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Chicken keepers

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Original poster

letting girls out in the morning

20 replies

knat · 28/03/2010 15:44

when the lighter mornings coming how important is it that i let the girls out as early as possible? Not averse to getting up and doing this in my pjs but just know it will wake the dogs up and my 6 yr old dd and we will be up from then on!!!!

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MitchyInge · 29/03/2010 11:06

it's nice for them to get as much sunlight as possible isn't it, good for egg production I suppose - what time do you normally let them out?

we are all up at stupid o'clock anyway but don't think I would make it any earlier than 6 otherwise

Original poster

knat · 29/03/2010 13:47

thanks - its normally between 6 and 7 (dd is usually up at silly o'clock but usually manages to stay in her room until 6.00 ish - maybe I ought to send her down to let them out!!!!

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alibubbles · 29/03/2010 16:01

Mine let themselves in and out of their cube, but it is in a run. I don't close the cube door, even in the winter.

ChickensHaveSinisterMotives · 29/03/2010 16:08

I wouldn't get up any earlier to let them out, tbh. My girls can be noisy little madams, and a 4am alarm would not make me popular with my extremely tolerant neighbours.

MitchyInge · 29/03/2010 16:15

6am IS silly o'clock really

would be thrilled if mine would stop breaking into our house and surprising me by leaping up onto my shoulders and getting tangled in my hair

I do not go and hide in their house when it's raining or if I fancy something different for breakfast from the usual

ChickensHaveSinisterMotives · 30/03/2010 10:53

House breaking chooks! Luckily, mine haven't discovered that yet. They do tap on the back door though when its treat time.

Original poster

knat · 30/03/2010 12:15

mine are in a run too - but always close the coop door at night (its a wooden house) i suppose it's a just in case thing.

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ouchitreallyhurts · 31/03/2010 14:29

I let mine out at 7.30am but have noticed that they seem to lay a bit earlier if I don't let them out until just after 8am (on a sunday if I get that lie-in!)
usually 3 or 4 eggs in nest box on that sunday lie-in day compared with having to wait until 9.30ish on other days.

Original poster

knat · 01/04/2010 13:26

ok will probably stick with what i am doing! Another quick question. We have one maran who lays. The others are all hybrids. Two of the hybrids we have had for four weeks now and aren't laying yet. They were sold as POL's. One's comb is big and quite red now. When we first had them one of these two did lay an egg but we had a bully girl in with them and no more eggs were had from them (the bully has since gone) do you think they shoudl be laying soon?

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ouchitreallyhurts · 01/04/2010 14:01

I bought a few pol's about a month ago. it took them up until a few days ago to lay. now we get an egg at least every other day (our maran lays 3 days out of 4)
the comb seemed to get much redder before any eggs if that's any help

Original poster

knat · 01/04/2010 15:47

thanks. our maran seems to have 2 days off a week and otherwise lays a nice blue egg! Will wait and see with the pol's then. Just thought as one had laid quite soon after having her that she might be laying now! I think I'm a little impatient!!!!

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ouchitreallyhurts · 01/04/2010 17:33

its hard not to be! especially at this time of year when everyone seems to have a glut of eggs
does your maran 'chat' to herself a lot? ours is constantly chattering and seems to enjoy cuddles so do the bluebells, very sweet!

bramblebooks · 01/04/2010 18:35

Our girls get let out at 8ish - any earlier and their singing would disturb the neighbours!
Marans with blue eggs. Sounds gorgeous but am confuddled as I thought they laid terracotta brown eggs. I have a legbar who lays blue eggs, she is very pretty.

ouchitreallyhurts · 01/04/2010 20:01

our maran lays really dark (chocolate!) brown eggs - is there another maran (other than cuckoo) that lays blue?

Original poster

knat · 02/04/2010 21:37

where we had her from there were two marans - one laid a dark chocolate egg and ours a blue they were both the same type of maran aswell.

she is very moisy and chatters quite a lot. But i love our Brown Isa = she's so friendly and sings most of the day!!!

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nickelbabe · 06/04/2010 17:22

i let mine out as soon as the sun comes up.
i sleep with the blind slightly open so i get the sun in the eye.
then i put my coat and wellies on, open the pop-hole and scoot back to bed (close the blind) till it's proper morning.

kristylou · 11/04/2010 20:17

I am new to chickens but a couple of weeks ago we got a couple of bantams and now have a hybred as well. Am a bit worried about the noise at 6am in the morning as am concerned about waking my poor neighbours. Does keeping them shut in a bit longer stop them singing the sun up? am just leaving the run door open at the mo and they are letting themselves out.

nickelbabe · 12/04/2010 11:08

no, it doesn't make any difference!

in winter, our have a blanket over the coop in case of drafts (and an extra layer of insulation) and they still caw and cackle once the sun's up.
in my experience, if you let them out straight away they'll make less noise: a lot of the noise seems to be them shouting "let me out! let me oouuuttt!"

if you put a solid section (fence or wall) on the side that faces the neightbours it should deflect the noise a bit.

kristylou · 12/04/2010 16:30

Many thanks, better take them round some nice freash eggs to make up for the wake up call!

nickelbabe · 14/04/2010 10:15

heehee! yes, fresh eggs always helps soften the blow!

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