Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[LuckysMum]

Fancy Pauls going to love those pictures. He's out putting the last touches and new gate on the chicken coop. Apparently when I dropped the brick it broke my toe. So I'm not much help to him and I'm a bit slow getting about. Love the horses.

Satay Clever Fancy a gorgeous egg.

Teila I hope the dog has a good outcome. Sad he must be missing his family.

 

[User395221]

Potato chip, It's nice to see how much your girls have grown! Marcy does have a dinosaur like face, all the better to terrorize those poor mealworms with

They grew a lot after 12 weeks, I don't know whether Luckysmum's silkies would show the same growth, but I think they'll still be growing?

 

[Chook Newby]

I'd say block off the nest box if possible, and put in new perches, or adjust them. I agree, the bottom one is too low, I had one on my old kit coop that was way too high and too far back for standard sized chooks. Those kit manufacturers need to do some actual product testing with real chickens. Natural perches are usually the best for feet though, see if you can saw some large branches to fit and secure them from the outside with long screws. Or do the same with the ones you have, though maybe they're not wide enough for their tastes, perhaps that's why? Chickens can be fussy over the strangest things. Mine go through phases, sometimes the perch is where it's at, other times the nest boxes. Another thing is once it's dark, move two of them out of the nest box where they're squashed, onto the perches or other areas of the coop.

Those are my suggestions, hope if gives you some food for thought




Originally Posted by sjturner79

Well with that design I'm not surprised. The bottom perch is to low and a bit thin. The top perch is far to thin for most chicks to be comfortable sleeping on. For them to roost comfortably you really want a 5cm round or 4 cm flat perch about 3/4 of the way between where those 2 are, after taking both those out.

Thanks Fizzybelle and sjturner79. Even though I'm new to chickens I did think that the perches were too low and they were square as well which I have been told are not good for their feet. I went out with my son and cut up some branches from the side of the road but I dont think they are good enough either. I will find some new branches and secure them properly to the side of the coop

 

[satay]

Hooray!! first eggs are always a super proud moment. I've got two who should start laying soon that are keeping me in suspense >_<

Such a cute egg, any pics of Fancy? I loooooove d'uccles!

She's still out celebrating but these are some younger ones of her and appps. I'll try to get a better one tomorrow. Fancy at the back in the bottom pic.

 

[Teila]

So, Braxton [yep, I found out his name] who I guessed to be about 2 years old is 18 months old and actually lives on the main road, one street back from us. His owner is overseas at the moment but the flat mate picked him up from the Vet this afternoon .. great news and you never know, I might just see him again one day.

Chook Newby please do not take this as a criticism, it is simply my experience. Dusty used to sleep in the nest box and I let her go but it turns out that she would have preferred to roost. The roost was just not suitable which I found out when we added the second kit coop and she started roosting. While Cilla was 'making do' Dusty apparently was not going to

I agree that your branch falling has probably caused them to lose trust in it and as you rightly point out, some kit coops have the roosts way too low.

Blocking off the nest box is a good idea once you have a suitable roost. My gals have always used a circular roost without issue but then they are bantams.

Tee hee potato chip I love the description of your stray look-a-like

Sorry to hear that your toe is broken LuckysMum

satay I love that Fancy is still partying

lol

 

[User395221]

Tee hee potato chip I love the description of your stray look-a-like

She's such a grot. She had a bath on Saturday and she's already grey in colour.

I'm glad Braxton got back home. I hope he doesn't make a habit of escaping, if he lives on a main road.

 

[Anniebee]

Sounds like you are taking all the measures necessary .

Paul will like these.

HENS' TEETH ??? .... THAT RAREST OF FINDS, IF EVER. !!! Aaarrrggghhhh !!!

I have to ask, although I doubt the reply would be affirmative ..... but ya never know.

Q : Is that gorgeous dog with all those little chickens around about him/her, that you posted - your own dog ? You take such fantastic photographs, it well could be yours.

