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

[joybelle]

My seven hens have taken to make a racket at this early hour. We havebeen

woken between 5.30 and 6.30 before but never this early. There isnt a queue for

the nest and nothing amiss in the garden so I dont know why this is happening.

This is the second summer we have had the girls and never had this happen before.

They are not used to being shut away in the cube at night only on the coldest of

winter nights so I dont want to start doing this now.

I really dont know what to do now as my OH is now saying `are they really worth it`

I dont sleep too well now guess I am waiting for them to start making a noise

 

Joy x

[stoice]

My girls live in part of my shed and like yours had been relatively quiet all of last year until this summer. Don't know if it's the heat but they won't shut up and cluck really loudly at 'stupid o'clock'. I now shut them in at night. I cover the window of our shed with a curtain to block out the light and they now 'wake up' when i let them out at 6am. Some people push that till around 8am with no problem too. I'd lock them in at night for your own sleeps sake, they get to stay up till 9/10pm anyway so will be getting plenty of light during the day. Some people even cover the cube/eglu with a tarp or blanket (Making sure ventilation holes are still free) to make it even darker which seems to work. It's no extra bother to lock them in or to open them up in the morning (Plus they have a little extra fox protection)

[Poultry in Motion]

Could it be a cat or fox spooking them? Seems unusual that they'd make a racket for no reason. Ours have done on occasion, also first thing in the morning, but never made a habit of it. If it gets too much, I've gone out and they've calmed down. I just assumed it would be a fox or something at that hour because they don't tend to have such outbursts at other times of the day.

[chick wiggle]

Ours woke us at 5am last week, just the one random time but I didnt want to upset the neighbours nor indeed break my own sleep So we had some black weed suppressant material in the garage and covered the run and cube with that. Since then it has never happened again. Maybe it was just a one off but still, keeping them dark until your ready to let them out cant do any harm can it and all makes for a happy neighbourhood

[Seagazer]

One of mine has done it at just 4.05 and then nearly 5. The night after those early wake ups I shut them in the cube at night and didn't open it until 7. It doesn't happen every day but it is really embarrassing when they do do it. Its not quite the dawn chorus is it?

[Janty]

My hybrids are being little madams at the moment, waking us up at all hours. Last night I put them all in the same cube and covered it up with three huge, dark covers. That sorted them.

 

 

I've also got a first for us...a broody hybrid.

 

[teri]

covering the pen so that it stays dark works with my girls as well, although i only do it at the weekends as the neighbours are all early risers in the week and my girls stop them over sleeping!

[laurmurf]

mine are early risers - but it was my orpington that did the most decibel damage at the earliest time. I remember posting one Sunday morning in tears seeking a new home for her because we just couldn't cope with the noise and lack of sleep - so you have my sympathies!

 

by the way, she's cured now - by being broody! Temporarily cured?

[Willow]

Mine have been making a noise at 4am but it's becuase the fox is stopping by as it heads home. So I've taken to shutting the eglu doors at night AND putting the Fox Watch on.

[Guest]

we've only left the door open a cpe of times, on the hottest of nights. They're fine with the door closed.

[kevtheplumber]

mine have decided to wake us up at random times on a few occasions so i lock them up now, let them out at all differant times, this morning was 8,30 and no problems at all, one had already laid

[joybelle]

Well last night I shut them in the cube and didnt hear a sound out of them. We let them

out at 6.30 we all get up early for work. I had a job to close the door as some of them

have their faces out of the door but slowly and surely I got them in and closed the door.

I also covered the cube leaving some ventilation in the front.

So this is what will happen now, and thank you all for replying.

 

Joy x

[sandyhas3chucks]

we've only left the door open a cpe of times, on the hottest of nights. They're fine with the door closed.

\same here but I also slept downstairs with the door open too! and heard the fox, am happy t close them in again now!

BUT I have had lovely black out cover made!(for Eglu!)