I went on a short vacation and came home to five fuzzy little surprises! Karen (Sew)...these were the project eggs I had boxed up to send you!
Marans Thread - breed discussion & pictures are welcome!
- Thread starter Wynette
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What is a coop door ? ? ? Am I suppose to have one ? ? ?
My chickens let themselves in and out. I do not shut the door. We don't have a door.
We just cut a small hole in the coop and the chickens go in and out when ever they want.
Is the door thing a northern thing ?? ?
What is a coop door ? ? ? Am I suppose to have one ? ? ?
My chickens let themselves in and out. I do not shut the door. We don't have a door.
We just cut a small hole in the coop and the chickens go in and out when ever they want.
Is the door thing a northern thing ?? ?
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Chickens like to lay their eggs in secure dark places. . . So they will instinctively check out the nests. If your run is open and without places to hide an egg, they should lay them in the nest or in a dark corner of the coop.
They like to lay them where there are other eggs. Hence, the purpose of golf balls.
I tried to remove golf balls from my nests but then there is this very LOUD traffic JAM where
all the hens wait to lay the eggs in the same nest. Nothing is funnier than seeing two hens have
a knock down over the nesting boxes. . . Two hens trying to lay in the same box at the same time
So, a golf ball in EVERY nest and then they will each take a nest. NO BODY wants to lay in an EMPTY nest !
Chickens like to lay their eggs in secure dark places. . . So they will instinctively check out the nests. If your run is open and without places to hide an egg, they should lay them in the nest or in a dark corner of the coop.
They like to lay them where there are other eggs. Hence, the purpose of golf balls.
I tried to remove golf balls from my nests but then there is this very LOUD traffic JAM where
all the hens wait to lay the eggs in the same nest. Nothing is funnier than seeing two hens have
a knock down over the nesting boxes. . . Two hens trying to lay in the same box at the same time
So, a golf ball in EVERY nest and then they will each take a nest. NO BODY wants to lay in an EMPTY nest !
OMG Ace...you have no coop door? You guys don't have any predators? We have so many here. I saw a bobcat once and I know it could get into the run if it really wanted to. Owls will get on the ground and walk right into the coop at night. We have a few racoons and opposums that hang around trying to get dog food or whatever they can. I have left eggs out and in the morning they were gone. I could go on...lol. I would be very afraid to leave my coop door open here. I have forgotten a few times and got off lucky. I had an EE disappear at night because she didn't go in the coop. All I found in the morning were white feathers.
dbl post ..oops
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I open mine around 8 unless I have to be somewhere earlier then I have to do it before I leave or call the house and tell someone to go open it lol. I like to wait until it is good and light out even though thier pens are pretty secure I think most of our predators are nocturnal except for the hawks and eagles but the run is covered.
I never did leave them locked in the coop when they were first laying, I just put a plastic easter egg in their nest boxes and if they laid a egg in the run I put it in the nest box and then put the hen in the nest box. Eventually they get the idea. When you get your second generation of pullets, they watch the older hens and will lay in the box.
Have you tried hanging a flashlight in your coop when it gets dark the chickens should go into the coop for the light. You can also trick them by throwing a little scratch in a pan and shaking it and putting it in the coop every evening. Soon they will be waiting in the coop for it lol.
Ivywoods: I open mine up by 7am each day. If I wait till 8 or 8:15 they are raising a ruckus. All my coops have a roofed in area in the runs, so my girl's seem to want to come outside each day. The one exception is if it is really windy, then they stay inside half of the time. My birds only lay in run when stressed or when they where young and just starting to lay. Once they get used to a nice cozy nestbox they will want to lay there. Sometimes I go out and 3 birds are in one nestbox.
Good luck... Dave
The scratch in the pan trick as suggested should work well once they figure it out.
I open mine around 8 unless I have to be somewhere earlier then I have to do it before I leave or call the house and tell someone to go open it lol. I like to wait until it is good and light out even though thier pens are pretty secure I think most of our predators are nocturnal except for the hawks and eagles but the run is covered.
I never did leave them locked in the coop when they were first laying, I just put a plastic easter egg in their nest boxes and if they laid a egg in the run I put it in the nest box and then put the hen in the nest box. Eventually they get the idea. When you get your second generation of pullets, they watch the older hens and will lay in the box.
Have you tried hanging a flashlight in your coop when it gets dark the chickens should go into the coop for the light. You can also trick them by throwing a little scratch in a pan and shaking it and putting it in the coop every evening. Soon they will be waiting in the coop for it lol.
Ivywoods: I open mine up by 7am each day. If I wait till 8 or 8:15 they are raising a ruckus. All my coops have a roofed in area in the runs, so my girl's seem to want to come outside each day. The one exception is if it is really windy, then they stay inside half of the time. My birds only lay in run when stressed or when they where young and just starting to lay. Once they get used to a nice cozy nestbox they will want to lay there. Sometimes I go out and 3 birds are in one nestbox.
Good luck... Dave
The scratch in the pan trick as suggested should work well once they figure it out.
Maybe not just a Northern thing if you have predators in the south....or maybe you dont?
You shut the door to keep them out. Perhaps you have one of those really cool coops that is safe all around...me, I am stuck with an old shed! I NEED to have doors to keep out the riff-raff. Terri O--you were just joking right?
triple post okay my puter is being stupid!
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My coop is attached to the run. The run is fenced in on all sides and the top. Metal roofing covers 3/4 of the run's roof. When we built the run, we ran the diamond mesh "tiny square" stuff 2 feet into the ground all the way around. The run itself is made out of welded wire - - not chicken wire. There is a second layer of chicken wire on the bottom 2 feet of the fence (above ground) just because we didn't want the baby chicks to squeeze out of the welded wire.
I NEVER leave eggs out over night.
A Bob cat would not be stopped by the coop if it really wanted to get in . .. .
Maybe I have just been lucky - - - but if something makes it into the run, then I don't see how I will be able to keep it out of the coop by shutting a tiny door . . .
My coop is attached to the run. The run is fenced in on all sides and the top. Metal roofing covers 3/4 of the run's roof. When we built the run, we ran the diamond mesh "tiny square" stuff 2 feet into the ground all the way around. The run itself is made out of welded wire - - not chicken wire. There is a second layer of chicken wire on the bottom 2 feet of the fence (above ground) just because we didn't want the baby chicks to squeeze out of the welded wire.
I NEVER leave eggs out over night.
A Bob cat would not be stopped by the coop if it really wanted to get in . .. .
Maybe I have just been lucky - - - but if something makes it into the run, then I don't see how I will be able to keep it out of the coop by shutting a tiny door . . .
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