Chicken house questions

[pumpkin cuddler]

I have a few questions I hope you Chicken experts might help with regarding my ladies new home.

At night time when my 2 chickens go to bed I close the door behind them. Is this right, because although I have only had them for 5 nights they seem nervous about going in at night time.

When they are tucked up for the night I remove the food and water incase of mice. To be replaced with fresh in the morning. Also to brush down the run. Any pointers here would be great.

At the moment they are on grass but I have spoken to someone who owns a pine shop and he is willing to give me bags of sawdust. Is this a wise thing to use?

Also I have read that I should hang greens from the run. What kind, because they certainly seem to be pickie at the moment.

Last thing, I read that the ladies are supposed to eat in the mornings, well thes ones eat all day. Is that okay?

Thanks for your help.

Looking forward to cuddling the chickens and pumpkins!

[Sue]

Pumpkin Cuddler
Can't answer all your points as am new to hens myself but have been experimenting with their food so here are a few of my hens favourite things.
Green things, I hang a cabbage in their run, they seem to prefer the more leafy type rather than a ball headed one, although they will eat this if that's all there is. They seem to enjoy pecking at a swinging cabbage and it keeps them amused for ages.
They will eat lettuce too, some people say broccoli is a fav, but mine won't eat it. Will also try them on a sweetcorn cob when they're ripe.
The biggest favourite of all is an apple on a string.

and as for eating all day, they are obviously hungry when they "get up" so a good time to get chicken pellets/mash down them. I don't given them any treats till around 10am when they have a little cooked brown rice/spaghetti after they've been cleaned out. In the afternoon I put a few dried mealworms in a big trug of cut grass which is a great favourite for scratching through and in the evening they get a little mixed corn scattered around for them to find. And if you have any slug eaten strawberries, damaged raspberries, blackberries etc, they will love those. They will also eat chicken pellets on and off during the day.
I have read that it is best to let them have food ad lib as they are more likely to overeat if they get food in fits and starts.

As for sawdust, I've not seen it recommended anywhere, if they're on grass at the moment, they soon won't be! Don't know if you are moving the hen run around? It took my 3 10 days to turn a lush 9 x 9 ft area to bare earth. The hen house and run is so heavy, I don't know if I will move it again. At the moment they are on straw, which is great fun to kick around. It's easy to remove poo and change for fresh. Everyone seems to recommend wood chips (not bark chips) for permanent runs.
Have fun with your hens!
best wishes
Sue

[Madasafish]

I am building a movable run to prevent grass damage:
see...http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/is....html#article1

[daisychook]

Hi (again!)

Mine love broccoli they are no so keen on cabbage, I assume it isnt as sweet and succulent!!

Fussy blighters!!!

They also like bio yoghurt as a treat, with a pinch of poultry spice and some muesli - and they keep pecking at my strawberries!!!!

[kirsty b]

My hens are amazingly unfussy when it comes to food. Although they prefer mash to pellets. LOVED sweetcorn, if I offer them any its a fair scrum to see who can get the choicest morsels first!
Cooked rice, also well received as is spaghetti, greens (any) and dried mealworms when I offer them. Offer corn in the evening before they go to bed. Marmite on bread is a treat for them (also a good pick me up if they are off colour)
Two of mine have just started to moult so am giving them poultry spice too.

[terrier]

Our chooks won't eat layers pellets so I just give them corn first thing in the morning. Then when I let them out of the run, they make a dash for the cat bowls on the back doorstep just in case the cats have left anything (they love cat food!). In the evening when I feed the horses, they are there again cleaning up what the horses don't eat. They're very partial to multigrain bread and any fruit or veg going spare. If you're using fresh pine sawdust in the run you should'nt be bothered by fleas (we use it in the dog runs and fleas are unheard of) but I don't know if it works for red spider mite.

[Birdie Wife]

Hi PC, Shavings or woodchip is better than sawdust but having said that, my hens house is lined with sawdust because I can get large amounts of it for free! Sawdust can have very small particles in it that can cause respiratory problems in hens. Hens love to scratch around, it's part of their natural behaviour, so whatever you choose, make sure there's a good depth to it - at least 3 -4 inches if that's the only surface they're on. It's important whatever you use to make sure it's not been treated in any way, ie the wood has been processed from raw. Straw can harbour mites so if you use straw, make sure it's the proprietory stuff from the pet shop marketed for rabbits/guinea pigs.

Hens rarely overeat but they love treats and corn, so make sure they've filled up on layers pellets first so they have all the nutrients they need to lay lots of lovely eggs for you! It's okay to remove food at night but they should have access to water in the house as well, if there's room to put it.

Hope this helps!

[bubblewrap]

I am building a movable run to prevent grass damage:
see...http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/is....html#article1

This might be useful but a tad expensive.??
http://www.omlet.co.uk/homepage/homepage.php

[Madasafish]

Anything that costs over £30 is too expensive imo. So £300 plus for a run/shed/etc is like buying a Ferrari to do the weekly shopping run...

My economics are based on maximum entertainment & food for minimum cost...(I was brought up in Northern Scotland... a place which makes Yorkshirepeople look like the last of the big spenders:-)

[CountryFayre]

With regards to the house. Yes you are doing the correct thing by shutting the pop hole down. Can I ask though if the house was new or 2nd hand. The reason I ask is that red mite are one of the main causes of birds not wanting to go into their house. They also have a habbit of laying dormant for nearly a year in an unused empty house

[peafailure]

chickens naturally go to bed at dusk. It doesn't really matter if you lock them up after this time, the time important to them is at what time you open them up in the morning.Young chickens do not seem to like greens etc I don't think they have read the book properly but as they get older any spare greenery/fruit etc will be investigated ,it's all about making life interesting for them and anything you put in the run they will investigate.A balanced diet is crucial feed a diet of layers pellets and corn and any extra fruit /veg you can give them will keep them happy plus a good open run of grass or open plan area, which ever is possibleeither way they are chickens not realyy pets

[Cameo]

My dad kept chickens for most of his life and inside the hutch there was a perch, which the hens used to like to sit on at nights, instead of sitting in the hay or egg laying boxes etc. Dad used to say that they liked it up on the pearch as if any mice or rats ever got into the hutch, the hens felt safer up on the perch away from the ground. His perches were always made of a round broom handle type of wood, that went from one side of the hutch to the other, and was about 12-18 inches off the ground. Dont know if that is of any help to you.

[new2growing]

Bedtime for Hens

Chickens will usually put themselves to bed at dusk but if they're new to the henhouse they may need prompting ,even to the point of physically picking them up & placing them in the coop until they get the hang of it.They're just a bit unsure at the moment but they should be ok after a few goes. Just make sure you count them all in before you shut the door for the night or Messrs Fox & Badger will come a calling.Good luck & enjoy the taste of 'real' eggs.