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

[dame egna]

I just wondered what time you let your chickens out of their coop? I have to say, I seem to be getting earlier and earlier! This morning, mine were let out about 6.30, but that was only because my son got up dead early (he 'needed the loo', yeah - right!) as it's his Birthday lol They always seem so 'desperate' to get out lol - they all pile out the hatch in the summer house wall, it's very amusing

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My OH lets our girls out when he gets up at 6am. When it was dark at that time, he just waited till it was a bit lighter. They don't seem to mind what time it is, but do tumble out enthusiastically when the door's opened .

 

At the w/e, they are let out any time up to 8.30am .

[Peaches]

Being new and keen and anxious, I have been letting mine out at 5.30am But think I might chill a bit and leave them in until 6 am or maybe even 6.30 am.

 

Interested to find out what other peeps do....

[BarbaraJ]

Mine get let out at 8am now it used to be earlier but they made too much noise too early. Now i hear nothing until i walk up the path then i hear the muffled chattering lol

[miffy]

at the moment we let them out between 7.00 & 7.30 , later as the mornings get darker

[Jennyhenny]

Mine are uncovered from their blackened our eglu at 8.am. usually its very quiet, this morning their was a little chatter (only from Margo) as some of the covers had blown off with the wind

 

Jennyhenny

[Space Chick]

Mine get let out at around 6.30, and its a race to the bottom of the ladder, all bokking enthusiastically! Once they all down, they are quiet again!

[poachedegg]

We lets ours out about 7.15, however I am adding a couple of minutes on each day to make it about 7.30 - 7.40.

 

When we do let them out it is like the first day at the sales!

[katieadams]

We leave the door open so they please themselves! They're always up before us though and my husband leaves at 6.30!

[shibby69]

I'd like to leave mine in until maybe 7am but they wake up at 5:30 most mornings and demand to be let out My bedroom is on the front of the house and i don't usually hear them lol it tends to be mum who gets woken up with morning chatter from them

[Guest]

Hi

Only had mine a few weeks and they have to obey my rules..I am chief chick!

They get let out at about 7ish on different days I work, and at weekends its 8.45am as i have to let mad dog out too.

 

But I dont have a set routine..most animals are creatures of habit...so I try not to have regular habits..otherwise for me I would be shattered.

 

Am finding them so easy compared to dogs/horses and ducks(which are even worse to keep than the first two)!

 

Good luck

indie

[Guest]

Hi

Only had mine a few weeks and they have to obey my rules..I am chief chick!

They get let out at about 7ish on different days I work, and at weekends its 8.45am as i have to let mad dog out too.

 

But I dont have a set routine..most animals are creatures of habit...so I try not to have regular habits..otherwise for me I would be shattered.

 

Am finding them so easy compared to dogs/horses and ducks(which are even worse to keep than the first two)!

 

Good luck

indie

[Kirstine]

Ours free-range and have an automatic door opener, but they are not allowed up until about 6:45 (later in Winter). This is because a couple of years ago we got complacent with the lighter mornings and went back as far as 6:00, but a fox appeared and as I wasn't awake I didn't hear until it was too late. The chickens are in the back, as is our bedroom so I am fairly hopeful I would hear a fox attack in time - we have some chickens who are good at sounding the alarm and have spotted a fox before, and told me so. We are also lucky to have rural foxes who are far less bold than the urban type.

That said, the chooks have a window in their shed, and I know the cockerel wakes at dawn and announces breakfast!

[Blackrocksrock]

Mine have the eglu door open into the run anyway so let themselves out into it and I get up at 7a.m. and feed them more pellets by topping up the grub and let them free range - at the weekends I go back to bed with my tea and a book for a while too!!

[Cooks]

mine come and go in their cube and walk in run as they please,they are never noisey thankfull, unless Sugar decides to announce someone elses egg and then that could set them going into harmonys with her but generally speaking alls well in the CM household.

 

and yes they are always up before me..

[smithy36]

I have the cube door open about 5 inches - they get in and out when they like - i have looked out at 5am when i went to the loo, and they are already out eating and scratching in the run! It must be the light weather!

 

They seem to be going to bed earlier ... off at 8.20 tonight even tho it s lighter still, i think tha they are tired and full...crops bulging tonight!

[*mummy_hen*]

At the moment it is normally about 7-7.30ish on weekdays, occassionally later at weekends like this morning it was 8.15 am, my girls don't seem fussed, they have a large house area so can move around and although they will all run out when the door is first opened....10 minutes later they are normally all back in the house pecking around

[Patricia W]

I try to vary the time so they don't get into a routine. And because we have Phillip, we keep them locked in and covered up ideally till after 7.30. This morning it was 8.15 before I unleased him and them into the Saturday morning peace!

 

Tricia

[Chickvic]

Mine get let out about 7am can be later at the weekend probably about 8am. I don't do the weekend my children let them out

[Saronne]

I've let mine out as early as 6.00 and as late as 9.00 (it was Saturday and I was shattered!) They were fine.

 

 

Saronne

[carrie]

I leave the door open so I have no idea what time tey are out. They were too noisy when the door was shut and were waking the neighbours

[Gallina]

Mine get let out as soon as I am up. They would like to be let out by 6.30am at the latest now (and this will become 5.30am at the longest day), but they have to live with 7am.

 

I think it's unkind to leave hens shut up every day until after 8am at this time of year, especially when the sun is bright, and if I didn't get up early anyway I would probably consider leaving the door open all night: but you have to weigh up the risks if you do this.

[Karen & co.]

Mine are let out usually about 6.30ish, it doesn't seem to matter what time I go to bed, I still have an internal alarm, telling me to let the girls out

 

I keep thinking about leaving the door open, but wonder if they will make more noise if I do

 

Karen x

[Tulip]

Ours come out at 6.20 on working days (we leave for work at half six) and about 7-ish at weekends. It would be later but the WIR position - too close to the fence - doesn't let the door close completely so it gets quite light and they start tumbling around in the cube.

 

I have asked the architect of the WIR (aka DH) to create some kind of door-exension fix...

 

We used to leave the door open but then they started rising at 5.30am... which was fine until one morning they saw a cat at that time and all four started alarm-calling. We're a bit too near to our neighbours for that to carry on!

[Busybird]

Once sunrise gets to be before 6.15am (when my OH goes to work) we leave the Eglu door open overnight. I don't know when the girls come out of the Eglu but they are generally quiet until they see or hear human activity - then they bok bok loudly to be let out of the run into the garden.