The last few nights have been - relatively speaking - fairly mild. Having checked the detailed weather forecast for our area to make sure that there were no overnight freezing temperatures expected, a few nights ago we decided to leave the Cube door partially open. (The run is secure).
The Girls managed to get themselves up in the morning, much earlier than we've been letting them out, which was great. A lie in at last! Trouble is, they've been used to being let out to free range about an hour after being let out of the Cube. So, the noise started.
It's mainly Leelu (Delilah). She starts off with a bit of bokking, which progresses to a bit of a sad wail, which gets louder AND LOUDER AND LOUDER. Can't really hear the others, maybe they don't bother as Leelu is doing such a good job.
Chickens are creatures of habit. When it suits them, anyway. So I thought we might try and get them into a newhabit. A new habit of not-being-let-out-to-free-range-until-five-hours-after-they-get-up type of thing. I appreciate that it might seem a bit....extreme... making them wait 5 hours, but I know that last year the little poppets were getting themselves up at four in the morning in the summer. 4am+5 hours is 9am. It just means that right now, they aren't getting let out until 11am.
When I'm down in the kitchen I can't hear them. Not at all. Not with the doors and windows closed. But they can hear me. And my DH can hear them when he's in his study. When I grind the coffee, the get very excited. When they hear the espresso pump, they are beside themselves.
I try not to look out of the french windows when I'm having my coffee and toast. I can see them all lined up against the side of the run, staring at me. It's very much like "Chicken Run", in fact.
I'm hoping that they will just get used to it.
I've been worried about whether next-door are bothered by it. Their house is at a slight angle to ours, and their child's bedroom is at an angle whereby I'm sure the poor kid can hear them.
They took a parcel in for me today, though, and didn't say anything, so it might be that the noise isn't too bad with the fence in the way.
The Girls managed to get themselves up in the morning, much earlier than we've been letting them out, which was great. A lie in at last! Trouble is, they've been used to being let out to free range about an hour after being let out of the Cube. So, the noise started.
It's mainly Leelu (Delilah). She starts off with a bit of bokking, which progresses to a bit of a sad wail, which gets louder AND LOUDER AND LOUDER. Can't really hear the others, maybe they don't bother as Leelu is doing such a good job.
Chickens are creatures of habit. When it suits them, anyway. So I thought we might try and get them into a newhabit. A new habit of not-being-let-out-to-free-range-until-five-hours-after-they-get-up type of thing. I appreciate that it might seem a bit....extreme... making them wait 5 hours, but I know that last year the little poppets were getting themselves up at four in the morning in the summer. 4am+5 hours is 9am. It just means that right now, they aren't getting let out until 11am.
When I'm down in the kitchen I can't hear them. Not at all. Not with the doors and windows closed. But they can hear me. And my DH can hear them when he's in his study. When I grind the coffee, the get very excited. When they hear the espresso pump, they are beside themselves.
I try not to look out of the french windows when I'm having my coffee and toast. I can see them all lined up against the side of the run, staring at me. It's very much like "Chicken Run", in fact.
I'm hoping that they will just get used to it.
I've been worried about whether next-door are bothered by it. Their house is at a slight angle to ours, and their child's bedroom is at an angle whereby I'm sure the poor kid can hear them.
They took a parcel in for me today, though, and didn't say anything, so it might be that the noise isn't too bad with the fence in the way.
