Single hen

[catherinej]

Just wanted a bit of advice please. I currently have 8 hens who all insist on sleeping outside eventhough I have an eglu and an old rabbit hutch for them to sleep in (I have a walk in run).

 

Recently, Mr Fox has been visiting early in the morning around 5.30am causing the chooks to make a terrible noise. This is obviously distressing for the chooks, as well as waking up the whole neighbourhood, so I was wondering if I brought a cube, do you think they may be encouraged to sleep in it? That way they wouldn't be able to see the fox and also it would dim the noise. Thought the cube might be better as they are off the ground which they seem to like? On the otherhand, I don't want to waste my money on another house which they refuse to sleep in. Has anybody else had this problem?

[feemcg]

I have one chook that sleeps on top of the cube......she went in for a few weeks when it was really cold but she's back out again. It doesn't bother me apart from the fact that she poo's . I don't have noise problems yet but will probably end up shutting them in over the summer so they're not up too early.

[quickcluck]

Hmmmmmmmm dont know if it's much help.... but I think they say that if there are mites and stuff in the house they are less likely to go in........

 

If you want them in of a night you may have to physically put them in and close the door!

[annettec]

One of our new chickens was refusing to go in the Eglu at night, we had rather rudely helped her in with the aid of a mop head but after reading posts put a torch in at dusk and for the last two nights she has gone straight in and we have been able to shut the door and remove the torch.

Not sure if it will work with your girls but did work with our one !

Good luck

[BeckyBoo]

My Brahma boy always slept outside, my Buff Orpington has taken to sleeping outside and the two girls I introduced last week are insisting on sleeping outside. As it's not really freezing I'm not bothered and I don't have issues with noise as I don't shut mine in so they come outside when they like in the morning.

But, I did have issues in the winter, so went in every evening and carried them one by one into the cube and eventually they got the message

But like someone else said, check the house particularly the rabbit hutch as it's presumably wooden, for mites and give the hens a dusting of mite powder.

Then you can either stuff them in one at a time until they get the hang of it, or leave them to sleep al fresco!

Good luck

 

beckyBoo

[catherinej]

Thanks. I don't think it's a mite issue as I clean the eglu every week and put in red mite powder. Think the problem stems from the fact that the 4 sumatra chickens were vertually wide until we caught them and started feeding them. Our initial plan was to let the sumatra hens sleep outdoors and the big girls and my pekin could sleep in the eglu - however the naughty girls have other ideas! I would just let them be but thinking ahead to next winter i dont want to be faffing around every evening putting them to bed!