- Thread starter
- #51
pollipazzi
Songster
louise fell for the wooden eggs! and no crazy time! best €3.50 i ever spent 

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i think i'm gonna have a lot of questions if she goes broody!Just catching up. I use fake eggs and it has worked well to get my ladies back to laying in the nest boxes whenever they get more creative. I did have one hen that laid 10’ up on the big collar ties that support the roof!
However, they do quite frequently inform me that while they understand my message with the fake eggs, and are open to taking my advice on where to lay, they are not fooled that they are anything but fake eggs. They inform me if this by tossing the fake ones out of the nestbox.
In the down feathers, it is possible Thelma is preparing to go broody. Mine often decorate their chosen nest site with downy feathers in the 1-3 days before going broody. I assume this is common behavior and hence the expression about ‘feathering your nest’.
Yes indeed. And I am seriously no expert and am working through my own flock’s broody situation right now.i think i'm gonna have a lot of questions if she goes broody!![]()
Go for it. The hanging outside thing seems like a design so that they don’t use up valuable floor space in a tiny coop.sorry. another question.
is there a reason that the nesting boxes sort of float outside the coop instead of having anything under it?
i was thinking about extending the space underneath since there’s a magpie hanging around (and about a million crows) who are bound to find the feeder. especially since the door to that stupid little run is so small, i have to put the feeder fairly close to the door.
i probably have enough stuff around to build an extension for under there.
thanks! i just see them like that on a lot of them and thought there must be a reason. because it would take the same amount of material to just have it extended in the first place.Go for it. The hanging outside thing seems like a design so that they don’t use up valuable floor space in a tiny coop.
My nest boxes are a salvaged kitchen cabinet inside the coop and if you look in the coop design forum you will see loads of different options. If you can give them more space I say go for it!
I have a small flock of Rhode Island Red hens and French Copper Maran who lay nearly every day. I live in a rural community so my chickens are free range but they come to their coop before dark and I lock them in every night.Inside the coop they are safe. Sometimes one hen hangs back and I go usher her inside to safety. The coop has an electric fence around it to discourage predators. I say all this to preface my advice. You know more than the hens. They usually try to roost in the same place every night. If one of them aren't wanting to do what is best for them take appropriate measures to keep them safe and they will form the right habits to form a long and pleasurable experience for both of you.hello. i’ve just joined because i don’t have a clue about chickens and i now have 2 of them.
they belonged to a neighbor, who is not someone i see very often but friendly enough with. i was told they escaped soon after he got them. i am guessing they are 6 or 7 months old and have just started laying eggs.
for reasons i do not know, they picked me to live with.
they have been in my backyard for 2 months. they are here all day and have been sleeping in a different neighbor’s trees at night.
the neighbor who they belonged to originally, has tried to catch them for ages and could not. but they befriended me and follow me around so he said i could keep them. i call them thelma and louise.
(sorry this is so long)
we got a coop with a little run (we will make a bigger run very soon) and i kept them in there for about 6 days. louise seemed to be taking to it the best. she lays an egg almost every day in the nest box and goes right up at 6:30pm.
thelma had a harder time getting adjusted and was a bit panicked at first. now that she has freedom, she won’t lay in the nest box, but chose the tiniest flowerpot in my greenhouse (that’s a whole nother story) to lay her eggs.
today, while thelma was laying her flowerpot egg, at around 5:30, louise disappeared. we found her in the usual tree (down the street and very high up!). but without thelma! she is never without thelma.
thelma is safe and sound in the coop asleep.
so all of that to ask…
what is the best thing to do? i am sure she will be back tomorrow. neither of them will let me handle them, but they will eat out of my hand. and i can get her into the run with bribes. i just want them to be safe.
but should i lock them in again? for longer?
should i just get them in the run earlier since they will go up once they are in? everything i have read says lock them in the coop for a week or two. does that mean no run at all?
i have been trying to find the answers on my own but i couldn’t find anything specific to this situation. thanks in advance!
I would keep them locked up so they are safe and so they will consider this their home.. feed them treats only in the coop.. I do hope Louise returns safe and sound.. keep us posted and good luckhello. i’ve just joined because i don’t have a clue about chickens and i now have 2 of them.
they belonged to a neighbor, who is not someone i see very often but friendly enough with. i was told they escaped soon after he got them. i am guessing they are 6 or 7 months old and have just started laying eggs.
for reasons i do not know, they picked me to live with.
they have been in my backyard for 2 months. they are here all day and have been sleeping in a different neighbor’s trees at night.
the neighbor who they belonged to originally, has tried to catch them for ages and could not. but they befriended me and follow me around so he said i could keep them. i call them thelma and louise.
(sorry this is so long)
we got a coop with a little run (we will make a bigger run very soon) and i kept them in there for about 6 days. louise seemed to be taking to it the best. she lays an egg almost every day in the nest box and goes right up at 6:30pm.
thelma had a harder time getting adjusted and was a bit panicked at first. now that she has freedom, she won’t lay in the nest box, but chose the tiniest flowerpot in my greenhouse (that’s a whole nother story) to lay her eggs.
today, while thelma was laying her flowerpot egg, at around 5:30, louise disappeared. we found her in the usual tree (down the street and very high up!). but without thelma! she is never without thelma.
thelma is safe and sound in the coop asleep.
so all of that to ask…
what is the best thing to do? i am sure she will be back tomorrow. neither of them will let me handle them, but they will eat out of my hand. and i can get her into the run with bribes. i just want them to be safe.
but should i lock them in again? for longer?
should i just get them in the run earlier since they will go up once they are in? everything i have read says lock them in the coop for a week or two. does that mean no run at all?
i have been trying to find the answers on my own but i couldn’t find anything specific to this situation. thanks in advance!