MJ's little flock

[Shadrach]

She was lucky I'm a light sleeper. In the wild, she'd have been fox dinner.

I was dreaming and thought where's that chicken? Can't see it anywhere. There's a chicken around here somewhere. There it goes again *Awakens* THAT'S ONE OF THE HENS! SOUNDS LIKE MARY! And I was off and running.

It's strange how one tunes in to the sounds the chickens make almost subconsciously.

 

[Shadrach]

Several of mine have too. And for no apparent reason either. Just plop down to the floor.

Edited to add: From looking at it happen on camera it didn't look like they tripped - I thought it was more like falling out of bed in the middle of a dream. I have had my fair share of hens being encouraged to jump off but haven't seen anyone lose their footing. I believe Maggie has fallen off twice, Minnie fell off once, and either Diana or Elizabeth once too (I don't remember which one of them it was). Always the same just plop.

When I arrived in Catalonia the main coop was a garden shed with some branches for perches, the highest being about 5 feet from the floor.
This wasn't a problem for the two Bantams that lived there, but the Marans injured themselves on a regular basis by flying down from the highest perch.
I've tried to keep to an approximate one foot from floor perch height since. This alowys then to hop on and off and allows those on the floor to go under the perch which helps a bit at the roosting scrums.

 

[MaryJanet]

It's strange how one tunes in to the sounds the chickens make almost subconsciously.

I was very grateful for it too!

I cheat a little because the hens each have quite unique voices. I can't do that with the neighbours' hens all of whom seem have the same voice to my ear.

 

[MaryJanet]

When I arrived in Catalonia the main coop was a garden shed with some branches for perches, the highest being about 5 feet from the floor.
This wasn't a problem for the two Bantams that lived there, but the Marans injured themselves on a regular basis by flying down from the highest perch.
I've tried to keep to an approximate one foot from floor perch height since. This alowys then to hop on and off and allows those on the floor to go under the perch which helps a bit at the roosting scrums.

I like the safety factor of low roosts, especially as I don't do any veterinary support myself. But maybe in Manue's location and setup it would introduce a risk from foxes. The niche in the wall nest at her place is an ingenious design from an era when perhaps using good timber to make a door for chicken safety might've been wasteful.

 

[Shadrach]

The niche in the wall nest at her place is an ingenious design from an era when perhaps using good timber to make a door for chicken safety might've been wasteful.

I think the design may have been chicken driven. Those little alcoves one finds in many of the old farmhouses were originally for storage. I reckon some hen layed up there to drop a hint that with a bit of alteration the alcove would make a very fine nest.

 

[MaryJanet]

I think the design may have been chicken driven. Those little alcoves one finds in many of the old farmhouses were originally for storage. I reckon some hen layed up there to drop a hint that with a bit of alteration the alcove would make a very fine nest.

That's nifty. Smart chickens.

 

[rjohns39]

Good evening folks

 

[ManueB]

I like the safety factor of low roosts, especially as I don't do any veterinary support myself. But maybe in Manue's location and setup it would introduce a risk from foxes. The niche in the wall nest at her place is an ingenious design from an era when perhaps using good timber to make a door for chicken safety might've been wasteful.

I think the design may have been chicken driven. Those little alcoves one finds in many of the old farmhouses were originally for storage. I reckon some hen layed up there to drop a hint that with a bit of alteration the alcove would make a very fine nest.

I think originally our coop was built as a barn, because it has the typical wooden structure they used to put the hay for the cows here. However my partner's father has always seen it used as a coop, so the switch to using it as a coop must have been made before 1950. The door is very solid, but here many people have high roosts for their chickens, i've seen up to three meters high. In some places it may have been to protect them from ground predators.

Height wasn't a problem when my ex-batts were young, but now they fall off more often and they have trouble reaching the nests. But they all want to perch as high as possible, and they don't use the three nest boxes my partner built 40 cm above ground level. Habbits are hard to change.

 

[MaryJanet]

I think originally our coop was built as a barn, because it has the typical wooden structure they used to put the hay for the cows here. However my partner's father has always seen it used as a coop, so the switch to using it as a coop must have been made before 1950. The door is very solid, but here many people have high roosts for their chickens, i've seen up to three meters high. In some places it may have been to protect them from ground predators.

Height wasn't a problem when my ex-batts were young, but now they fall off more often and they have trouble reaching the nests. But they all want to perch as high as possible, and they don't use the three nest boxes my partner built 40 cm above ground level. Habbits are hard to change.

Very interesting! I've become very interested in chicken keeping traditions lately, there's such a lot of fascinating info out there.

I've noticed chickens are good at new things, but not if they don't have to.

 

[BY Bob]

I think originally our coop was built as a barn, because it has the typical wooden structure they used to put the hay for the cows here. However my partner's father has always seen it used as a coop, so the switch to using it as a coop must have been made before 1950. The door is very solid, but here many people have high roosts for their chickens, i've seen up to three meters high. In some places it may have been to protect them from ground predators.

Height wasn't a problem when my ex-batts were young, but now they fall off more often and they have trouble reaching the nests. But they all want to perch as high as possible, and they don't use the three nest boxes my partner built 40 cm above ground level. Habbits are hard to change.

Higher = Safer in their minds. Think about it. It's nature driving them higher. In their minds they are more likely to be eaten if they are too low than they are to be hurt getting down.