Chicken bald back

[alisontaylor]

Hi everyone,

 

Just after some tips/advice.

My 2 bantams will not go back to the eglu at night in the winter. We have had them since August and in the summer they happily strolled back to eglu at night. All winter they free range and then snuggle up outside the house on a bench near our kitchen (even when dark and "Ooops, word censored!"ody in the house, so no lights on).

 

I have to carry them back down to the eglu every night.

They don't even go back in when the weather is bad.

 

I have had to keep them in the run when the weather has been really bad and hoped this may condtion them but it hasn't.

 

don't think they can see where they are going to get back in.

Any tips to get them back to bed.

 

 

Thanks

Alison x

[Patricia W]

I'm in my sixth year of keeping bantams and have come to the conclusion that many of them instinctively prefer to roost outside, as high as they can get, rather than go into an eglu. When I had mine in an eglu, I had perches in the run and two of them always slept there. Now they are in a cube, and three out of six spend each night outside on a perch. It's only in the very, very coldest weather that they go in. In the summer, they all fly up into a magnolia tree to roost every night. As that's not as secure as a run, I end up plucking my new "flowers" each night and returning them (complaining) to the cube nest box!

 

If you do want to get them to go into the eglu, I find a torch shining in the doorway helps as they go towards the light. Good luck!

[alisontaylor]

Thank you that is helpful to know that it might be a bantam thing. I am happy to carry them in at night as they aren't roosting high enough to be out of danger at night. I have tried a torch but it made no difference have to put them in. Was thinking they might be a bit "special" as they haven't laid eggs either yet, but hoping that is due to winter.

 

Thank you x

[Patricia W]

Wait till arounf Valentine's Day. From then onwards is usually when they start laying.