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

[catherinej]

Hi everyone

 

My Pekin Dot has taken to sleeping outdoors on a perch. She lives with 3 hybrids and is surprisingly 2nd in the pecking order, so I don't think it's a bullying issue. I have brought her indoors for the last 3 nights as I felt sorry for her with temperatures being so cold! Does anyone else have chickens who prefer to sleeps outdoors? You would think she would cuddle up to her friends in the eglu!!

[Faye&Ant]

Ahh bless her. We have two pekins and they are feisty little characters and stick up for themselves no matter where they are in the pecking order so I can well believe that of little Dot

 

If your sure its not bullying maybe she just prefers it, one of our other girls (a poland) doesnt follow the others to bed, instead she chooses to perch outside in all temperatures. All I do is when it gets dark I go and pick her up and put her in the house. It seems to work as the last few nights she has been going to bed with the others so maybe Dot will eventually do the same.

[Patricia W]

it may be a bantam thing. My three Polands, given a chance, choose to perch outside rather than go in the eglu.

 

I've had to carry them in one by one on several occasions. I just look for 3 white heads in the garden and they are usually on a garden bench!

 

Once they are in the eglu run, they hang around for a bit, but always looking upwards, and have tried jumping up, then finally once it's clear it's getting dark, they go in the eglu.

 

I'm thinking of getting a cube anyway - and suspect they will be happier climbing off the ground to go to bed.

 

Tricia