Unsecure chicken perches

[ValerieR]

Have only had the eglu since Sunday and so far my DH is opening the door at 7.30am when he is having his breakfast. I sleep a bit later! At the weekend I will need to get up and do it so do I need to set my alarm do you think? What time do you folks open the door? Can being a responsible chicken owner mean I can never languish in bed with a hangover again?!?!

[Janty]

My girls who are locked in at night usually get released at 6 to 6.30 in the morning as I'm getting ready for school, etc. However, in the school hols they get let out at 7 to 7.30 on average. I have to confess though that I forgot about the second run this morning and didn't let the pekins out until 9.15. They didn't seem to mind except for Popcorn who was in a nowty mood all day.

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Until my girls took to sleeping outdoors, my OH opened the door about 6.30 on weekdays but it was often a lot later at the weekends . They always seemed fine but there was a big rumpus when they heard us coming .

 

You could always leave the door open Fri/Sat night .

[ali-s]

I am opening the Eglu and cube doors at 5.30 am at the moment. As I approach the Eglu and cube I can hear the chickens pushing at the doors desperate to be let out. I normally leave the doors open but the novelty of sliding my new cube door open and closed has not worn off yet In a couple of months we will only get 3 hours of true darkness at night here and the chickens will be out and about as early as 3am, the doors will be left open then as I am not setting my alarm that early.

[Egluntyne]

I leave the doors open. I get up at 6.30am and the hens are already up, washed, dressed and going about their business.

[scarlettohara]

I've jut opened mine (7 am) as Treacle has had a cold but plan to leave the door open when I get my as I'm still wary after the fox attack

[woffle]

Usually some time between 4am and 5:30am dependent on what time I'm heading off to work and maybe 6:30 at weekends. This morning it was nearer 5:30 and George our cockerel was already in full voice in the cube by the time I went down to open the door. It must have been pretty loud in there for the poor girls sat next to him!

[Chucky Mama]

About 7.30 here but over the holidays we have been leaving the door open so that we can have a lie in.

[Alis girls]

As a new mum I let them out at 6.40 this am. I expect torpaedo powered chucks but they strolled out as if to say "oh hello you again"

[JanTheDiver]

I have left the cube door open all night since the the middle of March and they are perfectly happy. I have been up at 5.30am and they are already up, so I reckon they are getting up about 5am.

 

I will shut it at night only when it gets really cold again.

 

They seem more relaxed to be able to come & go as they please

[Falkor]

oooh you lot are early risers aren`t you!

 

My lot get let out between 7 and half past. It took a little training last summer to get them used to this but I didn`t appreciate the egg announcements at 5.30am so I am sure the neighbours didn`t either!

 

If I know we are off out in the evening and I might be a little delicate the next morning I will leave the cube door open so they can get themselves up.

[Space Chick]

I always leave the doors open so they can get themselves up. When I let the dog out at 5.45am this morning, about half were up and the other half were obviously still having a lie in

[MedusA]

I leave my cube door open all year round. The only exceptions are during extremely cold temperatures or fierce winds. The girls can come and go as they please. In the summer, they are up around 3.30 - 4 am (I realised this when I had a hot, sleepless night and went out for some fresh air). I'm sure you won't want to be up and letting them out at that time?

[Chunky_Monkey]

We leave the door open so they can get up when they want to. I imagine they're up quite early, as I have heard rather loud egg announcements at about 6:30AM on some days. We open the run door for them depending on the amount of light outside - it's around 7:00AM at the moment.

[C&T]

We tend to leave the dorr open, unless they are going through a phase of being noisy in the morning, when they are firmly shut in until 7 or 7.30 - OH is an early riser so he is the one to let them out! Doesn't take too many nights of being locked in before the door can be left opened again, as they seem to shut up again.

 

They are in a sheltered spot, so rarely get shut in for any other reason, as the wind/rain etc cannot affect them too much where they are.

[chicken bark]

I let them out at 7.30 when I get up. They seem quite happy to wait for me and don't seem to be making too much noise. Last summer I looked after a neighbours chickens for a bit. I soon learned that they seem to like routine and 8.30am was not an acceptable getting up time on an August morning.

[Mollie333]

Normally, myself of my Dad will get up early and let the chickens out, usually my dad..

at around 7am, but today i got up at 8am and the chickens were making such a racket! you could tell the neighbours were like this.. expecailly with the turkey and everything yapping away.

[Guest]

I open my chooks doors at around 7:30 am on weekdays but on the weekend and holidays they are let out when im up and they got used to it. I know people say they should be let out early but it is routine Im not a late rising teenager but it is around 9:00 am or 10:00 am.

[Roobaloo]

Between 6 - 7am..

 

Overslept today and didn't get out til 7:30am....and there was a LOT of disgruntled noise coming from behind the red door...

[ValerieR]

Thanks for all the replies. I saw an automatic door opener on a poultry supplies site - pity it wouldnt work on an eglu!

Val