UK Member Please Say HI

[Yorkshire Coop]

nearly - Hi from Yorkshire / Lancashire border. Keep bantams mostly.

Welcome to the UK thread

Oooh a Uk thread! Hi everyone I'm in North Yorks and brand new to chickens. We hatched 10 bantams seven weeks ago now...5 pekins and 5 cuckoo marans .

They're doing well out in their coop. I'd love to upload a pic but they just won't pose for pics

Hi & welcome to the UK thread

Hope you are enjoying your new chicken's? I'm sure as they get a little older they will let you take pics. Or you could bribe them with treats

 

[chicknovice123]

Hope you are enjoying your new chicken's? I'm sure as they get a little older they will let you take pics. Or you could bribe them with treats

Haha yes, I need to start treating them I think. They're great fun to watch. And the kids love them (although they're definitely getting very attached to the one pekin I'm sure is a boy )...still, we might manage to keep one of the boys I guess...

Quick question if you don't mind...how long before dark would you say chickens normally go to bed? I had a bit of a problem with mine getting comfortable in a big pile on the floor of their run, so I locked them in their coop for a couple of days to try and get them to go in at night. And since then, I've been putting a night light in their coop for a couple of hours in the evening which has definitely helped. Now they seem to have a mad evening feeding frenzy and hop in the coop around 8pm. I was watching and quickly dashed out to shut them in as soon as they were all inside but it seemed fairly close to getting dark? If they'd taken much longer I was thinking I'd have to give them a hand?

Also, I'm not sure that if I hadn't shut them in straight away, they wouldn't've hopped back out again...and I was hoping to use one of those automatic door closers (shift worker with a partner who might forget to shut them in!) - I'm a bit nervous they'll get locked out! Do they sound normal?! I probably just need to give them more time to establish a proper routine??

 

[Neil Sheridan]

Haha yes, I need to start treating them I think. They're great fun to watch. And the kids love them (although they're definitely getting very attached to the one pekin I'm sure is a boy )...still, we might manage to keep one of the boys I guess...

Quick question if you don't mind...how long before dark would you say chickens normally go to bed? I had a bit of a problem with mine getting comfortable in a big pile on the floor of their run, so I locked them in their coop for a couple of days to try and get them to go in at night. And since then, I've been putting a night light in their coop for a couple of hours in the evening which has definitely helped. Now they seem to have a mad evening feeding frenzy and hop in the coop around 8pm. I was watching and quickly dashed out to shut them in as soon as they were all inside but it seemed fairly close to getting dark? If they'd taken much longer I was thinking I'd have to give them a hand?

Also, I'm not sure that if I hadn't shut them in straight away, they wouldn't've hopped back out again...and I was hoping to use one of those automatic door closers (shift worker with a partner who might forget to shut them in!) - I'm a bit nervous they'll get locked out! Do they sound normal?! I probably just need to give them more time to establish a proper routine??

Hi there.

Younger birds often try to stay out longer than is better for them.

You should be getting them to go to bed naturally in the eve and waking them up with extra light rather than the other way round.

Turning a light of at night leaves them in the dark on the floor and they should be roosting on bars.

Auto door closes are lovely but expensive.

Neil

 

[chicknovice123]

Hi there.

Younger birds often try to stay out longer than is better for them.

You should be getting them to go to bed naturally in the eve and waking them up with extra light rather than the other way round.

Turning a light of at night leaves them in the dark on the floor and they should be roosting on bars.

Auto door closes are lovely but expensive.

Neil

Thanks for the reply Neil - how can I encourage them indoors before dark without using a light? They seem to be scared to go in (it's obviously darker in the coop than outside) and if I physically put them in I have a nightmare trying to get them all in while others I've just put in fly out again! We all found that too stressful a couple of nights on the trot so I tried the nightlight. But I don't want to start bad habits...

 

[Neil Sheridan]

Thanks for the reply Neil - how can I encourage them indoors before dark without using a light? They seem to be scared to go in (it's obviously darker in the coop than outside) and if I physically put them in I have a nightmare trying to get them all in while others I've just put in fly out again! We all found that too stressful a couple of nights on the trot so I tried the nightlight. But I don't want to start bad habits...

It can be really hard work like herding cats!!

do you have a full grown hen, or able to borrow one. I tend to leave mine in with a big hen until they learn to roost. and they tend to follow a big hen about when they're out and about.

 

[chicknovice123]

Haha it was such a struggle! I felt terrible with them all flying about squawking. That's definitely the problem, them not having a grown up to show them what to do...and I didn't realise you could borrow one. I can ask around, there are quite a few hen-keepers round here

Luckily they seem to've got the hang of roosting on their perches so that's ok. It's literally just the problem of getting them indoors. I'll persevere

 

[Warriorgal]

Hi Im a first timer at this. I live in Wales UK, nice to meet you all.
I have been waiting with anticipation for my chicks to hatch. I expected these to be white polish. So far only one has hatched and I had to throw the others away (bar one) as I followed the candling process and the one left doesnt look promising,its day 22.
I am worried now that `Joffrey` will be lonely.
Please could anyone advise what type of Polish he is by the pic, (I assume he is a polish)

 

[chicknovice123]

Hi warriorgal

Sorry I can't help but what a cute chick Joffrey is!

I guess it's not the easiest thing this time of year but is there anywhere you could get some day olds to keep him company?

 

[boskelli1571]

Thanks for the reply Neil - how can I encourage them indoors before dark without using a light? They seem to be scared to go in (it's obviously darker in the coop than outside) and if I physically put them in I have a nightmare trying to get them all in while others I've just put in fly out again! We all found that too stressful a couple of nights on the trot so I tried the nightlight. But I don't want to start bad habits...

Patience! They will get the hang of it eventually. I have mixed ages in my flock, the 'old ladies' are in bed well before the youngsters so I have to encourage the younger birds in also. They are getting better - now to cure them of sleeping in the nest boxes.....

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi warriorgal

Sorry I can't help but what a cute chick Joffrey is!

I guess it's not the easiest thing this time of year but is there anywhere you could get some day olds to keep him company?

If you are going to keep him as a 'house chicken' he may be ok as long as he has people for company. Ideally he does need some other chicks. You should be able to get away will chicks up to about 2 weeks older as long as they aren't too much bigger than Joffrey - love the name!