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Hi , great to meet u all thankyou for the welcoming msgs. Yes my girls are laying started within a week of getting them , only small eggs but are getting bigger (3 eggs a day) also a few double yolkas, they have a roost to sleep and lay but I have noticed they all lay their eggs in the same spot??? They all have there own roosts but all lay in 1 particular area?? Also the last 2 nites I have noticed 2 of the girls come out into the pen and sleep out there in the open while 1 is still inside, they all get along fine so I don't know why 2 girls are coming out into the pen to sleep? It was quite cool lastnite but 2 chose to sleep out in pen and not in roost. Also with giving them scraps I have been using a special machine to cut it up really fine but they don't seem to eat, should I not worry about cutting it up so fine?? And in regards to the beak trimming, I'm hoping they will grow back because I read that they can grow back and need to be redone at certain sages, so I'm hoping they will grow back to normal
 
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Dazz172 said:
Hi , great to meet u all thankyou for the welcoming msgs. Yes my girls are laying started within a week of getting them , only small eggs but are getting bigger (3 eggs a day) also a few double yolkas, they have a roost to sleep and lay but I have noticed they all lay their eggs in the same spot??? They all have there own roosts but all lay in 1 particular area?? Also the last 2 nites I have noticed 2 of the girls come out into the pen and sleep out there in the open while 1 is still inside, they all get along fine so I don't know why 2 girls are coming out into the pen to sleep? It was quite cool lastnite but 2 chose to sleep out in pen and not in roost. Also with giving them scraps I have been using a special machine to cut it up really fine but they don't seem to eat, should I not worry about cutting it up so fine?? And in regards to the beak trimming, I'm hoping they will grow back because I read that they can grow back and need to be redone at certain sages, so I'm hoping they will grow back to normal
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They feel safe laying their egg where other hens have laid theirs. Its a secure feeling for them. You might put fake eggs in the nest boxes to train them where you want them to lay.

You also want to get them all in at night instead of letting a couple sleep in the pen. This will attract predators and also expose them to weather. So you might go up at roosting time and make sure they are all locked in and roosting together. Once they do this for a few nights, it will become a habit.

They may not know what to do with greens, scraps or treats yet. Give them time to adjust to their home and eventually they won't refuse any food what so ever. :lol:
 
TwoCrows said:
They feel safe laying their egg where other hens have laid theirs. Its a secure feeling for them. You might put fake eggs in the nest boxes to train them where you want them to lay.

You also want to get them all in at night instead of letting a couple sleep in the pen. This will attract predators and also expose them to weather. So you might go up at roosting time and make sure they are all locked in and roosting together. Once they do this for a few nights, it will become a habit.

They may not know what to do with greens, scraps or treats yet. Give them time to adjust to their home and eventually they won't refuse any food what so ever. :lol:
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Thankyou two crows , ok will try that, there is a door on there roosting boxes to lock them in. Would u know why they are doing this because they have only just started doing this, ever since I've had them they would all always sleep together in the nesting boxes no problem, they have only started this in the last couple of days so had me wondering if I was doing something wrong to make the most do this??
 
Dazz172 said:
Thankyou two crows , ok will try that, there is a door on there roosting boxes to lock them in. Would u know why they are doing this because they have only just started doing this, ever since I've had them they would all always sleep together in the nesting boxes no problem, they have only started this in the last couple of days so had me wondering if I was doing something wrong to make the most do this??
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They need to be trained to sleep in the coop on roost bars. They don't naturally know this. Do not let them sleep in the nest boxes, the boxes are for laying only and its not very sanitary to sleep any place but on a roost bar.

Make sure your roosting area is inviting for them to sleep. So not too high in the rafters, but 12 to 15 inches off the floor is fine and accessible. (Roosting high has a lot of disadvantages and if they have to climb ladders up or down, they probably won't). Use a 2x4 with the 4 side up for a roost bar. A 4x4 will also work well. Make sure its smooth on the edges so they don't get splinters.

So for now, clean out the nesting boxes well (hens will refuse to lay in dirty boxes) and close off the boxes at night only for a couple weeks (make sure they are open during the day) this will prevent them from sleeping in them. Place the birds on the roost bar at roosting time and turn out the lights quickly. (They will be less likely to hop off in the dark). If they do, put them back on. After a few nights, they will understand where you want them to sleep.

Birds tend to do today what they did yesterday because they survived. This goes for sleeping, eating, playing. Give them a routine, a good start and they will soon know the ropes at your place. :)
 
TwoCrows said:
They need to be trained to sleep in the coop on roost bars. They don't naturally know this. Do not let them sleep in the nest boxes, the boxes are for laying only and its not very sanitary to sleep any place but on a roost bar.

Make sure your roosting area is inviting for them to sleep. So not too high in the rafters, but 12 to 15 inches off the floor is fine and accessible. (Roosting high has a lot of disadvantages and if they have to climb ladders up or down, they probably won't). Use a 2x4 with the 4 side up for a roost bar. A 4x4 will also work well. Make sure its smooth on the edges so they don't get splinters.

So for now, clean out the nesting boxes well (hens will refuse to lay in dirty boxes) and close off the boxes at night only for a couple weeks (make sure they are open during the day) this will prevent them from sleeping in them. Place the birds on the roost bar at roosting time and turn out the lights quickly. (They will be less likely to hop off in the dark). If they do, put them back on. After a few nights, they will understand where you want them to sleep.

Birds tend to do today what they did yesterday because they survived. This goes for sleeping, eating, playing. Give them a routine, a good start and they will soon know the ropes at your place. :)
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Ok so wen we first moved here the previous owner had chickens and kept them so the coop and run was already all set up, he kept the chickens cuz he loved them but left the entire coop set up, wen putting new straw (bedding) inside ,there was 2 bits of wood about 40mm x 30mm in slots in side about 25mm off floor we did not know wat these were so took them out for more room for them to get comfortable but thankyou I now know what they were for and have put them back in. Wen we first got them all 3 would snuggle up together in the box n sleep there, I thought this was normal but from now on I will try to encourage them to sleep on the roosting bars thankyou
 
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These are some pics of the coop , run ,inside the box where they lay and sleep and the girls themselves, if any1 has any advice about what's in the pics it would be greatly appreciated
 

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