Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[LolaLayla]

A lot of you will know that I got 2 lovely large fowl Silkies on Sunday.They have settled in well and enjoy moving about their run and had a wander briefly in the garden yesterday. They are at present on their own in an eglu with run. The last 2 nights they have decided to settle down to sleep together in the corner of the run next to the eglu and we have had to help them in to the sleeping area. In the morning they do not rush out but seem to have difficulty negotiating the roosting bars and are very clumsy -almost falling over their feet. One laid an egg on the bars last night but sadly its end got bashed. I am wondering how others find their large Silkies ability to walk on the bars. I am persevering at the moment but think I may need to take the bars out and put bedding on the tray with some sort of barrier to stop it coming out but still allowing the door to close. I would rather not do this as eventually I want my other girls to join them and they are fine with the roosting bars etc.

Any advice please

[superkitty]

I don't have much experience with this but my two orpingtons are pretty mahoosive and after some initial issues with them tripping over the bars and seeming to struggle to get in and out on them, they seem to have got used to it now.

[keyhole kate]

I would keep encouraging them into the eglu by shining a torch in the pop hole the roosting bars may not be the issue they may just be confused as to where bed is I have a silkie pekins and frizzle who share a with my big girls who don't seem to have a problem with the roosting bars. however I have had to build them a step of four stacked bricks as the frizzle struggled getting on the first rung of the ladder

[LolaLayla]

I did try the torch on their first night but it didn't seem to encourage them. However I have just noticed one of them going into the eglu of their own accord so that is progress Glad to hear that big footed girls manage the bars.

[PhilipCaldwell]

I have a similar problem with my new chooks, and have tried the light trick to no avail, when I try to put them in myself they make a tremendous noise so I stopped as to not offend the neighboughs (sounds like Im murdering them!!!)

[emmastar]

I started off with a and it was my silkie mop who took the longest to ge usto it , when i moved them into the they stumble a bit at first while the others get in but its my evie the splash cochin who has the issues maby is the feathered feet ?feathers touching the bars in front so they stumble a bit

[Redwing]

they should be ok eventually - chances are theyve never roosted and slept on the floor in a pen/shed so the whole inside/outside concept may be too much for them at the moment

 

What you could do is take the larger roosting bar out of the Eglu and fill that space with bedding, leave the little set in and that should keep the majority of bedding back, this means they will get used to walking on a small roosting area first but have the comfort of their bedding. Let them get used to going to bed first and adjust to the situation then later you can add the other roosting bars

[LolaLayla]

Thanks for all the advice. I was going to try the partial bar removal but noticed that they seemed to be trying to go in and out more. So I thought I would give them a bit more time with all the bars. I think they must have been in a shed as suggested by Redwing but they have now mastered going into the eglu and tonight they put themselves to bed I looked in to check and they are snuggled up at the back of the eglu so all is great I just love them

[lindafw]

I have given up with my dopey aracana...the other aracana goes into the cube no problem but dopey sits on the roof. I have tried and tried since September..now I just pick her up and pop her in each night...how nice to have a slave to put you to bed

[LolaLayla]

All going really well now. They are putting themselves to bed and seem a lot happier negotiating the bars. Tonight OH went to check that they were in the eglu ok and reported back that he initially thought there was only one in the nest box but on closer examination saw 2 heads so they were very cosy in there indeed

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's good news .