reo Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hi We have our eglu cube a couple of days in use. We have the problem that our chickens (8 weeks old) don't go into the cube by themselves in the evening. We always have to catch them and carry them inside. In order to make it easier for them we built a wooden stair which reaches to the ground. Do you have any suggestions? Many thanks reo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknette Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hi Your girls are very young and just need you to point the way for a couple of nights. You could try the torch method (put a lighted torch in the cube and they will go towards the light) or just keep putting them into the cube until they do it themselves and they always do. It doesnt take long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Hi Your girls are very young and just need you to point the way for a couple of nights. You could try the torch method (put a lighted torch in the cube and they will go towards the light) or just keep putting them into the cube until they do it themselves and they always do. It doesnt take long. Hi, in a thread where someone had their 7 week old chicks in an eglu on a table with a ladder,it was advised that they're too young to be climbing to bed, you may want to consider giving them somewhere to sleep that doesn't involve a ladder whilst their legs get stronger and they grow big enough to not fall through slats/roosting bars and injure themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daxigirl Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Maybe they want to stay up a bit longer than you think they should. My babies 9 - 13 weeks (in a with a shoe rack from Ikea next to the ladder) don't put themselves to bed till 9pm and the big girls have only just gone now. It's a sorry state of affairs when you want to go to bed before the chickens . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucknette Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Hi I must just say that we had to board in the back of our ladder and add a couple of rungs to the bottom as all of my chickens had to do a balancing act to get up the ladder. They all walk up and down now instead of launching themselves off in the morning. Squiffs is right in saying they might be too young to climb such a height at the moment and will need help until they are stronger. Mine too like to stay up late. I close the cube door about 9.30 to 9.45ish and its only early summer yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 it was my eglu on the table - I've taken it off and propped the door open with a branch/perch - they all toddle in (and out again in the morning) on their own................I'm amazed how they're pre-programmed!! I've got smaller ladders in the WIR so when I see them able to go up and down these I'll try the Eglu back on the table to free up some ground space for them!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Tea Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 It's a sorry state of affairs when you want to go to bed before the chickens . Last night at 9pm I was willing mine to hurry up and go to bed so that I could Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Mine are real night owls, 10 pm last night. Oh has to wait up to shut the doors, cant wait until the nights start to pull in again(sorry!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopingforchickens Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Mine don't go to bed, they roost in the WIR. I think they would stay there all night if I didn't put them to bed, but I don't want to risk it. I'm completely shattered now but am forcing myself to stay up another half an hour to let them have a bit longer outside even though they are fast asleep cuddled up together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearls007 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 My girls are going to bed at at about 9.55pm - they WILL NOT go into the eglu before it gets dark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Chickens will not go to roost until its quite dark,so you can just leave them to it & they will be fine. Some of mine (I have a WIR) stay outside in the run all night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Chickens will not go to roost until its quite dark,so you can just leave them to it & they will be fine.Some of mine (I have a WIR) stay outside in the run all night. I have that at the moment - the 4 new girls are not yet allowed into the cube by the others I think! so the old 8 nestle up in the cube, and 3 of the ex-batts make themselves comfortable on various perches. then I have to go and find the 4th (usually Cheryl), who is always nestled in the long grass in the electric fence zone, and post her into the WIR I guess it would be about 9.45 by then, so she's quite drowsy and happy to be picked up. Every night it amazes me how hot she is, her little bald body is roasting - bad choice of word, oops just shows how much insulation those feathers give I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Rhode Island Red Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Mine usually go to sleep without any bother, but during the winter they will not accept that the evenings have gotten shorter, meaning Sir Fox is out earlier, meaning they have to go to bed earlier. I usually have to resort to picking them up and putting them into their house during the winter. Nowadays, (Summer) they go to bed at about 10pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Do chicks/young pullets go to bo-bos ealier than fully grown chickens? Mine have been going to bed 8.30-8.45 but, today, they were all tucked up by 7.45!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
