The Poultry Keeper

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

Well, I finally decided I'd had enough waiting for things to be built and delivered or fixed. The automatic pop still isn't working ~ despite all the help from simon the chicken house man ~ he must be fed up every time he sees an email winging its way in. One consolation though, I bought another one ~ this time from him, but he hasn't got the timers in, so we wait a bit longer........(watch this space) I've spent hours crawling under the run mesh to get to the house to fix the opener all to no avail.
So yesterday, I decided it was time for them to go in, sawdust on the floor ~ Rigged up a piece of string to up and down the pop for now and managed to entice 3 in with food. Then had to catch the others, again scrambling under the mesh, pushing them through the pop or carrying them round the other way. I had thought to avoid carrying them round one by one ~ maybe that would have been easier!!
Then disaster, it has perspex windows, the big girls thought they could get out, so one or two of them were throwing themselves at the windows ~ I hadn't thought of that, so had to find some weed suppresser stuff and drawing pin that on the windows.
Then I ignored them, this morning most were perching and all ran out as fast as they could. Put the nest boxes in and left the old houses firmly closed for the day and apart from one small white pekin who has complained bitterly most of the day the others have gone in and done their job. So am feeling more happy about it.
So happy in fact that I made up a nice little nest box for buttercup the buff pekin........I don't suppose you know what I did next? Any way she's now in one of the old houses on her own. I just felt so sorry for her keep throwing her off and her poor bare chest.
I'm hoping they will all pop in on their own this evening.

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

Good luck,
I'm sure they'll soon get used to it all,

Laughing

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

My coop has one large window. I have yet to see one of my girls throwing herself at the window yet, thank goodness! Rolling Eyes

They will soon get used to their new house and be thrilled with going in and out by themselves.

Well done!

George · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 5661 Location: London

You can always paint on a spider web, birds will almost never go through them (unless spooked and making a mad dash to safety)

Razz

NannyP · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 5:34 pm Post subject:

debcat · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 7:01 pm Post subject:

what sort and how many?

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

oh dear, NannyP, you got it, I just couldn't leave her gazing at the other babies and then rushing back to her dud eggs.
I got her all bantams ~ silver partridge pekin, black tailed jap, 2 x lavender arucana and 2 x (and this is a really new breed) holiday home bantams, I have no idea what they will turn out to be ~ the cockerel that is used for the children to stroke and such has his fun every now and again when there are no children ~ these are his progeny ~ she wasn't specific what he was but he only seemed to be the height of a bantam, and as I had the only other bantams white or lavender pekin I got them. These are only 1 and 2 day old eggs. So we'll see what happens.
And I'm really not going to look at another sad face ~ please remind me that I said that if you see me wavering.

NannyP · Posted: Thu May 26, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject:

And i thought I was mad, I'm sure, sometime ago, you told us you don't have room for anymore Very Happy

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

aah, you see, that was before I opened up the big house ~ 6x8 shed ~ lots of space, just don't want to have to deal with lots of boys.
Left them to it tonight until about 10 minutes ago ~ the same white pekin who is soft as anything and wouldn't lay in the new house today was still wandering around crying for me to come and get her. I did and took her with the others, the trouble is I took her my way round through the big door, didn't think I'd manage to squeeze in via the pop. Maybe tomorrow she'll have gone in.
What happens if you have an automatic pop and one is left out, can you just lift the door by hand to push one in, or does that spoil the mechanism?