Elderly cat breathing difficulties when purring

[Patricia W]

We've had 3 problems with our trio of Polands since we got them a year ago.

 

1 they won't use the eglu nest box to lay eggs but have set up a nest in an overgrown part of the garden in the midst of nettles and brambles ( kept like this for the butterflies, you understand *cough*)

 

2 they don't like going to bed at night, preferring to roost on the back of a garden bench so they have had to be tempted by treats into the run first which is a pain when we go away for a day or so and neighbours look after them.

 

3 Because we have a cockerel, we have to cover the eglu with black material, compost bags, carpets etc to keep him dark and quiet until a reasonable hour ( the neighbours say they love hearing him, but we don't want to test them too far).

 

Well, we got a cube 2 weeks ago and happily report that it has solved the first two problems completely - without us trying. Wonderful! They love going to bed so much now that last night Phillip put himself to bed at 7, leaving the 2 girls having a dustbath and then having to climb over him to get in! And this morning, wonder of all wonders, I found 2 eggs in the nestbox!!! So no more scratches, nettles and mud!

 

However, the problem we are left with is that Phillip is crowing ever earlier despite being covered up in the same way as before. I think it is just too easy for him to stand up and it probably is lighter in there than the eglu. Still, we'll soldier on........... I'm just wondering if we have something even blacker than black..... And I think I'll try keeping him up longer .....

 

But I'd recommend the cube to anyone - 2 out of 3 not bad!

 

Tricia

[Egluntyne]

Someone on the forum recently recommended blackout curtaining.

 

Might be worth a try.

[atsw]

I'd recommend the cube to anyone!

Hi Tricia, great to read the new Cube is working out so well. Fingers crossed they keep to the new bed time routine and the girls continue to lay eggs in the nest box . As the nights start to draw in I'm sure Philip the cockerel will adopt more sociable crowing hours.

 

What are you going to do with your two, *cough*, spare Eglu's?

 

Andrew

[Patricia W]

Hi Andrew - One eglu has two of Phillip's daughters in - and hopefully we are picking up 2 8/9 week old silver laced Polands in a couple of weeks to join the flock which will occupy the other. However, that one is free till then if it helps? And, once I can integrate the two daughters into the cube, we will have another spare -but we are going very slowly with that so not sure when ( this accommodation lark is complicated!)

 

Egluntine, we have the blackout material - it just seems to have stopped working on the cube. However, today I kept him in the dark till 8.30 before I let him out and I stopped him going to bed till 8. I'm hoping to shift his " day" forward to a more acceptable time. Fingers crossed for tomorrow morning!

[Patricia W]

Well, he crowed ( 8 times) at 5.40am, then total utter bissful silence till 7.30 - on the dot.

So the task now is to work out what prompted the early call.

 

But we are making progress, and it is such a luxury to just open an egg port to get the eggs. No more brambles, stings, mud! No more worries about chickens going to bed.... I think I need a car sticker to say " I love cubes" !

[quickcluck]

We are using this to cover ours and its Grrrrrrrrrrreat!!!

 

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/6500834/Trail/searchtext>PATIO+COVER.htm

[Patricia W]

The link doesn't work for me - but I get the idea! I'll get the Argos catalogue out.

[Falkor]

I found that when I first moved my girls from the into the they woke and made a racket a lot earlier than normal. Even with a cover. It took about 2 weeks for them to calm down and get used to it. I nearly had a meltdown in the first week as it was nippy out in the garden at 6am early spring!!!!

 

I think the acoustics must be better in the cube as they were SO loud.

 

Now they are in a covered cube and are still happily snoozing at 7.30 when I go out to let them out

 

I hope your little man quietens down soon!

[Patricia W]

It's either that or he's back in an eglu! But he won't want to be separated from his girls so we'll persevere. I can call into Argos on the way home

[Patricia W]

Well, fingers crossed. Yesterday was 7.02am and this morning 8.05! We kept him up to achieve this as well as making sure it was very dark in the cube. ( I have a horrible sense of deja vu- I'm sure we did this with our babies too....Not in a cube of course. )

 

Tomorrow is Sunday morning. He went to bed at 8.30.....

 

Tricia