the girls a bit of a push up the ladder lol

[JEAN]

Yes, I too remember crawling through the run on the first night. I have not seen any sign of mites and we do dust with powder when we clean. They are not that far out of the cube just kind of sitting in the doorway and top step, I'm wondering if they are coming out because I have to take a torch when I go out as I can't see where I'm going otherwise (we have no street lighting around here) or maybe they just object to the door being closed?

[Happy chickens!]

My girls are beginning to learn about returning to the cube as it gets dark, but not always! I agree that access to the run is tricky - it's my only criticism of it really. My solution is to have some garden canes handy that I carefully poke through and create a barrier they can't jump over. The trick is to start at the far end and work your way towards the ladder, herding the girls in the right direction. That way, if they don't then go to bed, at least you can reach them to pick them up and safely deliver them through the roof!

 

Good luck!

[SnowWhite]

...... Pick them up and pop them inside .

 

would that it were that easy but that would be impossible with the run attached

 

The only downside to having the cube with the run attached I suppose! I forget how lucky I am

[dancing cloud]

Do the cube door adjustment so that the whole front opens and you don't have to limbo!

 

I had to go in and put at least one ex-batt to bed for the first four nights and only did the limbo once before deciding it really wasn't for me. I arranged the front so I could open all of it immediately, but it wasn't very stable until I could fit the reinforcing bar when Omlet sent it. Now they are all able to go to bed without help and I'm suitable prepared for when I have to do it again with newbies. Makes cleaning out a breeze too

[Happy chickens!]

That sounds good, tell me more please!

[dancing cloud]

There's a thread in the first sticky in the Eglus and Cubes section for the conversion I used and the second sticky sets out a different approach that others have found equally useful.

 

The first approach, you would need the room around the cube to open the door fully, the second takes less room and may be a bit more secure if foxes are an issue. The little door still comes in handy for the chooks to use.

 

No more limbo