My scraggy hens

[Poddington Pea]

The allowance is 1sq m per hen. If there are 250 hens in an enclosure (Ithink sometimes it's a lot more), they will have 250sq m. While still not enough space each, it's a lot more walking space than 3 ft out and 3ft back.
The bigger problem is that while there is a limit on hens-per-exit (to the outside world) there can easily be enough bolshy boss hens to stand by exits stopping quite a lot of the rest from coming out!

I completely agree with all of that. My hens couldn't get back IN the coop yesterday as one was stood by the pophole and the others wouldn't push by. And today all the hens are inside and I can see a bottom sticking out of the hole, I'm wondering whether to go down there and move her out of the way! (it is raining though).
Just thought of ANOTHER question! Do you leave te food out for them all the time or just give them enough for the day and take it away at night?

[Nicos]

Remove the feed at night- it encourages rats!

I used wood shavings on the floor and in the nesting boxes.
With so few hens I'd be tempted to poo pick every day or two- that way you waste much less shavings.

I have 4-5 eggs per day at the moment from 9 layers- (but different breeds lay differently over winter)..but yep- they are just coming back into lay.
Over winter we were getting 1-2 eggs per day .
Yours may be stressed by the whole move thing- and so affecting egg laying.

Mine laid less eggs when molting

Sounds like those are new feathers coming through- you'll know better in a few days- (they get little fluffy tips on them)

Normally they poo mostly when they perch at night- are they using the perching pole?- maybe they're not used to seeing/using one and need placing on it??..You get a pile of poo under each bird by the next morning which you can easily pick up and chuck it on the compost. Some peeps put newspaper directly beneath them and just chuck that on the compost ( much quicker!)

I either pick out every day- or leave it for a few days and do a bigger clear out. Then a thorough clean out once a month- and then a full scrub/disinfect once a year.

Hope that helps???...we all do things slightly differently so you just need to get to know your gals and do what best fits in with your lifestyle.

[Poddington Pea]

Thanks Nicos!
I had thought they were perching at night because I've seen at least 3 of them do it in the day, they even hop between the perches to the amusement of my son! If I open the coop door while they're all in there, they cluster at the back (where the enormous poo puddle is) which made me think perhaps that's where they're sleeping.
I waited for them all to go to bed this evening and peeped in, only 1 was perching and the other 9 were cuddled up on the floor in the poo puddle!!!
How can I teach them to perch? Will they learn from the others who can perch?
I've put a branch in their enclosure to give them something interesting to perch on outside. They take it in turns to run underneath it: rolleyes:
I've covered the bottom of the coop with a piece of lino and covered that in newspaper, it comes out quite easily and goes straight in the compost, but we don't buy papers that often so I'll need a supply from elsewhere! It also gets soggy very easily and the poop goes through! I will look into woodshavings.
Their food is currently hanging within their coop 24/7. I'm not sure what size it is, but I didn't think I'd be re-filling it every other day! They forrage all day long, I give them a few handfulls of corn/grain in the evening and also scraps (veg peelings, rice and pasta).

Thanks again for your advice
x

[Scarlet]

How can I teach them to perch? Will they learn from the others who can perch?

Wait until they have all settled for the evening and then pick each one up and pop them on their perch - it wont take long for them to get into the habit.

..and as Nicos says, to avoid feeding the rats store the food away at night.

[Poddington Pea]

That might be easier said than done! I'll give it a try tomorrow night, when it's not quite so late!

[petal]

Mine won't perch but will sit up on a straw bale, next to the perch - we are getting there. There are 12 exbatts with 1 cockerel(the guardian!) I muck out every Saturday, place bed down excel shavings on floor and straw in nestboxes. No eggs being produced at the moment as they are hopefully putting energy into growing feathers now that they are outside.

[Suechooks]

Thanks Nicos!
I had thought they were perching at night because I've seen at least 3 of them do it in the day, they even hop between the perches to the amusement of my son! If I open the coop door while they're all in there, they cluster at the back (where the enormous poo puddle is) which made me think perhaps that's where they're sleeping.
I waited for them all to go to bed this evening and peeped in, only 1 was perching and the other 9 were cuddled up on the floor in the poo puddle!!!
How can I teach them to perch? Will they learn from the others who can perch?


Thanks again for your advice
x

I used to put an old car tyre in the coop to teach them to perch. They probably have very little idea of perching and that will at least get them up off the ground and stop them sleeping in the poop! Once they get the idea they'll go up higher. Mine were ex-batts though so had absolutely no conception of normal life.
Hybrid layers seem to produce more poop than pure breeds too (at least mine do!) Much easier to poo pick first thing each morning before they've had time to spread it about!

[petal]

and they eat much, much more......

[Poddington Pea]

I went out last night to get them to perch, but they all woke up and glared at me, then stood up. FAIL!!!!

The stumpy quills on their backs are all sprouting feathery tips now, yay! My hens will be scraggy no more

This morning I went out to feed the hens, it looks as though they've been perching as the poop is mostly under the perches, perhaps they're copying the one that can perch.
Whilst out there my neighbour came out and stuck his head over the fence tell me the hens had woken him and his wife up at 2am and sounded as though something was in there. He went out with his torch and found the neighbours on the otherside had also been woken and were out there too! We heard nothing! There is no sign of anything trying to get in and the coop is the cleanest and tidiest it's been so far. Very odd

Still no eggs.....

[Hans Mum]

Whilst out there my neighbour came out and stuck his head over the fence tell me the hens had woken him and his wife up at 2am and sounded as though something was in there. He went out with his torch and found the neighbours on the otherside had also been woken and were out there too! We heard nothing! There is no sign of anything trying to get in and the coop is the cleanest and tidiest it's been so far. Very odd

You'll have to set a baby monitor up.......