CharLeila Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Hi, we are new to chicken keeping and the Omlet world. We have just taken delivery of our new Cube and 2 girls and are looking for some advice. I have been reading quite a lot on the website and forum and am finding it difficult to find straights answers. Would a light on a timer switch in the cube be a good idea in the winter months? I have straw in the nesting box, do I need to put some over the roosting bars too? (More insulation?). I've read that other peoples roosting bars are at different heights, mine only seem to be at one. Is this right or do chickens prefer to have different height bars? I'm thinking of making a chipped bark area for my girls, is this a good idea or is it better to keep them on grass and move the cube every week? It seems that I have a different drinker to everyone else. Mine is quite big and has 3 nipples on the bottom which the hens peck at to drink. The problem is, is that the nipples are made of metal and are freezing during the daytime (I take it in at night). We are planning on going away tomorrow (Tuesday) and coming back on thursday, will my girls be ok if they only have the water on the grass or snow? Sorry for such a long post but as I said, we are new to this and would like to get it right from the beggining and keep our girls happy. Happy Christmas and Thanks Sam & Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky1 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Hi Sam & Paul I'll answer as best I can. We all had to learn and you'll pick it up pretty quickly Would a light on a timer switch in the cube be a good idea in the winter months? The point of the light during the winter is to extend the day length so that the chickens continue to lay. The chickens don't get any other benefit from it. I prefer them to have a break from laying on the colder months. I have straw in the nesting box, do I need to put some over the roosting bars too? (More insulation?). You don't need any more insulation on the roosting bars. You'll find that the gals are as warm as toast wrapped in their own individual duvets and the eglu is double skinned. You might in the future move away from straw from the nest box lots of peeps on here use horse bedding, we use shredded paper. I've read that other peoples roosting bars are at different heights, mine only seem to be at one. Is this right or do chickens prefer to have different height bars? That would be on different designs of houses. The chucks might prefer it but they don't need it. One level is fine. I'm thinking of making a chipped bark area for my girls, is this a good idea or is it better to keep them on grass and move the cube every week? Woodchip (from B&Q) tends to be the run cover of choice rather than bark but you'll need to cover the run from the rain - IKEA shower curtains are the latest bargain tip for that. What's best? Depends on your circumstances, time available, size of garden, etc. Pretty soon any patch of grass the chucks have access to is going to be a mud patch this time of year and given the temperature even if you move the house the grass probably won't recover until the spring. It seems that I have a different drinker to everyone else. Mine is quite big and has 3 nipples on the bottom which the hens peck at to drink. The problem is, is that the nipples are made of metal and are freezing during the daytime (I take it in at night). We are planning on going away tomorrow (Tuesday) and coming back on thursday, will my girls be ok if they only have the water on the grass or snow? That's a super glug. The chucks really do need access to fresh water. If only the nipples freeze you can lower the glug so that they can drink from the top, although the little darlings will tend to foul the water. One other idea was a light bulb in a biscuit tin under the water - bit of trial and error required here I'm afraid, hot enough to stop freezing, cool enough not to melt the plastic glug. I hope that this has been of some use to you. Best of luck. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Hi, we are new to chicken keeping and the Omlet world. We have just taken delivery of our new Cube and 2 girls and are looking for some advice. I have been reading quite a lot on the website and forum and am finding it difficult to find straights answers. Would a light on a timer switch in the cube be a good idea in the winter months? Most of us don't bother with this as it isn't really natural and has a bit of a battery farm feel to it. I have straw in the nesting box, do I need to put some over the roosting bars too? (More insulation?). I would use an alternative bedding as straw is cold and non absorbent. It gets claggy and smelly, especially in this weather. I recommend Aubiose. I've read that other peoples roosting bars are at different heights, mine only seem to be at one. Is this right or do chickens prefer to have different height bars? In traditional wooden housing the perches tend to be at different heights......but not always. The bars in the cube are designed to be at the same height and work well. No need to adjust. I'm thinking of making a chipped bark area for my girls, is this a good idea or is it better to keep them on grass and move the cube every week? I would have them on wood chippings, (not bark). Moving the cube every week is a bit of a hassle, and realistically, unless you have a huge garden, it won't recover quickly enough. It seems that I have a different drinker to everyone else. Mine is quite big and has 3 nipples on the bottom which the hens peck at to drink. The problem is, is that the nipples are made of metal and are freezing during the daytime (I take it in at night). We are planning on going away tomorrow (Tuesday) and coming back on thursday, will my girls be ok if they only have the water on the grass or snow? They need access to fresh water at all times. Can you ask a neighbour to top the water up with some hot water from a watering can a couple of times a day whilst you are away? If the nipples continue to freeze, it might be worth lowering the drinker so that they can access the water from the top. Sorry for such a long post but as I said, we are new to this and would like to get it right from the beggining and keep our girls happy. Happy Christmas and Thanks Sam & Paul Hope that helps. Welcome to the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The others have answerede all the questions, but may I suggest that you get a gravity drinker like this Rather than a nipple drinker? The nipples are always getting clogged or freezing. In the cold weather i have been putting a warm Snuggle Safe under the drinker during the day and takig it all in at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Roosting bars should always be at the same height so dont panic, if you have different levels then chickens can bicker for the top spots Welcome to the world of chicken keeping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharLeila Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 thank you very much everybody, all info taken on board. I have made a wood chip area that my cube sits on and the girls seem to like rooting about for meal worms and other s"Ooops, word censored!"s. I probably will change to a different material for the nesting box but I have a bale of straw to get through first. Thanks again Sam, Paul, Charlie & Leila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Hi, hopefully all your questions have been answered, just wanted to say Hi and welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Looks like all your questions have been answered, but welcome to keeping chickens. We got ours in October, and they are so much part of the family. We've had family visiting just to see the chickens over Christmas! I bought an ordinary glug for them as well as the superglug - they like the superglug but when it is freezing it isn't much use. I use Hemcore, which is very similar to Aubiose, in the nest box, to line the poo trays (dries out the poo and makes it much easier to clean the trays) and also on the base of the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 You can always use the straw bale for them to perch on outside in the run rather than as a bedding material! Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
