Our Chooky Journey

[Gardenwitch]

i did find the sprays but not using it as yet, as they seem to be calming down a bit now and Isabella is getting all better as well, she had a vaccination just before i bought her so i think that gave her the sniffles, all in all they are a really lovely group and I've seen them all cuddling togther yesterday in their pen having a chat throghout the day

[Gardenwitch]

Hey everyone does anyone have any problems with hens wanting to sleep in a nesting box? What can I do about it? When they go in at night all four seem to try and have a go at sleeping in one nesting box but when let out in morning they all seem to be on a perch. I just wanted to try and keep the poo out of the box if at all possible

[MaureenHall]

Hey everyone does anyone have any problems with hens wanting to sleep in a nesting box? What can I do about it? When they go in at night all four seem to try and have a go at sleeping in one nesting box but when let out in morning they all seem to be on a perch. I just wanted to try and keep the poo out of the box if at all possible

Yes Been there, had that, got the t-shirt & video . At bedtime I used to find 6 of them all squashed up (somehow!) into 1 nest box!! Having 4 nest boxes on the hen house, I used to block the entrance to 2 of them (to keep them clean for egg laying) in an effort to stop them sleeping in the boxes. I did try to encourage them to sleep on the perches though, it's not nice seeing them cleaning someone else's poo off their backs in the mornings . You could try putting a cardboard box into the nest box during the late afternoon (or before they go to bed anyway) once they've finished laying their eggs for the day, and remove it when you get them up in the morning. I'll definitely be doing that again once I've got some hens!

[Gardenwitch]

oh thank goodness I'm not the ony one lol It is an odd sight seeing all 4 birds in one nesting box, even though we have 3 boxes. They arent old enough to lay eggs yet but they are at POL so should be soon. Funny enough they havent even touched the other 2nesting boxes. I'll try and block it off at night for them and see how it works thank you

[Gardenwitch]

OMGosh the FUNNIEST mad crazyness is watching them go after snails/slugs! LMAO They go absolutely bonkers chasing each other all around grabbing the slugs from each others mouths and trying to keep their prize from the others once they get one

Yesterday being such a sunny and warm day Black Betty went SO dozy and flopped on her side laying in the sunshine, it was hilarious

[MaureenHall]

And the best thing is that you never ever tire of watching them It doesn't matter if they're dozing in the sun, chasing each other for tasty morsels or just scratching around, they're wonderful time-wasters

[RedThorn]

Time Wasters???? I call it my reality TV (Can't be bothered to watch the ones on the telly) Watching them sunbathe, having a dust bath, fighting over long strings of spagetti. Listening to them telling me They've left me a present in the nest box, talking back to them ....

[Glutton4...]

My DH has decided that it's fun to remove the rind from the bacon, (a fry-up is a weekend treat) and cut it into small pieces. Then, after brekky he goes and feeds it to the 'Laydees' - he loves the way they fight and argue over such a thing. Men huh!

[RedThorn]

Yeh and G4???? Weekend entertainment for free what more could you want?

[Gardenwitch]

lol funny comments Hey, is there a way to tell if your hen is about to start laying eggs for the first time? Do they act differently? Just wondering if theres anything I should watch out for is all

[MaureenHall]

yes, it's on a thread called "still no eggs yet"

[Gardenwitch]

Thanks Mauren I posted my question over there

[Gardenwitch]

Well Betty is on day 3 of being super tired it seems, she even went into the coop, fell asleep on her perch at 6pm while the others were rowdy and running around the pen for at least another hour. So maybe eggs next week or two? Heres hoping

[RichmondHens]

Going to bed early is not usually a sign of approaching lay. Observe her closely to make sure she is not ill in any other respect. A laying (or soon to be laying) hen should be bright, active, feeding well and interacting with the rest of the flock.

[Flummery]

One of mine had an off day before laying. Only a day mind, but she certainly wasn't bright and active that day. She's been fine since.