MJ's little flock

[MaryJanet]

Hattie and Phyllis have known each other since Feb of 2020 so over 3 years. Hattie and I have known each other July of 2018. She will be 5 very soon.

It seems to take roughly 1-2 years for hens to really like each other at my house. If it's the same at your house, Hattie and Phyllis would be very much at ease with each other by now.

 

[BY Bob]

It seems to take roughly 1-2 years for hens to really like each other at my house. If it's the same at your house, Hattie and Phyllis would be very much at ease with each other by now.

This group of 6 are really getting along. Lady Featherington and Glynda sleep with Sydney. Aurora gets her own roost as she has wanted for years and Hattie is now cooping with Phyllis. Bed time is uneventful these days.

 

[MaryJanet]

Bed time is uneventful these days.

I honestly thought they'd never become peaceful at roosting time. How did that come about? Was it merely time or did you adapt the coop somehow?

 

[MaryJanet]

A month ago I ordered nest boxes

I've bought 2 3-berth nesting boxes. One set for the funrun and the other for the garden. They're made of ply and come as a flat-pack.

I'll enjoy working out where to place them!

They arrived a week later and today was my first opportunity to assemble one of the 3-berths.

They're giving the straw a lot of attention and looking into the nests every now and then.

I don't think the nests are big enough for Mary.

When I put the next trio together, I'll leave one of the dividers out to make one big nest and one smaller nest. Hopefully that will work out ok.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

A month ago I ordered nest boxes



They arrived a week later and today was my first opportunity to assemble one of the 3-berths.

View attachment 3513215

They're giving the straw a lot of attention and looking into the nests every now and then.

View attachment 3513216

I don't think the nests are big enough for Mary.

View attachment 3513218

When I put the next trio together, I'll leave one of the dividers out to make one big nest and one smaller nest. Hopefully that will work out ok.

Do you like the boxes? And do you think your barnevelders fit ok? I should probably get some nest boxes before mine all start laying to try and limit my egg hunting.

 

[MaryJanet]

Do you like the boxes? And do you think your barnevelders fit ok? I should probably get some nest boxes before mine all start laying to try and limit my egg hunting.

Barnevelders, ISAs and Peggy, yes. Sussex and Ivy, maybe. Australorp, no.

The boxes seem fine for flatpacks. If the time is ever available, I'll give them a coat of exterior paint to help them last longer. They were quite easy to assemble and came with all the screws.

I'm hoping for a similar outcome. Fewer egg hunts would be very reassuring. I have a feeling there's a big stash of eggs I haven't found yet.

 

[BY Bob]

I honestly thought they'd never become peaceful at roosting time. How did that come about? Was it merely time or did you adapt the coop somehow?

The coop is adapted but so have they. When I put the new roof on the coop I broke up the long roost into three unconnected sections and there is the Cluckle Hut to use.

Phyllis, the hen Aurora would drag out by her head feathers at roosting time, doesn't go to the main coop any more. She just goes to the Cluckle Hut to roost.

Hattie the other hen Aurora was always after because she felt the need to intimidate her and keep her from roosting also now sleeps in the Cluckle Hut.

When I broke up the long roost and added the new roost over the window in the Main Coop, Sydney decided to use it to get away from Aurora.

When Glynda and Lady Featherington decided to move away from Phyllis because she was so vicious at night and move to the main coop, Glynda also went to the window roost. Sydney chased her at first but they eventually agreed it was OK to sleep together. Lady Featherington started off with Aurora but decided being pecked was no fun and joined the other two on the window roost.

Aurora cannot easily reach that window roost so those three are pretty safe there.

The order in which everyone goes to bed helps too. Phyllis goes first and then Sydney. Then Hattie joins Phyllis. That leaves Aurora and the kids as late nighters. Glynda and Lady Featherington go to bed together and Aurora is the last to turn in.

Just like when Maleficent was here, Aurora always comes to the back door at dusk looking for one last treat before bed. I surely wish she would not and would roost earlier but that is her pattern at this point.

 

[BY Bob]

A month ago I ordered nest boxes



They arrived a week later and today was my first opportunity to assemble one of the 3-berths.

View attachment 3513215

They're giving the straw a lot of attention and looking into the nests every now and then.

View attachment 3513216

I don't think the nests are big enough for Mary.

View attachment 3513218

When I put the next trio together, I'll leave one of the dividers out to make one big nest and one smaller nest. Hopefully that will work out ok.

They look very nice. You did a nice job putting them together. I left the divider out of the nest box in the Cluckle Hut. Glynda used it for a while but no one uses it now. They all use the main coop or Hattie House. I don't know if it is the lack of a divider or peer pressure.

 

[BY Bob]

The coop is adapted but so have they. When I put the new roof on the coop I broke up the long roost into three unconnected sections and there is the Cluckle Hut to use.

Phyllis, the hen Aurora would drag out by her head feathers at roosting time, doesn't go to the main coop any more. She just goes to the Cluckle Hut to roost.

Hattie the other hen Aurora was always after because she felt the need to intimidate her and keep her from roosting also now sleeps in the Cluckle Hut.

When I broke up the long roost and added the new roost over the window in the Main Coop, Sydney decided to use it to get away from Aurora.

When Glynda and Lady Featherington decided to move away from Phyllis because she was so vicious at night and move to the main coop, Glynda also went to the window roost. Sydney chased her at first but they eventually agreed it was OK to sleep together. Lady Featherington started off with Aurora but decided being pecked was no fun and joined the other two on the window roost.

Aurora cannot easily reach that window roost so those three are pretty safe there.

The order in which everyone goes to bed helps too. Phyllis goes first and then Sydney. Then Hattie joins Phyllis. That leaves Aurora and the kids as late nighters. Glynda and Lady Featherington go to bed together and Aurora is the last to turn in.

Just like when Maleficent was here, Aurora always comes to the back door at dusk looking for one last treat before bed. I surely wish she would not and would roost earlier but that is her pattern at this point.

I also have the door to the Cluckle Hut close sooner than the door to the main coop so Aurora is not free to go in and harass them just because she wants to.

 

[ManueB]

The coop is adapted but so have they. When I put the new roof on the coop I broke up the long roost into three unconnected sections and there is the Cluckle Hut to use.

Phyllis, the hen Aurora would drag out by her head feathers at roosting time, doesn't go to the main coop any more. She just goes to the Cluckle Hut to roost.

Hattie the other hen Aurora was always after because she felt the need to intimidate her and keep her from roosting also now sleeps in the Cluckle Hut.

When I broke up the long roost and added the new roost over the window in the Main Coop, Sydney decided to use it to get away from Aurora.

When Glynda and Lady Featherington decided to move away from Phyllis because she was so vicious at night and move to the main coop, Glynda also went to the window roost. Sydney chased her at first but they eventually agreed it was OK to sleep together. Lady Featherington started off with Aurora but decided being pecked was no fun and joined the other two on the window roost.

Aurora cannot easily reach that window roost so those three are pretty safe there.

The order in which everyone goes to bed helps too. Phyllis goes first and then Sydney. Then Hattie joins Phyllis. That leaves Aurora and the kids as late nighters. Glynda and Lady Featherington go to bed together and Aurora is the last to turn in.

Just like when Maleficent was here, Aurora always comes to the back door at dusk looking for one last treat before bed. I surely wish she would not and would roost earlier but that is her pattern at this point.

This gives me hope that some day roosting will become peaceful for my hens as well.

We had made smaller nests in the beginning and also took off the dividers. It happens quite often that two hens lay together in the same nest if they get along well enough.