Monday 4 April 2011

Extra nesting

The Garden Girls go through phases. 

Sometimes, they like the one big nestbox provided by the Cube.  They manage to share, without squabbling.  Every so often, there is a bit of a falling-out, and someone decides to hog the whole of the nestbox and not let anyone else in.   Some of the Girls take quite a long time to lay.  They seem to take themselves off to the nestbox at the first signs,  and then stay there. Sometimes for hours.This results in a lot of squawking, crowing, and general hen noisiness,  and the Girls like to schedule this for an early Sunday morning.

When this happens, I put the nest box divider in.  Peace usually resumes, for a while, and then it kicks off again, with one of the Girls in one of the nestboxes refusing to let anyone else in either of the nestboxes While She is Laying.  (And at least one Girl refuses to go anywhere near the nestbox if it's Occupied).

We've been round this loop (putting the divider in, taking it out) several times recently,  and so I decided to add a completely new nest box.  I bought a chick box last year, for use at the Allotment, but DH built additional nest boxes on one of the Coops anyway.  

So. I've installed the CHickbox.  I started off with it on one of the ledges, but I realised that this didn't really give much privacy.   So it's now installed underneath the Cube, facing the back (so I can get in to get the eggs).    I put shades around the bottom of the Cube, to make the area a little darker and peaceful.  I put a dummy egg in.  I've even put the Girls in.  

Nothing yet. But it's early days.  I'll leave it for a day or two and see if they get the idea.

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