Basset Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 Hi, I've been leaving the eglu door open all the time lately and this has worked really well. Thinking ahead to the impending colder weather, I'm not sure if it would be best to start shuting the door at night to keep the girls warm and snug, or if I could carry on leaving it open (maybe just shutting it in really bad weather). What do you think? J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 If you train the chooks to push the door open, you can leave it pushed to, but not locked, which should be OK. To do this, start with a quarter open, then each night shut a bit further, so they are learning to push, which means they still have the independence to get up before you go to them. I've been doing this as I need them to be semi independent sometimes (if son is chooksitting ) but leaving the door completely open makes them far too over excited and noisy. At 5am (Although I left it fully open for a week in the summer & hoped the neighbours didn't notice ) I don't feel there's much difference weather-wise between locked and pushed to...I may just in an extreme storm...or Nov.5th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 If you train the chooks to push the door open, you can leave it pushed to, but not locked, which should be OK. This is all very interesting to me,who has just got back into the nice warm dry house after a 7am jaunt in the rain to open the Eglu door! The weekdays are not too bad as Hubby is up & about really early & opens it up, but no-one is around on the weekends until after 8.30, & I feel guilty leaving them shut in. I will start the Eglu Door Opening Training right away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleHen Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 After reading various posts on here about this topic, I never locked the Eglu door. We got our chooks 2 weeks and 3 days ago, and without even keeping the door partly open, they had taught themselves to get out within a week . So I'm sure it won't take long . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basset Posted September 25, 2005 Author Share Posted September 25, 2005 Thanks Sheila, What a good idea, I'm going to start the training straight away, so that during the winter they can have a shut door and a bit of independence. Many thanks, J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Nurse Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 I'm also trying the "Door Ajar' assault course for the first time tonight - with the evenings drawing in I want to shut the Ladies in before I go to work, but I sometimes don't get home until after 9am if it's been busy at work, so I am trying to foster an element of independence...... This could all go horribly wrong, and I could well be summoned from my bed by aggrieved squarking at daybreak....still, they've got a couple of nights to get the hang of it - not back at the infirmary until Tuesday night.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheilaz Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 Good luck, Andy! Good luck Jacqueline! It is a very useful method.....I learnt it here on the forum from our moderators! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Nurse Posted September 25, 2005 Share Posted September 25, 2005 Thanks, Sheila - If I'm up playing doorman at 5am I'll post a msg, so you know it hasn't quite gone to plan...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 I tried this last night & came across a problem. My Eglu door won't stay open ajar, only fully stuck out or it swings shut! However, I went out at 7am opened it ajar,& called them & they all barged out! One other problem - one of mine (Rosie) is an early layer. I am concerned that the Eglu door will swing shut with her in the run,& she won't be able to get into her nesting box. Hubby has suggested putting some sort of stop on the door,to prop it open. Has anyone else tried this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbowyer Posted September 26, 2005 Share Posted September 26, 2005 Presumably if you put a rubber doorstop in the doorway, you could prop it open permanently at whichever angle you want. My Eglu hasn't arrived yet, so I can't really tell how that might work, but I can tell you that hens will try to squeeze through the smallest gap (as long as their heads fit, they seem to assume that the rest of them will follow!), so as long as you leave enough of a gap that they can put their heads through, they'll be able to get back in to lay. However, if the worst happens and they get shut out, they'll be OK laying in the run for a day. Occasionally our hens used to get accidentally shut out in the garden, and we had to play "hunt the eggs" afterwards - in hedgerows, dust-baths, in the middle of the lawn, deep inside a prickly bush - anywhere really. They seemed not to mind it, but there's always the danger that they'll discover eggs are made of food... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Isn't the whole point of a locking door to keep out preditors at night, rats etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Just to let you all know that I put a bit of bark in the doorway, so it was open about 1.5 inches, & after 2 days of intensive chicken training,this morning they pushed their way out. I did stick my head out the window & call them....but I am pretty pleased with them for doing this anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popcorn Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 They know their names! - Brilliant!! I had to laugh at Thelma yesterday, as we have a bit of old gate blocking a gap to prevent them escaping to the top end of the garden. The gate has slats of wood with 6 inch gaps between each one. Thelma was trying for a good 10 minutes to get her body to follow her head through the gap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 They know their names! - Brilliant!! If only Gina I just call them "chickens" & make a clucking sound & they respond to that! God knows what the neighbours thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 We have a 'back lane' access road between our row of terraces and the ones backing on to us in the next road, and all the kids play here. They have all at some time been in to visit the hens and have eggs - I can't go out the back way now if I'm in a hurry because I get hijacked by kids wanting a visit Anyway, now that word has spread (and put an end to arguements in one house opposite about whether the wife could hear the hens that the husband swore he could hear, but she told him not to be daft........ ), I keep being stopped by complete strangers and asked if I am the 'chicken lady' . I think word has spread round the local school. At least I'm called the chicken lady and not some variation on 'crazy old woman' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted September 28, 2005 Share Posted September 28, 2005 Isn't the whole point of a locking door to keep out preditors at night, rats etc? In our experience the run keeps predators out fine, the Eglu door is more for warmth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak29 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 i'm definately going to train them, starting tonight, i really fancy a lie in, when do everyones elses darlings awake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak29 Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 i'm definately going to train them, starting tonight, i really fancy a lie in, when do everyones elses darlings awake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 Mine are up and about 4am, so the door is left ajar. The earliest they got up this summer was 2.45am Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryn Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 We have been leaving the door ajar so they can push their way out in the morning but the door then shuts back after them so they can't get back into the Eglu to lay. We're going away for 5 days so will probably get the neighbour to leave the door fully open all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffymuppet Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 We have been leaving the door ajar so they can push their way out in the morning but the door then shuts back after them so they can't get back into the Eglu to lay. We're going away for 5 days so will probably get the neighbour to leave the door fully open all the time. We have a similar problem. Early one morning last week, when I woke up I could hear a chicken squawking. When I looked outside I could see Princess Layer in the run on her own - and it was her making the noise, which is very unusual. I pelted outside in my jammies to see what was happening and it looks as though Princess Layer had let herself out and then managed to shut the door behind her so that Hen Solo was stuck inside. The squawking was because she was all on her own - Hen Solo sometimes makes the same noise when the Princess goes inside to lay. Normally they both get out and then manage to shut it behind them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Isn't the whole point of a locking door to keep out preditors at night, rats etc? Also, I thought that the design of the Eglu was such that it keeps cooler in warmer weather and warmer in cooler weather. Surely that only happens if the door is closed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 All summer I have had the eglu door open and just shut the run up at night. I will start "training" the girls this weekend to open the door if it's ajar as that would make my life much easier! I don't want them to get cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
