When is bedtime at the moment?

[sheringhamchooks]

I'm putting mine to bed manually at the moment. When to yours disappear? I'm in the East Midlands and it's presently dark at approx. 1900.

 

[Nitram]

I open the coop at the break of dawn and my girls roost on their own right after the sun sets. I have heard the more light they get the more eggs and the happier the girls are. Once I start free ranging them I will limit their time out of the run. Mine put them selfs to bed from day one.

 

[chrismahon]

Ours are going to bed before it gets dark now as they feel they have had a long enough day I think. Most are all quite old though. The youngest, a 7 month old cockerel, is the last to go in at about 7.15pm. Its annoying as all the other coops are shut 15 minutes earlier so it's an extra job.

The foxes were quite close last night so we daren't risk leaving the pop-holes open. They come up from the valley through the surrounding crops this time of year. Summer will be awkward as the chickens make a real racket if they don't get let out at dawn and I will have to be up late to lock them all up as I am not 100% confident in the security of our enclosure or the runs within it.

 

[Marigold]

As you're training them to go to bed up the ramp on their own, just leave them for an extra 30-45 mins later than you have been doing. Unless they feel a sense of urgency to get inside when it gets dark enough, they won't go in of their own accord. If you do find them huddled at the bottom of the ramp, you can then put them in, but you do need to give them a chance to work it out for themselves, now they've lived with you for a few days.

 

[sheringhamchooks]

Thanks for that. I think I was getting too anxious as last night them went by themselves at about 1835. Tonight two of them went in at same time, the third ran about looking for the others! I popped her in and all was silent.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Marigold]

Great, they're getting the hang of it and settling in nicely. I expect they will all go in together over the weekend.

 

[sheringhamchooks]

They now go in at about 0745 and have done so since the weekend. I had to go out this afternoon with the possibility I'd be later home so spent a lovely hour in the sunshine putting auto door in place and programmed it. Works great, very impressed with the system and accordingly programmed it on the timer option. Got back at eight and they were outside with the door shut!! I'll check in the morning but think I set it for 1945 which is obviously too early. I'll re programme in the morning to 2015 and all should be ok. I'm very impressed by the system. Chicken Guard seems perfect, just suffering from operator error!!

 

[Marigold]

Don't forget that sundown gets around. 5 minutes later each day, so they will be going to bed about half an hour or more later each week, and correspondingly will like it open earlier each morning as well. By midsummer they'll hardly want to go to bed at all, especially if its hot. I never shut the pophole to my coop, if the run is secure from predators the ventilation is very beneficial and there's no need to bother to shut them up at might and get them up in the morning.