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

[Ygerna]

How/when do you shut your girls in for the night? At the moment I go out when its starting to get dark, stand there like a lemon whilst the girls do the 'hokey cokey' (in-out-in-out-in-out) and then if I am lucky they are all on an 'in' and I can quickly close the door, usually whilst the bottom of one of them is still poking out so have to gently nudge with the door.

 

So, this is obviously not sustainable. How do you shut your girls in? Do you lure them into the Eglu with goodies? Or do you simply wait till they have all gone in, regardless of how dark it gets and then shut them in?

[badgerbluebadger]

Dried meal worms and a touch when I first got them - they will learn you are the giver of food and therefore follow you to the run. Once they start to couch you can also pick them up and pop them to bed.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Do you mean the eglu itself or the run? If it's the run, a tub of mealworms gets them in every time. I tend to shut them in the run when dusk falls (if they happen to be out) then if I notice they've all gone to bed, I nip out and shut the door. Our eglu is right in front of the kitchen window so it's easy to see. Sometimes we forget till it's pretty late at night .

[Egluntyne]

I always put them away before dusk, to be sure that there are no stragglers getting lost......and because dusk is one of Monsieur Reynard's favourite prowling times.

 

I lure them into the run with sweetcorn, and it takes only a few moments.

[jomaxsmith]

I always make sure mine are securely inside the Eglu run before it even starts to get dark, because of the fear of foxes. If they're loitering, I chuck in some treats to get them in the run.

 

Mine tend to go into the eglu as soon as it starts to get dark - but I usually wait until it is completely dark before I go out (which avoids the hokey cokey ).

 

I have a caving style head torch so I can be handsfree to collect the grub and open the eggport to check they're all in.

 

Jo

[chelsea]

We put ours in the run from free ranging about 3-3.30 ish (depending on how light it is). We then leave them to their own devices and go out when its dark and shut the cube and eglu doors. (usually about 6pm)

[brambles]

Do I need to bring in the grub (and glug?) ?

[jomaxsmith]

Do I need to bring in the grub (and glug?)

 

I bring mine in to avoid attracting (more) rats. I leave the glug out but at the moment I'm only filling it half full to leave room for the kettle full of hot water I take out in the morning!

 

Jo

[Ygerna]

Ah, thank you, I think I am just being impatient. The question was about how to get them into the Eglu, rather than the run. I think I shall have to re-adjust my timeplan a little so they can get themselves off to bed without me hurrying them along before they are ready.

 

Where can I get mealworms? At the moment I entice them into the run with Sweetcorn or 'greens' but I think mealworms would make a better lure.

[Ygerna]

Do I need to bring in the grub (and glug?)

 

I bring mine in to avoid attracting (more) rats. I leave the glug out but at the moment I'm only filling it half full to leave room for the kettle full of hot water I take out in the morning!

 

Jo

 

I leave the grub, but empty the glug, when I go out in the morning I take a jug of water with me to top up the glug.

 

I think I shall bring the grub in from now on.

[helenmb]

I find that my girls go to bed more quickly if I am not around as like yours they do the 'hokey cokey' hoping for an extra treat no doubt

 

So, I wait until about 16:45 / 17:00 (at the moment) or a bit later if I'm busy to shut the door. I only shut my cube door in the winter, the rest of the year it stays open. I always just make sure that they are 'all aboard' before I go back into the house even though they are in a walk in run, just to be sure I haven't missed someone hiding!

 

I have spares for both grub and glugs to change the glug every couple of days of if its very icy every day.

[Redwing]

I have spares for both grub and glugs to change the glug every couple of days of if its very icy every day.

 

Thats an ace idea!

[moulin]

I bring glug in every night at the moment as it's easier to do this and put it back out in the mornings than try to break the ice in the mornings.

 

I get them into the eglu run with some of the omlet corn (which they love) well before dusk then just shut the door when they are in at about dusk or (more usually) after it is dark and they are cuddled up inside. Again, if I go out to them too early, even if they are in they come out again!

[Tiggy]

[

 

Where can I get mealworms?

 

I get mine from the same place as my layers pellets

[Egluntyne]

I get mine at a local garden centre. They are not cheap.

[likeastar--x]

Homebase sell them. Its around £7 for a little tub of dried ones. I dont give them to them reguarly, only every now and then. I get one every 3 months or so.

[laurmurf]

I was buying mealworms from my country store at £12 per kilo and thought it was a good deal, until I found a website selling 3kg of dried mealworms for £27 including p&p, which i thought was even better.... the girls agreed with me

[brambles]

Thanks. I brought the grub and glug in - the glug had icy needles in it at 6pm tonight!

[ruth1]

I got a tub of mealworms in Asda for £4.99 in the pets section.

 

My girls head into bed about 4.30 ish at the mo, but its gradually getting later, they go in quicker when Im not there as if I arrive when they are half in they all come out again as there might be some munchies on the go then you have to hang around till they all go back to bed in a particular order

 

Im bringing the glug in every night to stop it freezing

[madchickenlady]

I bought a tub of mealworms in wilkinsons last week for 2.49 Also, Bill Odie's 'Mealworm Crumble', a mix for wild birds containing mealworms, crushed peanuts and sunflower hearts. The girls go crazy for it, and the extra bit of protein sees them through the cold nights

[Happy chickens!]

Is it ok to feed them once they're in the eglu then?

[AbigailGrace]

Yeah we bought some the other day..

 

From Wilkinsons..

 

Mealworms in a really good tub.. 110g (i think so, just went to check but my memory is terrible..)

 

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0260944

 

Fab price..

 

Oh they also do

 

Bill Oddie's Mealworm Crumble.. 1kg

 

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0254470

 

And what i just saw on the site.. Another one of his..

 

Bill Oddie's Bird Cake with Mealworms.. 500ml (I think this is ok for chickens but a little advice on this one would be good..)

 

Oh yeah the link for that one.. It is..

 

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/invt/0254467

 

 

Hope this helps..

[Rock N Rose]

I got some mealworms from wiggly wigglers and they went mental for em.

 

I too leave the chickens to get themselves off to bed then i nip out and shut the run and eglu door around 5- 6ish, I then cover over the glug with a short plank to stop it freezing and bring the grub into the house.

 

This seems to work a treat, pop the grub back into the run in the morning, uncover the water, add a bit from the kettle if needed, then let em out. Happy Hens!!

[Guest]

well, ours are in their large walk-in run most of the time, if they're free ranging all it takes is a shake of the mealworm tub and you get mown down in the stampede to get back in!

 

Come dusk, they all climb the plastic hill to bedfordshire (i.e. up the cube ladder) without any prompting from us and then when we know they're all in, we go out and close the cube door and tidy up etc.

[smanners]

I lock the run door at dusk 4.30 pm ish but girls are real treat fiends and will be up and down the cube ladder til at least 9pm everytime they hear the door open We have to turn of the kitchen light and sneak out before we go to bed to finally shut the cube door and remove Glug and Grub. I always sneak a quick peep through the egg port to check they are all present and snoozing.