My eco solution to rat problems

[brambles]

Following on from the terrific double nest box mod on another thread, I'm wondering if there are any ideas for a 'drop in' or pop in extra nesting box for the cube which would sit somewhere in the roosting bar area, allowing extra space for laying.

 

My four have gone very territorial about laying and make one hell of a racket if someone else is in the (currently un modded) cube nest box. My neighbours can only be patient for so long, surely?

 

Help!

[chelsea]

You have my sympathies on nest box queues as my lot do it here...

 

Some people have tried a child's potty with success. We have put a cat litter tray with aubiose in at the very back of the run in a quiet area and Willow has laid in that before.

 

Why is it that my lot all want to lay at the same bloomin time??!

[Janty]

I can't remember if you have a walk in run or not so if this is not relevant, ignore me.

 

 

A few days ago, one of my young hens came into the conservatory and laid her egg in the wicker cat basket. She is keen to do this on a regular basis and I am not discouraging her. The plan is that when the walk in run is built, we will get the third cube to go inside it and I have three wicker cat baskets which I am also going to put in there side by side for the girls to lay in. I'm hoping that the others will see Nutmeg do her stuff and follow suit. This should ease the queues for the nest boxes considerably.

 

I was wondering if you could try the same idea. I bought three wicker cat travel baskets from The wet nose charity shop for £6 (I think). The lady in the shop knows that I use them for my chickens so she has said that she will call me when she gets any more in. perhaps there is a shop or two in your area that will do the same thing for you.

[brambles]

No walk in run ... yet!

 

But with only 4 girls maybe there's room for something extra to fit into the cube for laying.

 

Is the cat basket a closed over wicker one for transporting them or an open one for them to curl up in?

[Janty]

It's a closed over one for transporting them. I took the wire door off as the cat likes sleeping in it. Then the chicken took over.

 

[sandyhas3chucks]

I've got a covered in cat litter box £2 from RSPCA shop. the flap door was already missing. My able bodied girls like to get up high on something(unless it's the fluffy dog bed tucked beside my bed & the radiator( come to think of it is up high isn't it) (I don't live in a bungalow!)

I digress.

OH made a small table for it with a room just to step on before climbing in.

they loved it(to look in) not egg time yet in there,(it's in the sunny run down the garden, sort of day run!)

[Hen Watch]

Ceramic oven dish (honestly...... not just a threat of lay eggs in this or I will roast you.... )

 

One of my girls is either eggbound or has peritonitis and is sitting in the nestbox a lot stopping the others going in. So I have put a ceramic oven dish filled with auboise on the roosting bars of the eglu. I take it out each night, and put it back every morning, and the other girls use it to lay. Also being heavy china they can't knock it over.

[sandyhas3chucks]

Ceramic oven dish (honestly...... not just a threat of lay eggs in this or I will roast you.... )

 

One of my girls is either eggbound or has peritonitis and is sitting in the nestbox a lot stopping the others going in. So I have put a ceramic oven dish filled with auboise on the roosting bars of the eglu. I take it out each night, and put it back every morning, and the other girls use it to lay. Also being heavy china they can't knock it over.

oh that's a good idea. I us washing up bowls in the Eglu but have to find flat heavy slate to put underneath to stop it tipping. but some of my Limpys struggle with the height!

[TT39]

Has anyone used the nesting box area as additional roosting space? Wondering if that could work if I left the divider door open and added a perch. They have nesting boxes in their enclosed run (the cube is inside of the run). Thank you