Used Omlet outdoor rabbit run Width 2.2m Height 2.05m Length 3.1m vgc.

[Forge Cottage]

Our girls free range in the evenings outside their electric fence, then as dusk approaches, make their own way in, almost straight to bed.

 

When they were a bit younger, they sometimes left it a bit late to see where the door at the end of the wire run was. So they would miss the entrance, wander outside the wire towards the eglu, then stand about confused and complaining! We never placed them in, but sometimes opened the egg hatch and shone a torch inside the house as a beacon, which worked a treat within seconds. They are quite expert now!

 

Gertie is our Zebedee... and when she says 'Time for Bed' (currently about 9pm), they follow. But Mabel often dawdles after, so we keep an eye open for Mr Fox and close them in as soon as the last tail disappears.

 

Yes, ours are terrified of mops and sweeping brushes for some reason, but it has not come to that yet!

[sezra]

We never placed them in, but sometimes opened the egg hatch and shone a torch inside the house as a beacon, which worked a treat within seconds!

 

I have heard that about the torch, maybe I will give that a try. Or I might just leave it til later and see if they take themselves in. I just seem to want them in bed up by 9.30pm, maybe its so I feel that my children and chickens are tucked up and I can chill out for the rest of the evening!

[midori]

I had the opposite problem at first, my pullets were reluctant to come out of the house, even into the run!

 

Now mine free range all day if I am in. If it's too cold to sit outside in the evenings, we usually sit in the kitchen in the evening where we can see them out of the window and they eventually go in between 9 and10pm. If we can't supervise them in the evenings, we pop them in their run about 7.30 and let them go to bed themsleves, then pop out later to shut the henhouse door. Our run isn't completely foxproof (we are about to build a WIR though) but our dogs would go ballistic if a fox came into the garden and it would never have enough time to get in the run before we got outside.

[ISCA]

Mine are currently taking themselves off to bed at about 9.30. The pop hole is set to shut at 10 pm. After a shakey start in the first week, they soon got the hang of where to go after using the torch trick!

[sezra]

I had to go out last night and didnt get back until 10.30. When I got home I went to put them to bed and my OH said he had done it! Apparently they had all gone in apart from Tallulah (the youngest) and she soon popped into the eglu when he went in the run. They are either getting the hang of it or it was because they were left later. Either way, success!

 

I expect I will be back to chasing them in tonight!

[honorandkit]

Ours took themselves to bed early last night - fed up with the rain, I think.

 

My over-enthusiastic daughter woke me up at 6am because she wanted to let them out this morning. I managed to hold off until 6.45am...at which time, they rushed out of the house as if they'd been starved for days!

[sezra]

My over-enthusiastic daughter woke me up at 6am because she wanted to let them out this morning.

I have one of these! Although my 11 year old wants to let them free range even though I have told her we are waiting until friday when I am not childminding! I have explained that I don't want the pressure of looking after 10 excited children and 4 excited chickens all running around the garden at the same time!

 

Anyway, success on the bedtime front! I have just been out (10pm) and they had already gone to bed, bless! Just locked them in.

[Forge Cottage]

I was once told that if one stays out late after dusk and gets locked out by mistake, they NEVER do it again...

[Blue-DiamondChick07]

If my girls take themselves to bed at dusk, I open the coop and do a head count just in case. My ex-batts need to put in the main run and they eventually goto bed

[Millie-Annie]

My three new ex-batts took themselves off to bed tonight without any fuss, which is more than can be said for Millicent, who has to be put to bed and Marigold who always gets up when I put Millicent to bed.

[oldbird]

My 3 girlies - Tulip , Gert & Daisy GNR's, are just the same - they all seem to sort of go in and out several times just before 10pm when they all decide to go inside Eglu & I can shut them in safely. They arrived + Eglu Classic on Friday and I am absolutely besotted with them! Tulip (headgirl) has already sat on my lap & the other 2 allow themselves to be picked up without any bother. Have started supervised FR, as I too couldn't wait the recommended week. Am looking forward to first eggs. BTW, how do you use Smilies, when I click on them they don't appear, just , or etc. What am a doing wrong?

 

LOL have just realised smilies appear after message has been posted - well I am a pensioner LOL!!

[jnb]

My over-enthusiastic daughter woke me up at 6am because she wanted to let them out this morning.

I have one of these!

 

I have a wee boy and a wife who both seem to love having the chickens and yet somehow it's still my job to get up at 6 and feed and water the birds and let them out. How'd that happen?

 

Bedtime's a bit easier, they all seem to find they way back from the garden to the hen house by late dusk. Only problem is that without opening up the hen house I can't be certain they're all in before I close the pophole and run.