Just had to ask.

 

[Anniebee]

Good morning everybody

I have a question that I'm hoping someone might be able to help me with...
When my girls go to bed at night, they all huddle on top of each other in one of the nesting boxes (yes all four of them in one nesting box!)

They have roosts that are low in the coop (poor design by the manufactuer I think) but they won't sit on them. I did prop up a branch higher for them and they will get up there but then they just end up piling on top of each other in the nesting box. I have to admit I haven't secured the branch up high and it has fallen which may have scared them a bit.

When I let them out during the day, they find places to roost on some of my outdoor furniture and on pot plants so I know they can roost and know that they should be doing it.

On the outdoor furniture and pot plants;





They are about 6 months old now and I thought they would have been well and truely roosting at night properly by now. Maybe they do it when Im not watching.... I just dont know.... below is picture of them up on the branch and you can also see the lower roosts which I think have been stupidly placed. I would love and welcome and advise not only on why my chickens are not roosting but also on my coop design based on what you can see in the picture

(oh BTW, no they not eggs in there, they are fakes

)

Hello Chook Newby .... I seriously would not worry about whether they are roosting or not. It took my two big girls ( Mandy Welsummer and Molly RIR ) 2 years to learn to roost, and they did that for a whlle in summer, but have returned to their 'nesting box' to scrabble around every night, much clawing and thudding noises, while trying to obtain the most preferred position, to sleep. They ? lay on straw in front of the nesting box. Nesting boxes are not for eggs, only for cuddling and being warm ( according to my two whoppers ).

My little girl Mindy Araucana, however, has never done anything other than roost at night. She would be seriously lost with her roost. However, despite the fact that she has a nesting box of straw, which she regularly kicks out with much annoyance, she prefers to lay on the wood shavings in her coop.

The branch you have higher there, might be a bit too high ? .... while I know they crouch on roosts, they also need a fair amount of head room. As for them piling in on top of one another --- seems that some hens prefer to do that ( I am not sure of it, that's only from my own experience ) .... to be close to their companions and receive the warmth and companionship they need. Why ?

I went scrounging around for some info. as it intrigued me too .... and found this link - it gives some interesting thoughts - both pro and con, about hens roosting, and whether they actually have to roost, at all ..... https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/391114/do-chickens-have-to-roost

Being chooks, they will sort themselves out, and we will never know the hows, whys and wherefores of chook thinking. !!

Cheers ........

 

[Fancychooklady]

HENS' TEETH ???   .... THAT RAREST OF FINDS, IF EVER. !!!     Aaarrrggghhhh !!!         

I have to ask, although I doubt the reply would be affirmative ..... but ya never know.   

Q : Is that gorgeous dog with all those little chickens around about him/her, that you posted  - your own dog ?   You take such fantastic photographs, it well could be yours.  

Just had to ask.    

No not mine Annie. Just a pic from the Internet.

 

[satay]

So, Braxton [yep, I found out his name] who I guessed to be about 2 years old is 18 months old and actually lives on the main road, one street back from us.  His owner is overseas at the moment but the flat mate picked him up from the Vet this afternoon .. great news and you never know, I might just see him again one day.

Chook Newby please do not take this as a criticism, it is simply my experience.  Dusty used to sleep in the nest box and I let her go but it turns out that she would have preferred to roost. The roost was just not suitable which I found out when we added the second kit coop and she started roosting.  While Cilla was 'making do' Dusty apparently was not going to 

I agree that your branch falling has probably caused them to lose trust in it and as you rightly point out, some kit coops have the roosts way too low.

Blocking off the nest box is a good idea once you have a suitable roost.  My gals have always used a circular roost without issue but then they are bantams.

Tee hee potato chip I love the description of your stray look-a-like 

Sorry to hear that your toe is broken LuckysMum 

satay I love that Fancy is still partying :cd  lol 

So good to hear a happy ending. So glad he made it home.