Britannia Ovens (esp Range cookers) your experience

[kinsk]

I told you I'd be asking daft questions! So far two have sprung to mind.

 

1) locking the hens in the eglu at night, does it not matter that there is no water available in the eglu overnight? Do they just tend to drink during the day?

 

2) Perching - I have read that a lot of ex bats don't know how to perch at first and can take a while to get the hang of it. With getting 3 hens and the eglu only having 1 nesting box and the rest perches does this cause them problems at first?

 

Okay there's 3

 

3) getting them to go in at night, in the omlet leaflet it says if you put a torch in the eglu when it goes dark the chickens will automatically follow the light and head in. Does this work? As the only alternative I can see is scrabbling around on my hands and knees in the run.

[Redwing]

Not daft questions at all

 

No water is needed overnight

 

The roosting bars come out of the Eglu so you can just fill the tray with bedding for the birds to snuggle in then add the bars back as they adjust to life in general

 

I'd get your birds as late in the day as possible and put them in the Eglu after dark, if they come out of it in the morning they know where it is for night time otherwise it may be a hands and knees excercise the first night

[JS1]

From my limited experience:

 

1. They're fine overnight with no water

2. My three ex-batts sleep pretty much on top of each other in the nesting box

3. They tend to take themselves to bed when it's dark - I shut them in the run when it's twilight (tempt them in with a treat!) then pop out when it's properly dark to lock them away. First night, I 'posted' them in the egg port!

 

Our answers crossed Redwing, but are slightly different so I'll post them anyway!

[kinsk]

Thanks, you replies answer a lot!

 

First night, I 'posted' them in the egg port!

 

 

that was the only way I could think of doing it, or detaching the run.

[Redwing]

A bamboo cane poked through the mesh can be used gently to herd chooks

[Christian]

...or a mop, or in my case a 'swiffer'

[Chook n Boo Mum]

.......but the torch does work.......sometimes it doesn't, but in my experience it does !

 

Good luck

 

Sha x

[beulah59]

I've used the torch twice now, with new hens ... works perfectly

[kinsk]

Right will definitely give the torch a go.

 

They wont be getting home till 5ish on Saturday evening so will put them straight into the eglu and leave them in till Sunday morning then see how we go sunday night with the torch method.