Bedtime Question

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ontombose

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Hi,

We now have 3 Pekins as of Saturday just gone.. They have settled in just fine but we put them to bed Saturday Night and Tonight. Question is what time should they be heading down? We put them in about 7:30 and it all went very quite nearly strait away :-)

I know they will go on their own once they are used to the surroundings but don't want to be putting them down to early or late until they are ready to do their own thing.

Cheers
Tim
 
Ours put themselves to bed depending on the light levels Ontombose, which depends on the weather. We like to get them into their more secure runs as soon as possible and then shut the pop-hole when they are all inside and settled. They need time to find the perches so if the door is closed too soon their may not be enough light.

Yesterday it was so dark and miserable in the morning no-one came out of the pop-holes until past 9.00am. If the sun is shining it will be 7.30.
 
My girls go to bed (as chris says) when light levels fall. I move their ark around and sometimes they go to bed in the dark as the sun, and they, are at the other end of the garden. You'll also find they go to bed early if moulting, or its wet.
I would advise you keep an eye on them as dusk falls whatever time they go to bed. Cats and other predators tend to be more active in low light and always best to be wary. You'll find one always leads the way to bed and you'll also get the straggler.
 
Hi Guys thanks for the replies.

Came back from my bike ride tonight only to find that the girls had taken themselves to bed tonight :-) Although the nosey one did make an appearance to see what was going on before heading back in.

only question I have now is they dont appear to be using the Perches!! Opened the door and they were huddled together on the straw bedding!! is this normal? or should I be doing something like placing them on the Perches?

Many Thanks,
 
Yes, place them on the perches for a night or two, they'll soon get the idea. Growing pullets are normally raised in sheds or have coops with no perches, so probably this is new to them. Glad they're going to bed OK - just perch them when they settle down, not immediately they go in or they may shoot out again!
In a night or two, you'll go down and they will all be neatly lined up on the perch and your problems will be over. Its good they're not sleeping in the nestboxes, too.
 
I agree with Marigold, your youngsters will not be used to perching, mine are all reared on the floor and takes a while to take to perching, some are quicker than others! :D It does help to keep them healthy if they can perch though.
 
Many people believe that the heavier breeds in particular can be harmed by being allowed to perch too early as its supposed to affect the normal growth of their breastbones, and heavy breeds like Orpingtons or Brahmas do generally like to roost on the floor, but obviously that doesn't apply to your pretty little Pekins!
 
We had a Sussex, a great big bird, who never really took to perching all through the night. She used to spend the first half of the night in the brood box, and our speckledy would snuggle up with her there. By morning they were usually on the perch, but not always. Now it never seemed to do them any harm, but it did mean that I had to clean the brood box out each morning to prevent the eggs (and back ends of hens) getting all pooey.

I think if you put them on the perch a couple of times so they understand its something they can do to sleep they'll be okay, but on the whole if its going to distress the hen or you, don't stress over it.
 
Their comfort on the perches will depend on the size. It is generally accepted that perches should be 2" square with rounded edges and fixed into slots so they can be removed easily. If the perches are small they will struggle to rest on them, as they will grip with their feet and rest their chest onto them. if they are not comfortable they won't use them. As Marigold says, very large breeds don't always perch and that may be a perch design issue as we have 80mm wide perches and some of the Orpingtons use them. The really big ones we have are too fat to fly up to them anyway!
 
Tricksy and Fifi slept in a big 'cflump' of feathered loveliness in the floor of the house for the first couple of weeks, but have taken to perching since getting them. They will get used to perching as they go.. Fifi now found daily at head height in the apple tree! Never had a pekin like her, as she perches on about everything she can find, including the dog :D
 
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