Autodoor, 12V supply and power settings

[megalin]

Ok so we've had our 3 girls for 2 and a bit weeks...... They didn't have roosting bars or anything where they came from

so they just sleep on the floor! Last week I started trying to teach them how to roost by going in there at bed time

and lifting them onto the perches.

Matron (Buff orp) goes very dozey at night so generally she'll just stay where I put her but won't go up there on her own at night.... (I've only done this for 3 nights so far) The other 2 bantams just squeak and jump straight off....

Now when I go in there at night they both start squeaking straight away so I just feel guilty!

Anyone else had this problem? How long does it take to teach them?!

I would just leave them to it but they just end up sleeping in there droppings and are a bit whiffy too!

 

 

Also (sorry for the long post! questions questions....)

Matron is clearly the boss but never hurts the others and is very gentle. However, she is pretty territorial

and when I let them out in the mornings she bounds up and down the run hurtling herself at the others

like a fluffy bowling ball with a hot poker up her bum and crashing into the gate for about 5 minutes.... Then occasionally she'll start up again in the day but mainly it's first thing.

The others do come out of the main run but are sometimes chased back in..... When the others eat anything

she generally stands over them a bit ominously and wants what they're having!

Is she going crazy? I wonder if she just needs more space to stretch her legs? I want to let them into the garden but

there are foxes and I can't watch them all the time over the winter as I can't work out there....

Any ideas?

Thanks all

megalin *

[Patricia W]

Have you tried putting perches in the run? If they get used to perching in the daytime, they'll just continue at night. Having said that, some of mine like to sleep in the nest box, so I just poo pick every morning ( easy with aubious)

As for your mad chicken, she's probably just asserting her authority.

[daxigirl]

My big girls sleep in the nest box (like others I poo pick in the morning) and the littlies now sleep on the roosting bars now they're all together.

 

My Sunday is no2 in my pecking order and likes to eat she will also rush about to eat what anyone else has or try and take it off them. Lisa-Marie is no1 and does the charging about thing when I let them out in the garden, I think she's showing who's boss and rounding them up too.

[megalin]

Thanks a lot! That's what I hoped about Matron, It is terribly funny but

worrying at the same time.....

The others don't seem too fussed by her, they move out the way and carry on eating after

they've been charged so I take that as a sign of it not being too problematic.

Yes I do a daily poo pick to keep it nice, the pekin gets it all stuck to her feet so have to stay very vigilant.

Good Idea about perches in the run, get them practiced. They're so wobbly when I put

them up on them at night, I may need to sand the edges a bit more too.... I'll put some in there when it stops raining!

megalin

[Patricia W]

I use flat pieces of wood rather then round ones ( if you know what I mean!). They are about an inch and a half wide and just fit through the bars of the cube/eglu run and so don't wobble at all.

 

You could also put up a platform for them to perch on- if they are hopping around it's strengthening their leg muscles that help them perch.