Camping out?

[Snadger]

I've just recently installed my Dorking chick in her new home along with a Light Sussex girlie who's a wee bit older. They seemed to get along ok as Dorky was giving as good as she got.
I wanted to make sure they were going into the new coop so I had a late night foray to the allotments (10pm....amd no old people about!)

Out of the 22 birds I have, only 6 were indoors on the roosting bar.......the rest were roosting outdoors, albeit under cover!

Funnily enough when I was cleaning them out it subcontiously registered that there wasn't as much poop!

The only worry I have is that some of them are Light Sussex and they look fluorecent in the dark..........not good for avoiding predators. All my runs have mesh on the roofs and tin sheeting dug in around the edges but foxes aren't called 'sly' for nowt and it's rather worrying!

Cripes knows how long they've been doing it but I suspect since we had that very warm spell a couple of weeks ago (was that really the only summer we're going to get?)

Before anyone mentions it the coops have NO mite infestation and the birds are clean as well!

[RichmondHens]

If you're sure there's no mite in the house then chances are they started doing it as you say when it was hot, decided they like it and it has started to become a habit. The only solution is to go down after dark when they are roosting and post them back in the house. This may take several nights before they get the message!

[bluemoon]

Ours all used to cuddle close on the roost at night - you wouldn't believe how little space could be taken up by 6 large hens and a huge cockerel -, but during the hot weather they spread out as far as possible, though still on the roost. That might be because we go down last thing and lock the houses up and chuck a handful of corn through the pop-hole to encourage them in if they seem unhappy about the idea. We have to lock them away though because there are many foxes there and we've given up total fox-protection in favour of a bigger run, so they could just jump onto the house roof and over the run top. One of our sussex X silkie growers was especially reluctant to go indoors for several days and a couple of evenings actually had to be caught and put in there. So I think you're right, it probably was the hot weather. I haven't had chickens for long, but I have noticed that once they do something a couple of times it becomes a habit and they continue. You might have to pop to the plot and force the issue for a night or two.

EDIT Beaten by RH, must learn to type faster.

[RichmondHens]

Bluemoon - I'm probably no faster at typing, but my reply was shorter!!!!!!!!

[Snadger]

I suppose the beauty of them roosting up a height outdoors is that if foxy does pay a visit they may be able to get out of his way, do you not think?
Seems a shame to shift them if they are comfortable!

They still go inside into the nestboxes to lay there eggs!

PS One pen has 6 cockerels in it who may gang up on foxy if he makes a move on them!

[RichmondHens]

If they are in a pen then they will be unlikely to escape. If free range and light enough to fly then in theory yes they can escape up the nearest tree. Roosting in trees at night is safe enough, but they are obviously at risk when they come down in the morning.

[CoraxAurata]

Problem is they really don't see well in the dark so any sucessful escape from fox is more by luck than judgement!

[Snadger]

If they are in a pen then they will be unlikely to escape. If free range and light enough to fly then in theory yes they can escape up the nearest tree. Roosting in trees at night is safe enough, but they are obviously at risk when they come down in the morning.

The pens are 6 or 7 foot high and the roosting bars are at various heights, majority round about 5 foot high,but I imagine a fox can be quite nimble!

[RichmondHens]

Yes they are! Don't risk it!