Chicken bald back

[wiganchooks]

We've had out ex-batts a month and a half now and they have refeathered well. They live in a wooden house connected to a run, on hard standing, with a plastic roof and roll-up/down plastic covers sides.

 

Each night I've been closing the door of the house (that lets them into the run) and opening it again in the morning, to keep the drafts out overnight.

 

However, we've just found out we need to be away on Thursday night and Friday day time. I'm tempted to leave them on Thurs evening with the run well stocked up with food, the plastic covers rolled down the run sides, and the house door open into the run

 

They put themselves to bed perfectly, so I'm not worried about that, also the run is very secure and on concrete so I'm fairly confident about foxes. It also looks to be a quite mild night.

 

I was expecting to do this in the summer, but do people leave the door open in November? Or should I go sweet-talk my friendly neighbour into popping in to let them out on Friday morning?

 

Sorry for the trivial question!

[chelsea]

I have left my eglu door open in the past if I have been away for 1 or 2 nights and they have been fine.

 

However, we always ask a neighbour now (cos the girls make me feel so guilty ), and they close/open the door for us and my sister comes over and checks for eggs/changes the water etc.

 

We do not have foxes, if you have foxes in the area and have nice neighbours I would ask to be honest - better to be safe than sorry.

 

Up to you though.

[beckyfitz]

I only close the eglu door for the few nights around fireworks, otherwise it stays open. Actually, I think I closed it during a really cold spell last winter but not at the moment. I'm confident my run is fox-proof & they seem fine.

[Egluntyne]

Ditto. They will be OK.

[BeckyBoo]

I never close the door - I have two that insist on roosting outside, they will be fine, they'll snuggle up together. Mine even roosted outside during all that snow last year and we didn't wake up to frozen chicken!

 

BeckyBoo

[Chook n Boo Mum]

The only thing I would say with that set up is how feathered are they .......if they are fully feathered they should be fine, if still oven-ready/threadbare I'd ask a neighbour.

 

Hope you enjoy your night away

 

Sha x

[beulah59]

We've recently started leaving our ramp down so they can get up as they please in the morning and they seem to be coping. It's certainly making our lives easier!

[docsquid]

I left the door open to start with, but since it has got a bit colder I've been closing it in the hope that they will use the roosting bars rather than the nest box. Some hope! They are still sleeping in the nest box

[Brown Betty]

I have the same sort of wooden hen house with an attatched run which is all on a concrete base that my girls stay in when I'm out rather than being free range and I don't think I've ever closed the hatch to the actual house for the 2 years we've had chickens. Mine were exbatts but they did have jumpers before their feathers grew back.

 

Only one out of my 6 use the perch, the others all squash into the 2 nesting boxes which they fill with poo over night. Mind you I don't get any eggs so I suppose its not too much of a problem.

[stoice]

With a secure WIR on slabs, I only close their door when it's really bad weather (Horizontal rain, high winds, snow etc) At first I worried but then realised that if the little wrens, robins and sparrows can survive our winters without a purpose built house to see them through it then my chooks all huddled toether would be fine.

 

I often leave them (when i have no choice) over a weekend with the door open and all their food and water topped up and they're fine. I hang up a cabbage as a bordom buster too.

[Busybird]

I have left mine overnight, with an open Eglu door in a cold January and they were fine. On the colder nights they seem to sleep in a big chickeny heap so keep each other warm

 

I close the door each night for my own peace of mind (they are more secure from predators and larger vermin) and because it suits us (my OH is a very early riser so can open the door before the chooks are fully awake).

 

I'm sure that a well fed bird with a sheltered home will be fine.

[Plum]

Is the run foxproof? That may affect your decision

[Barkisland]

I only close the door when it's really cold - ie below zero, snow or violent gales. As long as they are fox proof they will be fine.

[jomaxsmith]

I tend to close the door from Bonfire night until it it light past 6pm or so in the evening, depending on the temperatures. If we go away for the odd night in the meantime (NYE for example) I do usually leave the door open, rather than ask a neighbour to get up really early to let them out!

 

Jo

[chuckmum6]

When we are around it is my children's job to close the door, as most of the hen's are their's!

 

Since buying a cube I feel so much happier leaving them over night, as I know they are safe from Mr Fox! So I can have weekends away worry free, I wouldn't have been happy to do this when they were in their wooden run though.

 

I don't worry about them being cold as they have lovely warm feathers just like a duvet and they all huddle up together. If you are worried try putting your hand in between them when they are in bed - they are as warm as toast!

[brambles]

I've been closing my door since fireworks night. I was a little later tonight - there's a lot of wind and rain. The chooks had voted with their feet and were all piled into the nestbox as far from the open door as possible! The baybees had put themselves into the eglu by 3.30pm - an early record!

[docsquid]

I think I'm going to have to take radical action to stop overnight use of the nestbox i.e. blocking up the hole in the divider. It's costing a fortune in Hemcore as I have to change it every day due to the poo! They are getting shut in every night but I'm not always there as they get themselves into the Cube and so I may be a little while shutting the door.

 

I'm just worried I'll forget to unblock the nest box and poor old Blodwyn won't have anywhere to lay the hoped-for first egg.

[dippy bird]

I always lock mine up at night.They are in a WIR , but I am terrified that a fox could get over the top of it as it has no roof on,plus I do worry that they might be cold.Probably because I am so nesh myself!!