Mrs

[Sam]

Helloo!

 

I'm still in the early stages of owning chickens so I'm still checking for foxes at night (despite living in a built up area and never actually seen a fox... ever!!) So I just shone my torch outside and saw all the chickens in the run!! Thought something was up so went outside and they were just bokbok'ing around the run!!?? Apart from Marmite sitting in the eglu, they were all at it!! Checked for cats/foxes/rats but nothing!!!??? Really weird so I waited for them to go back in and locked them in their cook... just to be safe. Anyone else had any experiences like this?! Doesn't help that it's really chucking it down.. makes it all the more eerie Or maybe I'm just a bit wussy...

[bouldercroft]

I had a similar experience a few weeks ago - I got home late at 8pm ish and Korma would coming running out of the before I had chance to shut the door - she was wide awake and ready to party! This continued for 3 nights but it hasn't happened since.

[Chickybaby]

Sometimes I find a couple of mine out and about after hours. I often wonder if a cat has scared them because we do get some in our garden after the mice. They are always quiet though, I only know they are out because the sensor light goes on so I automatically get up to check they are ok.

[doctors girls]

10pm that is early, we went out a couple of weeks ago and left the house at 7.30pm and still had 2 chucks in the run so we could not lock them up but would do it when we came back only to find at 12.30am one of the chucks was still out in the run pecking away and when we shut the car door another one came out but we have noticed that when they hear the car door and they are in their eglu they come out that is because my wife gets home around 5.30pm they hear the car door and they no it is treat time and they think what is it going to be today pasta,meal worms or a hand full of mixed corn

john

[oneyolktoanother]

ours went through a stage of doing this, in the winter i shut the coop doors but in the summer i keep them open as the run is very secure but just before i go to bed i'll have a check and if there out in the run i'll get them in

[Redwing]

Light from an outside light or a room at the rear of the house may well give enough light for them to come out in the run

 

Perhaps switch the lights off at the back of the house ten mins before you go and shut the Eglu, you'll probably find that they will be in roosting then

[kerryegg]

One of mine comes out what ever time it is if the eglu is open. I end up creeeping around the garden then dashing into the run to close the eglu before she sees me. Good point about outside lights. They all come out if that is on.

[WitchHazel]

They don't see at ll well in the dark. so i may also be that they come out because of a light and then can't find their way back inside.

[BocBoc]

Ours do it occasionally - only when the outside light is left on for a period of a few minutes. As soon as we turn it off they go back to bed. So my verdict is = normal behaviour!

[Sam]

Thanks for all the advice! Our lights at the back of the house were all off, so it must have been a neighbours, can't think of anything else! Probably just fancied a late night party !! Did worry me though,thought they could have been spooked by a fox!!